Hooten’s Arkansas Football Rankings   
Class 7A, Week 3, 2024  
Copyright Seventy Seven’s Football Publishing, LLC  

1.  Fayetteville (2-0) 

2.  Bryant (3-0)  

3.  Conway (3-0)  

4. Pulaski Academy (3-0) 

5. Bentonville (0-2) 

6. Springdale (3-0) 

7. Rogers (2-1)  

8. Cabot (1-2) 

9. Little Rock Christian (1-1) 

10. Bentonville West (0-3) 

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK 

TEXAS HIGH (Texarkana) (3-0) at No. 1 FAYETTEVILLE (2-0) Texas High is off to a 3-0 start behind senior QB David Potter, who completes nearly 80 percent of his passes for an offense that averages 546 yards per game. The Tigers are loaded with talent committed to play at the Division I level — junior RB Tradarian Ball (Oregon), senior RB Javari Johnson (Stephen F Austin), and senior athlete Darnell Williams (Mississippi) make plays all over the field. The Tigers’ massive offensive line might give them an advantage in the trenches.

Fayetteville, the defending Class 7A champions and winner of 15 consecutive games, has looked good with QB Garyt Odom (UNLV commit) leading the way for the Bulldogs, who have outscored their opponents 78-36.

Hootens.com likes Texas High to handle business on the road though, Texas High has outscored its opponents 140-61 in 3 games, exceeding 50 points in 2 of the games.

WEEK 3 PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS and highlighted in yellow) 

LAST WEEK Hootens.com correctly picked 10 of 11 games (91 percent) involving 7A teams and has correctly picked 31 of 34 games (91 percent) in 2024. 

 7A WEST  

No. 5 BENTONVILLE (0-2) at Lee’s Summit North (Mo.) (3-0): Bentonville looks for its first win after falling to Oklahoma powerhouse Tulsa Union in overtime and last week to No. 3 Conway. RB Chris Ficklin rushed for 100 yards last week’s 55-21 loss to No. 3 Conway. Hootens.com likes Bentonville on the road to get back on track. 

ROGERS HERITAGE (0-2) at Little Rock Central (0-2) Both teams enter the game with 0-2 records. Heritage last won in August of 2023; Central has lost 33 in a row, dating back to a playoff win over Fayetteville in 2020. Senior QB Dominic Castaneda leads the Heritage offense. Coach Anthony Robinson’s Central team has home-field advantage, but Hootens.com is going with the War Eagles on the road at Quigley Stadium. 

TEXAS HIGH (Texas) (3-0) at No. 1 FAYETTEVILLE (2-0). See Game of the Week, above.

7A CENTRAL 

West Memphis (0-2) at No. 9 LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN (1-1) West Memphis last to 2 5A opponents by lopsided scores. Little Rock Christian won a tough game on the road at 6A El Dorado before dropping a 44-40 decision to Class 6A Shiloh Christian. RB Jackson Ward runs for tough yards for the Warriors and QB Kemp Keller has proven he can make big-time throws. Hootens.com likes the Warriors at home. 

North Little Rock (0-2) at CLASS 6A LITTLE ROCK CATHOLIC (1-1) Travis Young has been a bright spot for NLR, blocking a punt and returning it for a TD in the loss to Benton. Catholic slipped by Arkansas High 20-15 in the opener but dominated Nolan Catholic (Texas) Saturday in Frisco. QB Jackson England leads the Rockets, and Hootens.com likes England and the Rockets to win here. 

Little Rock Southwest (0-2) at CLASS 6A FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE (2-0) Southside QB Blake Forsgren accounted for 6 TDs in last week’s win over Little Rock Central. Joseph Kincannon has established himself as a big-play man – catching 4 of the 5 TD passes thrown by Forsgren. Little Rock Southwest has given up more than 100 points combined to open the season. Montrell Martin is an explosive playmaker for the Gryphons, who will have to score in bunches to keep up with the Mavericks. Hootens.com likes Fort Smith Southside at home.