Hootens.com Rankings
Class 2A, Week 1, 2020
Copyright Hooten Publishing, Inc.
1. Fordyce (1-0)
2. Junction City (0-1)
3. Gurdon (0-0)
4. Magnet Cove (1-0)
5. Foreman (0-1)
6. McCrory (1-0)
7. Des Arc (1-0)
8. Earle (0-0)
9. Poyen (1-0)
10. Clarendon (0-0)
11. Magazine (0-1)
12. Hazen (0-1)
13. E. Poinsett County (0-1)
14. Mountainburg (0-0)
15. Murfreesboro (0-1)
16. Hector (1-0)
17. Dierks (0-0)
18. Mineral Springs (1-0)
19. Carlisle (0-1)
20. Hampton (1-0)
21. Mount Ida (0-1)
22. Quitman (1-0)
23. Cutter M. Star (0-1)
24. Cross County (0-0)
25. Marked Tree (0-0)
26. Parkers Chapel (0-1)
27. Conway Christian (0-0)
28. Yellville-Summit (0-0)
29. Bigelow (1-0)
30. Bearden (0-1)
31. England (0-1)
32. Lafayette County (0-0)
33. Cedar Ridge (0-1)
34. Strong (0-0)
35. Marvell (0-0)
36. J.C. Westside (0-0)

GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 6 McCrory at No. 7 Des Arc
McCrory has won three straight in this rivalry. McCrory struggled last week against Hazen (15-man roster) and its new-look 3-5 defense but won 10-6. McCrory senior end Buck Neal recorded seven tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery. Junior linebacker Reid Kennon tallied seven stops and two sacks, while junior end Justin  Hatch collected six tackles, a sack and an interception.  Des Arc counters with all-league QB Luke Morton triggering its Flexbone offense and handing off to junior FB Brock Devorak. Devorak gutted Palestine-Wheatley last week for 171 yards and a TD. Senior slotback Eyan Holloway darted for 77 yards and three TDs.   

LAST YEAR
Hootens.com correctly picked 13 of 20 (65 percent) of games involving Class 2A teams.

WEEK 1 PREDICTIONS (favored team in CAPS followed by point spread)
3-2A
MCCRORY (2) at Des Arc: See Game of the Week.
BALD KNOB (38) at Cedar Ridge: Class 4A Bald Knob goes 2-0 against Class 2A teams after whipping Mount Ida 42-6 last week. Cedar Ridge lost 63-28 last week to Class 3A Baptist Prep, but those 28 points are the most it has scored since Week 10, 2017. Cedar Ridge junior QB Connor Cossey passed to senior WR Nevin Crotts for two TDs.
Earle at HELENA (4): Earle narrowly lost to 6-2A favorite Clarendon in a preseason scrimmage but was open last week. Class 4A Helena also did not play Week 0. Helena has won four straight in this series.
EPC (30) at Manila: EPC could not keep up with Class 4A Pottsville last week in a 60-32 loss, but senior QB Preston Rains completed 15 passes for 181 yards and two TDs. All-state WR Deuce Moore caught five passes for 104 yards and a TD. This is Class 3A Manila's season opener. The Lions scored two TDs or less seven times in 2019. 
MARKED TREE (15) at Palestine-Wheatley: Marked Tree expects to dress 24 players at Class 3A P-W, which lost 43-6 last week to No. 7 Des Arc. MT sophomore QB Brylan Honeycutt makes his varsity debut after triggering the 5-3 junior Indians last fall. All-conference TE B.J. Marshall and OG Orlando Harper looked good in preseason camp.
CROSS COUNTY is open.

4-2A
BIGELOW (3) at Cutter M Star: Cutter Morning Star appeared to make a two-point conversion late last week at Class 3A Bismarck, but it was negated by a holding penalty in a 27-26 loss. Bigelow posted its first victory (on the field) since Week 9, 2018 by topping Bearden 16-6. Bigelow, led by junior LB Kaden Terrell (nine tackles, three TFL, one FF), held Bearden to 43 yards on 37 rushing attempts.
CONWAY CHRISTIAN (6) at Baptist Prep: Class 3A Baptist Prep dressed 19 in the opener and clubbed Cedar Ridge 63-28. Conway Christian, which did not play last week, expects to dress 23 for its opener, including senior QB Tyler Cossey, WR Jeramya Brock and DE Robert Taylor.
J.C. Westside at PARIS (21): JC Westside expects to dress 25 in its opener. Junior Brayden Edwards has developed at QB, while Cody Keech will spearhead both JCW lines. Class 3A Paris opened with a 32-12 win over Lavaca. Paris rushed for 248 yards with QB Chase Watts rolling up more than 200 total yards and three scores. 
CEDARVILLE (33) at Mountainburg: No. 14 Mountainburg has won four of the past five meetings in this series with Class 3A neighbor Cedarville, but CHS won last year 46-0. Cedarville opened last week with a 44-6 win over Class 4A Berryville by piling up 473 yards. Junior FB Darryl Kattich ran for 254 of those yards and three TDs on just 17 carries. With many students choosing the virtual option at Mountainburg High, only 16 Dragons practiced regularly during preseason camp. Look for 24 on the sideline Friday night.
Quitman at MELBOURNE (17): Quitman tamed Class 3A Two Rivers 59-0 last week. Senior receovers Erin Mathes and Landon Luman and sophomore slot Trevor Lock are playmakers in the passing game. Melbourne senior running back Ryan Worsham ran for three TDs against Clinton. Melbourne's veteran offensive line paved the way for more than 200 rushing yards and protected sophomore QB Trey Wren, who proved efficient in his first start.
Two Rivers at YELLVILLE-SUMMIT (10): Yellville debuts as a Class 2A this week with a win over Class 3A Two Rivers, which lost 59-0 last week.
MAGAZINE is open.
HECTOR is open.

5-2A
BIGELOW (3) at Cutter M Star: Cutter Morning Star appeared to have made a two-point conversion late last week at Class 3A Bismarck, but it was negated by a holding penalty in a 27-26 loss. Bigelow posted its first victory (on the field) since Week 9, 2018 by topping Bearden 16-6 a week ago. Bigelow, led by junior LB Kaden Terrell (nine tackles, three TFL, one FF) held Bearden to 43 yards on 37 rushing attempts.
MAGNET COVE (30) at Bismarck: Magnet Cove senior RB Landon Stone (2,757 yards, 30 TDs in 2019) opened with a workmanlike 20 carries for 249 yards and three TDs in a 67-32 win over improved Murfreesboro. Senior WR Levi Horton (6-4, 170) caught three balls for 103 yards and three TDs. Class 3A Bismarck, led by gritty sophomore QB Ian Smith, edged Cutter Morning Star 27-26.
POYEN (21) at Drew Central: No. 9 Poyen jumped Genoa Central 40-8  last week with a passing game that appears ahead of schedule. Senior QB Jaxson Carter completed five (of nine) passes for 124 yards and three TDs to all-state slotback Brandon Sanchez.
Mount Ida at PERRYVILLE (22): Mount Ida played up last week and fell to Class 4A Bald Knob 42-6. MI junior RB Baylor Bates paced the Lions with 86 yards and a TD on 13 attempts. MI allowed just 51 yards in the first half when it trailed 14-0. Perryville linebackers Blake Kennedy, Brandon Hoyt, Brock Smith and Crete Tippen lead its defense.
PRECOTT (10) at Gurdon: No. 3 Gurdon expects to dress 37 for the opener against neighbor rival, Class 3A No. 2 Prescott with its 60-man roster. These teams have not played since 2017 when Prescott won 48-0. Gurdon returns starters at 17 positions, including Steve Landers Auto Group Class 2A Super Team RB Jameson Threadgill, OL Grant McGaillard, DL Royrick Anderson and LB Armando Harper.

6-2A
MCCRORY (2) at Des Arc: See Game of the Week.
Barton at CLARENDON (8): This is the first meeting between these schools since 2013 when Barton won 45-0. No. 10 Clarendon slipped past Earle in a low-scoring preseason scrimmage but did not play last week. Twenty-four Barton Bears faithfully attended summer workouts as the team shifted from the Flexbone to the Power Spread. 
England at FOUNTAIN LAKE (14): England gave up 440 yards last week in a 57-20 loss to Mineral Springs. Class 4A No. 38 Fountain Lake did not play last week due to Covid-related quarantines.
HAZEN (8) at West Fork: Hazen fought hard last week in a 10-6 loss to McCrory, holding the Jaguars under 60 yards rushing. Senior linebackers Donavan Harris and D'Varie Jemerson recorded 15 tackles apiece. Class 3A West Fork snapped a 12-game losing streak with a 20-14 victory over Class 4A Green Forest.
MARVELL is open.
CARLISLE is open.

7-2A
Bearden at MINERAL SPRINGS (32): Mineral Springs opened with a 57-20 win over England. MS senior QB Terrell Fricks completed eight of 11 passes for 238 yards and five TDs with no interceptions. He ran for another 124 yards and three TDs. Bearden senior LB Jamalachi Hartley and junior DB Dominic Hammond recored 12 tackles apiece in a 16-6 loss to Bigelow.
DIERKS (28) at Horatio: Season opener for both teams. Dierks senior Braxton Clayborn shifted from Flexbone running back to quarterback and improved daily in preseason camp. Horatio drags a 13-game losing streak into this season under first-year coach Lantz Castleman, previously an assistant at Magnolia.
FOREMAN (13) at Genoa Central: Rough opener last week for Foreman, which lost six fumbles in a 28-6 defeat to Idabel, Okla. Foreman senior DE Chris Haywood recorded four tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
CENTERPOINT (16) at Murfreesboro: Class 3A Centerpoint plays its second 2A opponent in five days after losing Monday night at Hampton 12-10. Murfreesboro lost last week at Magnet Cove, committing four turnovers and giving up 509 yards.
Lafayette County at PARKERS CHAPEL (1): LC did not play its scheduled home opener last week against Class 3A No. 2 Prescott due to a power outage. The Cougars do not lack playmakers, and junior Cedric Williams (6-1, 190) is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. PC started multiple sophomores last week in a 47-28 lost to Minden (La.) Glenbrook, which played without its starting QB. PC beat Lafayette County 48-6 last year. 

8-2A
JUNCTION CITY (6) at Smackover: No. 2 Junction City led Class 3A Camden Harmony Grove early last week but failed to score on two fourth-quarter drives into the red zone. JC senior QB Gabe Richards completed four of nine passes for 70 yards in his first varsity start since 2018. Senior Devontay Gilbert caught three of those passes for 53 yards. Junction City leads the overall series with Smackover 25-18, per JC historian Wayne Pumphrey.
Lafayette County at PARKERS CHAPEL (1): LC did not play its scheduled home opener last week against Class 3A No. 2 Prescott due to a power outtage. The Cougars do not lack playmakers and junior Cedric Williams (6-1, 190) is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. PC started multiple sophomores last week in a 47-28 lost to Minden (La.) Glenbrook, which played without its starting QB. PC beat Lafayette County 48-6 last year.
Bearden at MINERAL SPRINGS (32): Mineral Springs opened with a 57-20 win over England. MS senior QB Terrell Fricks completed eight of 11 passes of for 238 yards and five TDs with no interceptions. He ran for another 124 yards and three TDs. Bearden senior LB Jamalachi Hartley and junior DB Dominic Hammond recored 12 tackles apiece last week in a 16-6 loss to Bigelow.
STRONG is open.
FORDYCE is open.
HAMPTON is open.