Hootens.com Rankings
Class 2A, Week 6, 2021
Copyright Hooten Publishing, Inc.
1. Bigelow (5-0)
2. McCrory (5-1)
3. Des Arc (4-1)
4. Clarendon (3-1)
5. Fordyce (3-2)
6. Junction City (2-3)
7. Gurdon (5-1)
8. Poyen (3-2)
9. Hazen (4-1)
10. Quitman (3-2)
11. Mount Ida (3-2)
12. Hector (4-1)
13. Carlisle (0-5)
14. Marked Tree (2-3)
15. Earle (3-2)
16. E. Poinsett County (0-5)
17. Hampton (1-4)
18. Dierks (1-4)
19. Magnet Cove (2-4)
20. Cross County (1-3)
21. Mountainburg (2-2)
22. Lafayette County (1-3)
23. Magazine (1-3)
24. Yellville-Summit (1-4)
25. Murfreesboro (1-3)
26. J.C. Westside (1-3)
27. Foreman (0-5)
28. Bearden (0-5)
29. Parkers Chapel (0-3)
30. Mineral Springs (0-3)
31. England (0-3)
32. Conway Christian (0-5)

GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 6 Junction City at No. 5 Fordyce
For the fourth year in a row, the winner should capture the 8-2A title. Junction City (2-3), idle last week, enters the month of October with a losing record for the first time since 1997, per JC historian Wayne Pumphrey. Senior quarterback Jamal Johnson has run and passed this fall for a combined 553 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior LB Kristopher Norman paces the Dragons with 50 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss.  Fordyce trailed visiting Carlisle 6-0 early last week but was in control the rest of the night in a 28-12 win. Four Redbugs accounted for 39 tackles, including senior LB A.J. Williams with a team-high 11 stops and sophomore LB Carmello Anthony with nine tackles. Senior backup QB Dominic Hammond completed seven of 14 passes for 99 yards a TD. Senior starting QB Trey Merrit has missed the past four games with an ankle injury suffered late in the 20-16 opening win over rival (Class 3A) Rison. Common opponent: Class 3A Camden Harmony Grove beat JC 39-0 but lost to Fordyce 22-20. Fordyce leads the overall series with Junction City 15-6. Watch extended highlights of Fordyce 22-20 over Camden Harmony Grove earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of Fordyce’s 20-16 win over Rison. Watch extended highlights of Junction City’s 12-49 loss to Beebe earlier this year.

LAST WEEK
Hootens.com correctly picked 11 of 13 games (85 percent) involving Class 2A teams. It is 98 of 114 (86 percent) for the season.

WEEK 6 PREDICTIONS (favored team in CAPS followed by point spread)
3-2A
MCCRORY (6) at Carlisle: McCrory rallied past EPC (22-18) last week in the final minute of what likely was the 3-2A title game. Senior QB Cason Campbell completed five of five passes in the 50-yard winning drive, including a scrambling 19-yard TD strike to senior Colby Baskins with 19 seconds left. Senior RB Chris Kennon ran 18 times for 160 yards and a TD. Senior DE Justin Hatch (6-5, 295) recorded a team-high nine tackles with a sack and fumble recovery. Carlisle battled No. 5 Fordyce but lost 28-12 with senior LB Micheal Staton making a team-high 18 tackles. 
Watch extended highlights of McCrory’s 31-24 OT loss to Baptist Prep earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of McCrory’s 14-12 win over EPC earlier this year.  Watch extended highlights of McCrory’s 34-26 win over Des Arc earlier this year.

SALEM (2) at E. Poinsett County: EPC may be the best winless team in Class 2A. EPC out-played McCrory for three quarters last week but gave up a 50-yard drive in the final 1:55 to lose 22-18. EPC junior QB Carter Smith completed seven timely passes for 163 yards and three TDs to three different receivers. Sophomore DT Josh Gilmore and LB Dennis Gaines paced EPC with 11 tackles and a sack apiece. Class 3A Salem struggled last week in the red zone against Melbourne and lost 49-14.
Watch extended highlights of EPC’s 14-12 loss to McCrory earlier this year. 

Earle at GURDON (28): Earle received a forfeit last week from Marked Tree due to covid quarantines, while Gurdon hammered Hampton 48-6 by holding the Bulldogs to 160 total yards (4.3 YPP). Gurdon amassed 265 rushing yards and 342 total (11.4 YPP). 
Cross County at POYEN (4): Homecoming week at No. 8 Poyen, which originally was scheduled to host 7-2A member Lafayette County, but the Cougars played twice last week and Poyen let them out of the contract. 3-2A member Cross County welcomes the opportunity after Marked Tree cancels for the second week in a row due to covid. Poyen senior QB Colton Lowe rushed for a game-high 224 yards and all four of the Indians' TDs in a 30-28 non-conference win over Dierks. Cross County should be at full strength for the first time this season. Senior ATH Davie Powell ran for 152 yards and a TD last week in his first extensive playing time of 2021. CC beat England 20-8.
MARKED TREE postponed its game with Cross County until Week 10 due to covid quarantines. 

4-2A
Mountainburg at BIGELOW (38): Mountianburg improved to 2-2 by shocking Magazine 37-0 last week. Senior ATRH Noah Johnson ran for 102 yards (7.7 YPC) and two TDs, while Dillon Alexander took off for 91 yards (9 YPC) and two TDs. Top-ranked Bigelow's first-team defense has allowed one TD this season. Senior LB and tackle leader Kaden Terrell (53 stops in 2021) paced Bigelow with 10 tackles last week in a 35-7 win at Yellville-Summit. Backup sophomore QB Rhett Neumeier completed five of six passes for 95 yards.
Yellville-Summit at QUITMAN (24): Y-S opened last week's game with an 80-yard kickoff return for a TD that was called back for holding in a 35-7 loss to Bigelow. Y-S sophomore Landon Keiter rushed for 70 yards and a TD. Quitman junior WR Trevor Locke caught six passes for 104 yards and a TD with a 54-yard INT return for a TD in a 47-8 rout if J.C. Westside. 
HECTOR (2) at Magazine: Magazine has won all three meetings in this series since Hector moved back to the 4-2A in 2018. The margins have narrowed with Magazine winning 46-42 a year ago. Magazine coming off a miserable performance last week in a 37-0 loss to Mountainburg. Hector crushed Conway Christian 46-8 with sophomore QB Jackson Taylor completing eight of 11 passes for 183 yards and four TDs. Junior RB/LB Drake Riley caught six of those passes for 68 yards and a TD, and he intercepted a pass.
J.C. WESTSIDE (8) at Conway Christian: JCW dressed 16 players last week in a 47-8 loss to Quitman. Senior WR Dakota Beavers caught the lone TD and passes totaling 100 yards. Conway Christian lost 46-8 to Hector.

5-2A
MOUNT IDA (2) at Magnet Cove: Both teams coming off rainy, sloppy defeats. Magnet Cove fumbled nine times and lost five in a 20-7 loss at 6-2A member Hazen. MC sophomore RB Hayden Browning ran for a 73-yard TD. Senior LB and team captain Jacob Hawthorn returned from a preseason knee injury to log seven tackles, two TFL, a FF and a FR. Mount Ida managed just 102 rushing yards and lost four fumbles in a 58-8 loss to third-ranked Des Arc. Mount Ida has won two of the past three meetings in the series with Magnet Cove.
Earle at GURDON (24): Earle received a forfeit last week from Marked Tree due to covid quarantines, while Gurdon hammered Hampton 48-6 by holding the Bulldogs to 160 total yards (4.3 YPP). Gurdon amassed 265 rushing yards and 342 total (11.4 YPP).
Cross County at POYEN (4): Homecoming week at No. 8 Poyen, which originally was scheduled to host 7-2A member Lafayette County, but the Cougars played twice last week and Poyen let them out of the contract. 3-2A member Cross County welcomes the opportunity after Marked Tree cancels for the second week in a row due to covid. Poyen senior QB Colton Lowe rushed for a game-high 224 yards and all four of the Indians' TDs in a 30-28 non-conference win over Dierks. Cross County should be at full strength for the first time this season. Senior ATH Davie Powell ran for 152 yards and a TD last week in his first extensive playing time of 2021. CC beat England 20-8.

6-2A
Hazen at DES ARC (10): The Battle of Prairie County with just 18 miles separating these rivals. No. 3 Des Arc has won seven of the past 11 meetings in the series, including the past two battles by a combined score of 92-22. A week ago, Des Arc held Mount Ida to 105 yards and recovered four fumbles, one of which senior LB Matt Kearby returned 60 yards for a TD in a 58-8 romp. Des Arc senior QB Jake Reidhar ran for 121 yards and four TDs and passed for another 67 yards. Air Hazen features junior QB/LB Luke King, who has completed 105 of 163 passes (64 percent) this fall for 1,269 yards and 13 TDs. A week ago, King and sophomore LB Kolton Tosh logged 17 and 19 tackles, respectively, in a 20-7 win over 5-2A member Magnet Cove. 
Watch extended highlights of Hazen’s 38-0 win over Stuttgart JV earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of Des Arc’s 34-26 loss to McCrory earlier this year.

England at CLARENDON (42): No. 4 Clarendon was idle last week after knocking off Fordyce 32-21 Week 4. Clarendon senior LB Devin Brown stymied the Fordyce running game with 13 tackles, while senior RB Kanye Cohen carried for 140 yards (8.2 YPC) and two TDs. Winless England lost a week ago at 3-2A member Cross County 20-8.
MCCRORY (6) at Carlisle: McCrory rallied past EPC (22-18) last week in the final minute of what likely was the 3-2A title game. Senior QB Cason Campbell completed five of five passes in the 50-yard winning drive, including a scrambling 19-yard TD strike to senior Colby Baskins with 19 seconds left. Senior RB Chris Kennon ran 18 times for 160 yards and a TD. Senior DE Justin Hatch (6-5, 295) recorded a team-high nine tackles with a sack and fumble recovery. Carlisle battled No. 5 Fordyce but lost 28-12 with senior LB Micheal Staton making a team-high 18 tackles. 
Watch extended highlights of McCrory’s 31-24 OT loss to Baptist Prep earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of McCrory’s 14-12 win over EPC earlier this year.  Watch extended highlights of McCrory’s 34-26 win over Des Arc earlier this year.

7-2A
DIERKS (8) at Foreman: This week marks the opening of conference play. Dierks trying to win consecutive league crowns for the first time since 2004-2005. A week ago, the Outlaws rushed for 243 yards and forced three turnovers but lost 30-28 to 5-2A member Poyen. Junior LB Jacob Sims led Dierks with 13 tackles. Foreman (0-5), idle last week, has not endured a losing season since going 1-9 in 2015. Two weeks ago in a 49-14 loss to Gurdon, Foreman sophomore Tyrance Marks accounted for more than 100 yards, a rushing TD, a 38-yard scoop and score, a forced fumble and nine tackles.
MURFREESBORO (8) at Mineral Springs: Both teams were idle last week. Murfreesboro posted its first win of the season Week 4 with a 27-6 victory over 8-2A member Parkers Chapel. Murfreesboro senior QB Jay Stuard ran for three TDs and passed for one TD. Mineral Springs lost to visiting 5-2A member Mount Ida 42-0 two weeks ago. 
LAFAYETTE COUNTY is open.

8-2A
Junction City at FORDYCE (6): See Game of the Week. 
Parkers Chapel at BEARDEN (10): Both teams looking for first win of 2021. Bearden senior Royce Cones caught three passes last week for 108 yards and two TDs in a 40-20 loss to 7-2A member Lafayette County. PC was idle after losing 27-6 to Murfreesboro Week 4. Bearden won this matchup 36-0 a year ago.
HAMPTON is open.