Hootens.com Rankings
Class 7A, Week 8, 2012
Copyright Hooten Publishing, Inc.

1. Bentonville (7-0)
2. North Little Rock (6-1)
3. Fayetteville (5-2)
4. Springdale Har-Ber (4-3)
5. Fort Smith Southside (5-2)
6. Conway (5-1)
7. Rogers Heritage (4-3)
8. Bryant (4-2)
9. West Memphis (5-2)
10. Rogers (5-2)
11. Springdale (4-3)
12. Van Buren (1-6)
13. Little Rock Central (2-5)
14. Cabot (4-3)
15. Little Rock Catholic (1-6)
16. Fort Smith Northside (1-6)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 5 Fort Smith Southside at Class 6A No. 1 Greenwood.
This is bigger than Southside's yearly "Battle of Rogers Avenue" with Fort Smith Northside and bigger than Greenwood's annual rivalry game with Alma.
Likely an instant classic with a record crowd expected as state title contenders from different classifications meet. Gates open 5 p.m at Smith-Robinson Stadium.
"I know the community circled it a long time ago," says Greenwood coach Rick Jones. "Our kids know each other well. There are a lot of coaching ties that go way back. There is a lot on the line as far as conference title and playoff positioning."
Southside, the bigger school, has been talking about this game for months, too. The Rebels won eight games or more the past four seasons as a member of the old 7A West and played for three big school titles in the past six years, last winning it all in 2006.
Greenwood rides a 31-game win streak (16th longest streak in the nation), winning the past two Class 5A state championships and five state titles in the past seven years. 7A/6A Central coaches voted Greenwood to finish third in the conference behind Conway and Fort Smith Southside, which was picked to win its first league title since 2003.
Southside beat Conway 35-21 last week with stellar special teams, returning a punt 40 yards, a kick 60 yards and downing a punt inside Conway's 1-yard line. Southside dual-threat junior quarterback Isaac Jackson (6-3, 195), ranked as the state's No. 6 overall recruiting prospect in the 2014 class by hootens.com, gains 213 yards offense per game.
Greenwood passes for 62 percent of its offense. Junior quarterback Jabe Burgess, drawing interest from the University of Nebraska, completes 75 percent of his passes for 1,521 yards with 18 TDs and just two interceptions. Receiver/linebacker Drew Morgan, committed to Arkansas State, has 52 catches for 744 yards and nine TDs.
"They do what they do," says Southside coach Jeff Williams, referencing Greenwood confident slogan. "Controlling the tempo is big for Greenwood. Defensively, we must tackle well in the open field, can't give up first downs and let them get in a rhythm."
Southside linebackers Ian Jackson, a sophomore with 77 tackles, and Collin Moore (67 tackles) and safety Garrett Wolfe (61 tackles) lead the Rebel D.
Greenwood's defense allows 265 yards weekly and has scored 13 turnovers and two shutouts this season.
Greenwood wins conference games by an average of 31 points this fall while Southside outscores league members by 30. Southside won at LR Catholic 49-20 a week before Greenwood beat Catholic 42-14.
These teams have met just twice. Southside committed four turnovers (three inside the 20-yard line) and lost 25-21 at Greenwood in 2006 but beat the Bulldogs 35-25 the following year in Fort Smith.
Greenwood has the win streak and homefield advantage but is still playing a school with almost twice the enrollment. The Greenwood defense, which has no starters weighing more than 210 pounds, will be challenged by Southside's physical attack. The Rebel offensive line averages 256 pounds. Greenwood last played a physical 7A school in 2008 and 2009, losing both years to Springdale Har-Ber by a combined score of 80-15. And if this is close, Southside's special teams should concern Greenwood.

LAST WEEK
Hootens.com correctly predicted 10 of 12 games (83 percent) involving Class 7A teams, nailing the 1-point spread on Springdale's 41-40 win over Van Buren. For the season, hootens.com has correctly predicted 69 of 85 games (81 percent).

TV SHOW
Hooten's Arkansas Football airs 8:30 a.m. Saturdays on KARZ 42 (Little Rock) and Fox 24 (Fayetteville/Fort Smith) and 10:30 p.m. Sunday on KAIT 8 (Jonesboro), featuring the top players and teams from across the state.

WEEK 8 PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS followed by point spread)
7A/6A CENTRAL
FS SOUTHSIDE (7) at Greenwood: Game of the Week.
LR CATHOLIC (2) at FS Northside: Northside ended a 7-game losing streak last week, 42-35 in overtime at LR Parkview. Catholic has lost eight of its past nine outings. Its kicking game cost it in a 20-19 loss last week at Russellville. Russellville won at Northside 40-19 three weeks ago.
LR Parkview at CONWAY (14): Conway's 35-21 loss last week at FS Southside was just its third league defeat since 2009. Parkview senior Caelon Harden completed 11 of 20 passes for 301 yards and three TDs in last week's 42-35 loss to FS Northside.

7A/6A EAST
Marion at NORTH LR (28): North LR's 1,920 yards rushing this fall accounts for 67 percent of its offense. Altee Tenpenny (805 yards, 6.4 per carry), Juan Day (615 yards, 8.6 per carry) and Rodney Bryson (298 yards, 6.9 per carry) lead the Charging Wildcats. Bryson also has 10 catches for 201 yards. Marion (2-5) currently rides a 3-game losing streak. Marion's Diamond T attack scored 10.8 points in its five losses this season.
Cabot at WEST MEMPHIS (8): West Memphis beat Cabot 25-14 in their last meeting in 2005. Class 7A Cabot dropped to 1-3 this fall against opponents its own size, losing to LR Central 21-14 last Friday while West Memphis rallied by Class 6A Marion 20-14. West Memphis junior linebacker Jarvis Cooper is ranked as the state's top recruiting prospect in 2014 by hootens.com.
Mountain Home at LR CENTRAL (9): LR Central snapped a 5-game losing skid, beating Cabot for the second consecutive season 21-14 last Friday. Cabot clobbered Mountain Home 42-17 a week earlier. Central southpaw QB Cooper Westbrook is one of the state's top sophomores.

7A/6A SOUTH
BRYANT (35) at Texarkana: Bryant tunes up for next two weeks (Lake Hamilton and at El Dorado) while pulling for El Dorado at Pine Bluff this Friday. Bryant likely needs to win out and hope for a Pine Bluff loss to get a share of its third straight conference title. Texarkana just lost to Bryant's rival 45-17 at Benton. Bryant bombed Benton 55-21 a month ago. Bryant celebrated homecoming and covered its 35-point spread last week, smoking Sheridan 58-0.

7A/6A WEST
BENTONVILLE (28) at Van Buren: Undefeated Bentonville outscores opponents by an average margin of 36-6. The Tigers led Heritage 35-0 less than minute into the second quarter last week. Bentonville senior running back Tearris Wallace has 1,010 yards rushing (144 yards weekly) this season. Van Buren quarterback Jacob Eason accounted for 427 yards offense in last week's 41-40 loss at Springdale, including 313 yards passing and a 26-yard TD catch. Eason was tackled short on a two-point attempt to win with 28 seconds remaining. Watch highlights of Bentonville on hootens.com homepage, including last week's win over Heritage.
Rogers at SPRINGDALE HAR-BER (18): Injury-riddled Rogers completes its brutal 3-game stretch. Rogers used three QBs last Friday and has failed to score a touchdown in 29-point losses to No. 1 Bentonville and No. 3 Fayetteville the past two weeks. Har-Ber has not lost to Rogers since its inaugural season in 2006. The Wildcats, deep and talented at receiver, totaled more than 400 yards last week and scored on their first six possessions in a 41-3 win at Siloam Springs.
Siloam Springs at FAYETTEVILLE (42): Fayetteville safety Alex Brignoni intercepted his third pass of the season last Friday at Rogers but a stiff stride reveals his nagging hamstring injury. Fayetteville QB Austin Allen has not thrown an interception since getting picked twice in the season opener. Fayetteville's all-time leading rusher Bryce Gahagans likely returns from injury for league showdowns with Har-Ber and Bentonville the final two weeks.
SPRINGDALE (1) at Rogers Heritage: Speedy junior DeAndre Murray (5-10, 163) salvaging Springdale's season. Murray, the most electric player in the West, rushed 26 times for 356 yards (13.7 yards per carry) and four TDs in last week's 41-40 win over Van Buren. Heritage has lost three straight by an average of 52-16 and likely needs a win this week to keep its playoff hopes alive.