Hooten’s Arkansas Football Rankings
Class 7A, Week 6, 2023
Copyright Seventy Seven’s Football Publishing, LLC
1. Conway (5-0)
2. Fayetteville (5-0)
3. Bentonville (3-2)
4. Rogers (4-1)
5. Bryant  (4-1)
6. Cabot (3-2)
7. FS Southside (3-2)
8. Bentonville West (3-2)
9. North Little Rock (1-4)
10. Jonesboro (1-4)
11. Har-Ber (1-4)
12. LR Southwest (1-4)
13. FS Northside (1-4)
14. Springdale (2-3)
15. Heritage (1-4)
16. LR Central (0-5)
RANKINGS There are changes at 4 spots: Har-Ber and Little Rock Southwest flipped at 11 and 12.  Northside and Springdale flipped at 13 and 14. Har-Ber picked up a win but what really moved it up was scoring points in some losses against good teams. Northside picked up a win to help it move up a spot.

LAST WEEK

Kevin Kelley's 7A picks for Hootens.com went 8-0 for the second consecutive week, since the beginning of conference play, improving the overall record to 41-14 (74.5 percent).

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 6 Cabot (3-2, 2-0) at No. 1 CONWAY (5-0, 2-0):
Cabot comes in off a 38-12 over Little Rock Southwest. Keegan Vest had a rushing TD and Gavin Reardon had a receiving TD. The Panthers will have to be able to run and pass effectively to move the football against the top-ranked Wampus Cats.  Coach Buck James teams always had aggressive defenses that were physical and liked to put pressure on you when I coached against him. It makes it difficult if you can't be at least partially effective in both aspects.
Conway came down I-40 and beat North Little Rock 36-7 last week. Donovon Omolo threw TD passes to Cris O’Neal and Ryan Martin. The defense chipped in a TD when Jacoby Wade intercepted a tipped pass and ran it back for a short Pick-6.
Cabot plays well at home, but I am not sure it has enough on the road. Conway keeps the streak going.

7A WEST

No. 2 FAYETTEVILLE (5-0, 2-0) at No. 7 Fort Smith Southside (3-2, 2-0): Fayetteville continues to  win games, including close ones like the 47-42 victory over Rogers last week. The defense recovered a fumble to help win the game and QB Drake Lindsey played well. Maybe his best pass was the easiest – an 84-yard TD to Jaison Delamar, who caught the ball in stride after he beat his defender and raced into the end zone. One of the keys to Fayetteville's win was it did not turn the ball over while forcing 2 on defense. Southside, which lost 50-35 to Bentonville, has been playing well on offense and scoring on Bentonville is further proof. The Mavericks have a chance every time they walk on the field. Star RB Amari Tucker had 21 carries for 210 yards and 2 TDs. Five different receivers caught passes, with 2 of them – Isaac Gregory and Greyson York – catching TDs. This will be a high-scoring game and a fun one to watch, but the Bulldogs take this one.

No. 15 Rogers Heritage (1-4, 0-2) at No. 3 BENTONVILLE (3-2, 2-0): Heritage comes in off a 61-13 loss at home to Springdale Har-Ber, and it doesn’t get any easier this week against Bentonville. The Tigers beat the Southside Mavericks 50-35 with QB Carter Nye passing for 486 yards and 6 TDs, including a 75-yard TD pass on the first play to CJ Brown (7-215 receiving, 2 TDs). Southside Coach Kim Dameron praised Nye for his accuracy and ability to spread the ball around. Bentonville will never let this one be in doubt.

No. 8 Bentonville West (3-2, 1-1) at No. 4 ROGERS (4-1, 1-1): Rogers lost a 47-42 heartbreaker  last week against Fayetteville. They will need to regroup in a hurry with Bentonville West coming in. The Wolverines beat Springdale 47-22 last Friday. Rogers QB Dane Williams had TD passes of 5 yards to Mabry Verser, 25 yards to Braxton Lindsey, and 68 yards to Jacob Jenkins en route to a big day. My personal motivational player, Graycen Cash had 5 catches for 56 yards in his third game back from a very shortened ACL rehab. Bentonville West amassed 387 total yards in the win over Springdale. Cole Edmondson had a 14-yard TD run. QB Dalton RIce had a 57-yard TD pass to Jaxon Burst, a 20-yard TD pass to Mason Hawkins, and another 20-yard TD pass a little later. Linebacker Jackson Berg had a fumble recovery that almost turned into a scoop and score. Having watched both teams play, this will be a good one early. I expect Rogers to take over late in the second quarter and then cruise to a victory to bounce back after last week.

No. 11  HAR-BER (1-4, 0-2) at No. 14 Springdale (2-3, 1-1): I almost made this the game of the week because who doesn’t love a cross-town rivalry game? Har-Ber comes in with momentum after winning 61-13 over Rogers Heritage last week. Springdale walks in off a 47-22 loss to the Bentonville West Wolverines. Har-Ber QB Braden Sprague completed 3 TD passes. Keegan Smith had a 44-yard TD run. Har-Ber intercepted 3 passes, including Connor Hamby’s 40-yard Pick-6 and Victor Ceciliano’s 44-yarder that went for TDs. Cornerback Lee Allen also chipped in with a third interception for the Wildcats. Cayden Aserude's TD run provided Springdale with one of it highlights. Har-Ber leads the series 15-2. I think it’s 16-2 after this week, as the Wildcats look to be making improvements each week.

7A CENTRAL

No. 6 Cabot (3-2, 2-0) at No. 1 CONWAY (5-0, 2-0): See Hootens.com Game of the Week, above

No. 16 Little Rock Central (0-5, 0-2) at No. 5 BRYANT (4-1, 2-0): Bryant comes off a 42-14 win over the Jonesboro Hurricane. Little Rock Central is winless after falling 42-13 against Fort Smith Northside. Bryant QB Jordan Walker started off hot, hitting Mytorian Singelton, one of the best receivers in the state. Singleton caught the ball over the middle, put a move on a defender and raced down the sideline almost to the end zone. That set up James Martin's short TD run. Later, Walker hit Zach Kertis-Jones for a long TD pass. Central played one of its closer games last Friday night, but the Tigers won’t have enough to beat the Hornets.  I would love to see Central back in power like it was in the early 2000s.

No. 9 North Little Rock (1-4, 1-1) at No. 12 LITTLE ROCK SOUTHWEST (1-4, 0-2): The North Little Rock Charging Wildcats come into this week looking for their second win after falling to Conway 36-7 last week. Southwest is also looking for win No. 2 after enduring a 38-12 loss to Cabot. The Gryphons scored on a Deshawn Robinson run and Chase Forte's TD pass to Luther Tucker. Cameron Martin had an interception. One of these teams will pick up their second win, and I think it will be the Gryphons.

No. 10 JONESBORO (1-4, 0-2) at No. 14 FS Northside (1-4, 1-1): Jonesboro lost 42-14 last week at Bryant and is on the road again this week. Martavius Pickett provided a highlight with a TD run against the tough Hornets defense. The Grizzlies picked up their first win – 42-13 over the Central Tigers. Coach Felix Curry praised his defense, which stopped 2 Central drives with interceptions, for playing well the entire game. Curry said the offense got some confidence in the third quarter and was able to open things up. I think the Hurricane get the win this Friday night.