Hooten’s Arkansas Football Rankings

Class 6A, Week 7, 2024

Copyright Seventy Seven's Football Publishing, LLC.

1. Greenwood (6-0)

2. Benton (5-1)

3. Shiloh Christian (4-2)

4. Marion (5-1)

5. LR Catholic (6-0)

6. Mountain Home (5-1)

7. Lake Hamilton (5-1)

8. Fort Smith Southside (3-3)

9. Russellville (3-3)

10. Jonesboro (1-5)

NOT RANKED

6A East: West Memphis (0-6), El Dorado (3-3), Sheridan (2-4) and Sylvan Hills (0-6).

6A West: Siloam Springs (2-4) and Van Buren (2-4).

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 4 Marion (5-1, 3-0) at NO. 10 JONESBORO (1-5, 1-2): Jonesboro leads the all-time series with Marion 10-6, but the Patriots have won 4 of the past 5, including 50-43 in the 2021 season finale that prevented Jonesboro from winning the 6A East title outright.

Marion moved to 3-0 in the 6A East, with a 48-6 decision over Crittenden County rival West Memphis, limiting the Blue Devils to 99 yards and 2 of 13 on third down. Tailback Jalen Smith ran for 3 TDs, while junior quarterback Zayden Walker (9-13 passing, 154 yards and TD passes to Smith and Jeremy Dent) had what Marion Coach Lance Clark described as his best game to date. "He's taken a big step every week, and tonight was no different," Clark says. Marion junior defensive end Ryan Blackwell (2 sacks) and Chris Byrd (1) led the defense.

Jonesboro needs a win to avoid losing the tiebreaker to three other teams expected to compete for playoff berths down the stretch (Benton, Catholic, and Marion). The Golden Hurricane trailed Little Rock Catholic 20-0 at halftime last week before ripping off 21 unanswered points and losing 26-21. Tailback T.J. Brown (106 rushing, 2 TDs) and Nigel Bell (119 receiving yards) produced in defeat.

Marion has not been as dominant on the road as it has been at home this fall, and that propels Jonesboro to a key victory in this one. 

WEEK 7 PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS and highlighted)

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly selected 8 of 8 games (100 percent) involving 6A teams a week ago and has correctly picked 60 of 71 games (85 percent) for the season.

6A EAST 

No. 4 Marion (5-1, 3-0) at NO. 10 JONESBORO (1-5, 1-2): See Hootens.com Game of the Week, above.

El Dorado (3-3, 1-2) at NO. 2 BENTON (5-1, 3-0): These schools are 12-12 over the past 24 meetings, but Benton has won the last 4, including 56-7 in 2023. El Dorado put together a complete game in last Friday night's 52-13 victory at Sylvan Hills. The Wildcats outgained the Bears 502-240, and El Dorado rushed for 237 yards. Tailback Jeremy Samuel (128 rushing, 3 TDs) while QB Cannon Jacobs completed 10 of 17 passes for 246 yards and 2 scores. Benton built leads of 28-12 after the first quarter, 52-12 at halftime, and 65-19 after 3 quarters in last week's 72-25 win at Sheridan. The Panthers rushed for 254 yards in Grant County, led by Luther Tucker's 109 yards. Benton QB Drew Davis (16-27 passing, 199 yards, TD), while Karson Collatt (4-95 receiving) led the offense; O'Marcus King intercepted 2 passes, while Landon Jackson had 1.

NO. 5 LR CATHOLIC (6-0, 3-0) at Sheridan (2-4, 1-2): Catholic has won the past two meetings against Sheridan, including 28-14 last season.

Sheridan rolled up 436 yards in last week's 72-25 loss to Benton. Sophomore tailback Zay Stephens (15-219 rushing, TDs of 80 and 72 yards); QB Dax McMellon (19-32 passing, 185 yards, TD); and Payton Sterritt (5-97 receiving, TD) were the headliners on offense. Braxton Fox intercepted a pass and Jonathan Deleon recorded a sack to represent the defense.

Catholic survived perhaps the wildest game of the year in the 6A East last week, building a 20-0 halftime lead over Jonesboro behind 3 of QB Jackson England's 4 TDs, before allowing 21 unanswered points to trail in the fourth quarter. Catholic scored last to salvage a 26-21 win to remain unbeaten. England twice hit Hayden Roaf for passing TDs, while England added rushing scores of 23 and 12 yards.

Sylvan Hills (0-6, 0-3) at WEST MEMPHIS (0-6, 0-3): West Memphis leads the series with Sylvan Hills 7-4, and the Blue Devils have won the last 2. Sylvan Hills trailed El Dorado 31-6 last week at halftime of a 52-13 loss. The Bears gained 240 yards against El Dorado, including 63 on the ground. West Memphis allowed rival Marion to score on 6 of 7 first-half possessions in last week's 48-6 road loss, but the Blue Devils got a 20-yard TD pass from freshman Andrew Clay to Jadeous East to cap the first-half scoring. Clay converted 2 third downs on the scoring drive by scrambling for first downs. Clay and right guard Kelbe Stackhouse start for the West Memphis offense.

6A WEST

Van Buren (2-4, 1-2) at NO. 8 FS SOUTHSIDE (3-3, 0-3): Fort Smith Southside has won the past 8 meetings with Van Buren, including 55-28 last year. Van Buren trailed 13-0 after the first quarter, and 27-3 at halftime of last week's 41-3 loss at Lake Hamilton. The Pointers lost 2 fumbles, and Van Buren allowed more than 300 yards rushing. Junior Manning Dotson booted a 24-yard field goal to account for Van Buren's scoring against the Wolves, and Bryan Ramos recorded a sack for the Pointers. FS Southside built a 17-0 halftime lead before losing 38-20 at favored Shiloh Christian last week. The Mavericks scored on their first 3 possessions. Southside started the scoring when QB Blake Forsgren fired a 72-yard TD pass to Peyton Zimmermann, before Ethan Dunn recovered a fumble, which led to a Rodrigo Hernandez 32-yard field goal. Forsgren found Wilson Key for a 17-yard TD toss to cap the first-half scoring. Van Buren may need to upset one of the league's top teams to make the playoffs this season, but Southside can't afford a letdown this week after letting Shiloh Christian escape.

No. 7 Lake Hamilton (5-1, 3-0) at NO. 1 GREENWOOD (6-0, 3-0): Greenwood has won the past 9 meetings with Lake Hamilton, including 42-0 a season ago. Greenwood gashed Lake Hamilton 49-24 in the 2020 Class 6A state title game. Lake Hamilton jumped on Van Buren last week, taking leads of 13-0 after the first quarter and 27-3 at halftime in a 41-3 victory. Lake Hamilton outgained Van Buren 474-151, came up with 20 first downs, and dominated time of possession 29:49-18:11. Five Wolves (Ethan Hornbeck, Dylan Murphy, Landon West, Carson Jackson, and Hayden Barton) combined to rush for 316 yards and 4 TDs against Van Buren, while West was 9 of 12 passing last Friday night for 158 yards and 2 TDs. Senior Parker Vandee snagged 4 passes for 119 yards and a score, while Barton also nabbed a TD toss. Senior Hagan Tyler led Lake Hamilton in tackles with 13 stops, while Dawson Trott and Asher Lyons finished with 6 tackles apiece. Greenwood scored on all 7 of its first-half possessions last week and led 42-0 at halftime in the Bulldogs' 62-7 victory at Siloam Springs. Bulldogs junior QB Kane Archer completed 18 of 23 passes at Siloam Springs for 383 yards and 7 TDs despite not playing a snap in the second half. Grant Karnes, Isaiah Arrington (2), Champ Davis (3), and Cooper Bland caught Archer's TD tosses. Greenwood QB Cooper Goodwin led a second-half TD drive, culminating when he ran 25 yards for a TD. Lake Hamilton is on par with many of the teams in this league, but the Bulldogs are dominant at home. 

Siloam Springs (2-4, 0-3) at NO. 6 MOUNTAIN HOME (5-1, 2-1): Mountain Home has won all 4 meetings with Siloam Springs, including 51-14 last year. Siloam Springs scored on Gio Flores' 53-yard run in the third quarter last week, but it didn't do much else in a 62-7 loss to Greenwood, which led 42-0 at halftime. Siloam's 2 victories this fall are its most since the 2020 Panthers finished 4-7. Mountain Home hit the road last week and topped Russellville 34-14 despite losing QB Brantlee Phillips with an injury on the Bombers' first possession. Jacob Chenoweth stepped in to rush for 161 yards and 2 TDs, while Barrett Miller ran for 106 yards and 3 TDs. Siloam Springs needs another conference win to stay alive in the playoff hunt, but it won't come this week as Mountain Home's rushing attack continues to wear on opponents.

No. 9 Russellville (3-3, 1-2) at NO. 3 SHILOH CHRISTIAN (4-2, 2-1): This is the first meeting of these schools. Russellville's schedule eases up after this week after playing Greenwood and Mountain Home the previous 2 weeks. Mountain Home rushed for more than 300 yards in last week's 34-14 victory over Russellville. Cyclone QB Luke Jones accounted for both TDs. Shiloh Christian erased a 17-0 halftime deficit last week, rolling for a 38-20 victory over visiting Fort Smith Southside. Max Eldridge and Griffin Mason scored twice for Shiloh, while Hudson Ball also scored. Xander Salter intercepted a pass for Shiloh Christian. Mason rushed for 266 yards, while Eldridge added 121. Shiloh Christian should get a faster start this week after being forced to rally against Mountain Home and Southside.