HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 3 SHILOH CHRISTIAN (2-2, 0-1) at No. 4 Mountain Home (4-0, 1-0):

Mountain Home opened conference action a week ago with a 50-35 victory over favored FS Southside to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1986. Bombers TB Jacob Chenoweth ran 44 times for 234 yards and 4 TDs, and he caught 4 passes for 32 yards and a score. Bombers QB Brantlee Phillips completed 13 of 20 passes for 182 yards and 3 TDs, while Dawon Dunlap intercepted 2 passes. The Bombers won at Southside without junior 2-way player Barrett Miller, who could return this week.

Shiloh Christian led Greenwood 17-14 after 3 quarters a week ago before falling 28-17. The Saints gave Greenwood its closest game despite playing without talented sophomore QB Cole Creighton, who is doubtful for this matchup. Shiloh got TDs against Greenwood from Jake Bodenstein to Zane Sluyter and a short TD run  from Hudson Ball and a 24-yard field goal from Aiden Pullin.

WEEK 5 PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS and highlighted)

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly selected 6 of 8 games (75 percent) involving 6A teams a week ago and has correctly picked 45 of 55 games (82 percent) for the season.

6A EAST 

No. 5 Marion (3-1, 1-0) at EL DORADO (2-2, 0-1): El Dorado leads the series 7-2, but the Patriots have won the past 2 meetings, 27-23 in 2022 and 50-13 a season ago. El Dorado beat Marion 60-27 in the 2021 semifinals before the Wildcats won the Class 6A state title. Marion bounced back from its lone loss, scoring the game's final 45 points in a 45-7 homecoming victory over Sylvan Hills. The Patriots outgained the Bears 383-75 last week, including limiting Sylvan Hills to minus-3 yards passing. Marion sophomore tailback Jeremiah Dent and senior Jalen Smith each topped 100 yards rushing, with Dent scoring his first 3 varsity touchdowns and Smith scoring 2. Marion defenders Ryan Blackwell, Emanuel Key, Brian Benford, and Makhi Guyton recorded tackles for loss for the Patriots, who forced 3 turnovers. El Dorado trailed 19-0 in the third period in a 26-6 loss to LR Catholic last week at War Memorial Stadium. The Wildcats committed a turnover on the game's first play and never recovered against the Rockets. El Dorado got a TD from QB Cannon Jacobs to 2-way player A.J. Gilmore against Catholic, but that was all the scoring for the Wildcats. Marion could play without as many as 5 starters because of injuries, while El Dorado continues to evolve after the offseason defections of 4 starters.

NO. 2 BENTON (3-1, 1-0) at Sylvan Hills (0-4, 0-1): Benton has won the past 2 meetings by a combined 106-31, including 48-7 in last season's 6A East opener. Sylvan Hills scored first in last week's 45-7 loss at Marion — on Malachi Sherwin's 4-yard run. Sherwin rushed for more than 60 yards, but the Bears surrendered 338 rushing yards to the Patriots. Jaiden Noble stood out for the Sylvan Hills defense. Benton outgained Jonesboro 590-407 a week ago, and the Panthers outlasted the Hurricane 48-35. Benton led 14-0 at halftime and 21-0 in the third period before Jonesboro scored. Panthers junior QB Drew Davis completed 23 of 40 passes for 324 yards and 3 TDs, while Luther Tucker rushed for a team-high 177 yards and 4 TDs. Maddox Davis caught 11 passes against Jonesboro for 133 yards and 2 TDs; Will Carter caught 4 passes for 72 yards and a score. Sylvan Hills has lost 3 starters to season-ending injuries this season; Benton is mostly healthy, and that's bad news for the Bears.

NO. 10 SHERIDAN (2-2, 1-0) at Jonesboro (0-4, 0-1): Jonesboro leads the series 3-0, including conference victories over the Yellowjackets in 2020 and 2021. Jonesboro battled No. 2 Benton last week, getting within 21-14 late in the third quarter before giving up back-to-back TDs in a 48-35 defeat. Five Hurricane players scored TDs against Benton, including a 55-yard TD run from T.J. Brown and a 65-yard TD pass from Asa Myers to Matt Baertels. Myers completed 22 of 38 passes for 341 yards. Sheridan tied its single-game scoring record in last week's 62-14 home win over West Memphis. Sheridan led 48-7 at halftime, and amassed 603 yards, led by junior QB Dax McMellon's 22-of-30 passing night for 352 yards and 6 scores and 112 rushing yards from sophomore tailback Zay Stephens. Nine Yellowjackets caught passes, led by Stephens (7-123 receiving, 4 TDs) and Payton Sterritt (5-109, 2 TDs). Stephens has 703 all-purpose yards and Sterritt has 402. McMellon has completed 89 of 156 passes for 1,290 yards and 14 TDs. Braxton Fox (25 tackles in 2024), Jacob Pilkington (23 stops), Jaxson Delk (20 tackles) and Brady Dillon (15 tackles and team-high 2 sacks) lead the Sheridan defense, which logged 3 sacks against West Memphis.

NO. 7 LR CATHOLIC (4-0, 1-0) at W. Memphis (0-4, 0-1): West Memphis has won 2 of the past 3 meetings, including 21-14 last September. This game features Class 6A's top-scoring defense in Little Rock Catholic (11 ppg) and 6A's lowest-scoring offense in West Memphis (8.5 ppg). The Blue Devils trailed 55-7 after 3 quarters with 2 freshmen starting on offense. West Memphis gets consistent defensive effort from Taevion Dancy and Eric Sykes. Catholic led 19-0 at halftime in last week's 26-6 home victory over El Dorado. Senior QB Jackson England completed 18 of 24 passes for 188 yards and rushed for 2 short TDs. Senior tailback Noel Lewis rushed for 111 yards and a score, while Braxton Burks also scored. Aidan Gaiser logged 2 tackles for loss against El Dorado, while Jake Black-Ocken and Jackson Barron logged 1 TFL apiece.

6A WEST

No. 9 Russellville (3-1, 1-0) at NO. 1 GREENWOOD (4-0, 1-0): Greenwood has won 13 of the past 14 meetings, but the Cyclones' victory (37-23) came in the 2016 6A state-title game. Russellville topped Van Buren 31-23 a week ago behind QB Luke Jones' 3 TDs, and a 73-yard scoring run from Marcellus Olson-Patton. Greenwood topped Shiloh Christian 28-17 last week, playing the second half without all-state QB Kane Archer, who could return this week. The Bulldogs outscored the Saints 14-0 in the fourth quarter in the 11-point victory. Backup QB Cooper Goodwin completed 7 of 10 passes for 81 yards and a TD, while tailback Wesley Raggio rushed for 66 yards and a TD. Grant Karnes caught 7 passes for 110 yards and 2 TDs. Cash Archer logged 10 tackles, including 5 for losses with 2 sacks.

NO. 3 SHILOH CHRISTIAN (2-2, 0-1) at No. 4 Mountain Home (4-0, 1-0): See Hootens.com Game of the Week, above.

NO. 6 FS Southside (3-1, 0-1) at No. 8 LAKE HAMILTON (3-1, 1-0): Fort Smith Southside has won the past 2 meetings against Lake Hamilton, the last coming by a 38-3 score in 2015. FS Southside suffered its first loss last week, a 15-point home defeat to Mountain Home. The Mavericks, trailing 35-21 at halftime, got within 41-35 entering the fourth quarter. Junior Peyton Zimmerman returned the opening kickoff for a TD and caught 7 passes for 116 yards and 2 more TDs. Tailback Jayden Webb rushed for 49 yards and 2 scores. Lake Hamilton's winning streak reached 3 with last week's 46-6 victory at Siloam Springs. The Wolves gained 485 yards, including 382 on the ground with 6 scores. Hayden Barton (164 rushing 3 TDs), Carson Jackson (115 rushing, 2 TDs) and Dylan Murphy (96 yards, TD) led the ground attack. Bryson Hill executed 4 pancake blocks. Seniors Dawson Trott and Hagan Tyler each had 10 tackles, while Caleb Rouse finished with 8. Southside yielded almost 350 rushing yards a week ago.

Siloam Springs (2-2, 0-1) at VAN BUREN (1-3, 0-1): Van Buren has won 3 of the past 4 meetings, including the last 2 by a combined 106-34. Siloam Springs allowed Lake Hamilton to rush for 382 yards a week ago in the Panthers' 46-6 defeat. Siloam Springs had 5 first downs against Lake Hamilton, but the Panthers forced 2 turnovers and got a TD pass from Dane Marlatt to Jack O'Brien. Van Buren rushed for 218 yards in last week's 31-23 loss to Russellville, led by senior TB Cameron Keller's 186 yards and a TD. Pointers QB Hayden Williford passed for 193 yards and TDs to Trenton Cooley and Weston Wilcox. John-Michael Fisher and Darren Mays led the Van Buren defense with 8 tackles each.