Hootens.com

7A Rankings

Week 5, 2024

1.  Bryant (4-0, 1-0)

2.  Fayetteville (3-1, 1-0) 

3.  Conway (4-0, 1-0)  

4. Pulaski Academy (4-0, 1-0) 

5. Bentonville (1-3, 1-0) 

6. Springdale (4-0, 1-0) 

7. Rogers (3-1, 1-0)  

8. Little Rock Christian (3-1, 1-0) 

9. Cabot (1-3, 0-1) 

10. Bentonville West (0-4, 0-1) 

7A Central unranked: LR Southwest (0-4, 0-1), LR Central (1-3, 0-1), North Little Rock (0-4, 0-1)

7A West unranked: Rogers Heritage (0-4, 0-1), Springdale Har-Ber (0-4, 0-1), Fort Smith Northside (1-3, 0-1)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK — STEVEN JONES

NO. 1 FAYETTEVILLE (3-1, 1-0) at No. 7 Rogers (3-1, 1-0)

Fayetteville got 3 TDs from both RB Christian Battles and QB Garyt Odom as the Bulldogs opened 7A-West play with a 49-21 win over Bentonville West. The defending state champions led 35-7 at the half. Fayetteville's lone loss in nonconference play came to Texas High (Texarkana, Texas) in a dramatic finish. 

Rogers is 3-1 after defeating Fort Smith Northside in its conference opener. Rogers Coach Chad Harbison says Fayetteville is very talented with plenty of weapons on offense. “We must find a way to limit explosive plays and force them to be patient on offense,” says Harbison, who emphasized that Fayetteville's defense is fast and physical. "They force a lot of turnovers and do a great job getting teams behind the chains. We must take care of the football. We must find ways to win first down to help keep us on schedule.”

Fayetteville Coach Casey Dick says the Mounties present a variety of offensive schemes and are aggressive on defense. "We will have to be ready to pick up pressure and have a plan for all of it," Dick says.

Rogers is much improved, but the Purple Dogs win this road matchup and continue their streak of victories over Arkansas opponents (nearly 2 years).

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

LAST WEEK Hootens.com correctly picked 7 of 8 games (88 percent) involving 7A teams and has correctly picked 48 of 56 games (86 percent) in 2024. 

7A CENTRAL

North Little Rock (0-4, 0-1) at NO. 3 CONWAY (4-0, 1-0) Conway senior QB Grayson Wilson (Arkansas commit) passed for more than 300 yards and accounted for 5 TDs last Friday as the Wampus Cats defeated Little Rock Southwest 56-22. Winless North Little Rock struggles on offense. The Charging Wildcats committed 5 turnovers in the first half last week in their 47-0 loss to Pulaski Academy. Conway runs away with this game at home. 

NO. 1 BRYANT (4-0, 1-0) at No. 8 Little Rock Christian (3-1, 1-0): Bryant looked polished last week after a bye, leading 42-0 after a quarter in a 62-13 win. Tristian Watson (11-175 receiving, TD) led Little Rock Christian in last week’s win over Cabot. “Tristian is a phenomenal competitor, and when the game is on the line you can trust him to make plays,” LR Christian Coach Dustin Grimmet says. Bryant stays undefeated with a road win. 

NO. 9 CABOT (1-3, 0-1) at Little Rock Southwest (0-4, 0-1) Little Rock Southwest continues to get production from Chase Forte, who passed for 155 yards and 2 TDs in last week’s loss to Conway. Cabot looks to bounce back after dropping a 28-24 decision to Little Rock Christian last week. Cabot bounces back and wins this on the road. 

Little Rock Central (1-3, 0-1) at NO. 4 PULASKI ACADEMY (4-0, 1-0) Little Rock Central fell behind 42-0 in the first quarter of its 62-13 loss to Bryant in the conference opener. The Tigers dealt with special teams woes and gave Bryant advantageous field position on multiple drives. Pulaski Academy dominated North Little Rock a week ago, leading 28-0 after the first quarter. Pulaski Academy handles Little Rock Central at home. 

7A WEST

NO. 1 FAYETTEVILLE (3-1, 1-0) at No. 7 Rogers (3-1, 1-0) See Game of the Week, above.

NO. 6 SPRINGDALE (4-0, 1-0) at No. 10 Bentonville West (0-4, 0-1) Springdale continued its undefeated start with a 48-20 win over Rogers Heritage and look to go 5-0. The Bulldogs were led by Carson Hayter, who ran 8 times for 144 yards and 4 TDs. Bentonville West couldn’t get anything going early offensively as Fayetteville jumped out to a big lead last week in a 49-21 victory.

NO. 5 BENTONVILLE (1-3, 1-0) at Fort Smith Northside (1-3, 0-1) Bentonville QB Trevor Grant and RB James Pratt accounted for 6 TDs last week, and the Tigers punted once in a 55-21 win over Har-Ber. Northside lost to Rogers last week 35-7, and the Grizzlies' defense will have its hands full here.

Rogers Heritage (0-4, 0-1) at SPRINGDALE HAR-BER (0-4, 0-1): Both teams are looking for their first win. Rogers Heritage struggled to stop the run and explosive plays as Springdale ran wild on the War Eagles last week. Har-Ber has also has a hard time getting teams off of the field as Bentonville defeated the Wildcats with a balanced attack. Har-Ber bounces back and gets a win at home.