Hootens Arkansas Football Rankings

Class 3a, Week 8, 2023
Copyright Seventy Seven's Football Publishing, Llc

     1. Booneville (5-2)

2. Prescott (7-1)
3. Harmony Grove Ouachita County (5-2)
4. Charleston (4-3)
5. Salem (8-0)
6. Hoxie (7-0)
7. Mansfield (5-2)
8. Walnut Ridge (5-2)
9. Glen Rose (5-2)
10. Newport (3-4)
11. Junction City (4-3)
12. Bismarck (5-2)
13. Lavaca (6-1)
14. Fordyce (4-3)
15. Hackett (4-3)
16. Centerpoint (4-3)
17. Perryville (5-2)
18. Barton (5-3)
19. Magnet Cove (5-2)
20. Gurdon (2-4)
21. Osceola (2-5)
22. Fouke (5-3)
23. Smackover (4-3)
24. Melbourne (2-5)
25. Atkins (1-7)
26. Quitman (3-4)
27. Yellville-Summit (3-4)
28. Paris (3-4)
29. Drew Central (2-6)
30. Jessieville (3-4)
31. West Fork (2-5)
32. Manila (3-4)
33. Lake Village (1-4)
34. Greenland (1-6)
35. Rison (0-7)
36. Cedarville (0-7)
37. Horatio (1-6)
38. Palestine-Wheatley (2-5)
39. Danville (1-6)
40. Piggott (0-8)
41. Two Rivers (0-7)

WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS (Favored team highlighted and CAPS)

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly predicted 16 of 18 games (88 percent) involving 3A teams. Hootens.com has correctly predicted 164 of 198 games (83 percent) for the year.

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 1 BOONEVILLE (5-2; 4-0) at No. 4 Charleston (4-3; 4-0)

Booneville rolled over No. 7 Mansfield 42-7 last week, handing Mansfield its second consecutive loss. Dax Goff (4 rushing TDs) and Rylen Ray (2 rushing TDs) accounted for all the Bearcats TDs. Booneville has converted 8-of-10 third-down attempts in the game. Booneville held Mansfield to zero points and 74 total yards in the first half. The win was Doc Crowley’s 40th as the head coach of the Bearcats. Charleston, like Booneville, brings a 4-0 conference record into the matchup, its most recent win coming by a 34-13 score of Hackett. RB Reese Merechka (28 rushes, 210 yards, 3 TDs) led Charleston's offense; LB Hunter Little (11 tackles, 1 TFL, .5 sack) and CB Ayden Kilpatrick (6 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 pass breakups) punctuated the defense. Charleston Coach Ricky May says his team is starting to come together and is playing hard.

3A NONCONFERENCE

JUNCTION CITY (4-3; 2-1) at Class 2A Hampton (0-7; 0-4): Junction City, off last week, beat Smackover 33-20 two weeks ago. The Dragons are 3-2 overall with a 2-1 record against conference opponents after a 1-1 start. The loss came to No. 2 Prescott; Junction City outscored Smackover and Fouke by a combined 88-40 in its conference wins.

Fouke (5-3; 2-2) at Class 4A MENA (3-4; 0-3): Fouke comes off a 35-6 win against Gurdon, giving the Panthers wins 2 of their past 3 games while outscoring Gurdon and Horatio 69-13. Fouke defeated Waldron, another 4A opponent, 47-0 earlier this season.

1-3A

No. 7 MANSFIELD (5-2; 2-2) at No. 13 Lavaca (6-1; 3-1): Mansfield comes into this matchup having lost its last 2 games after being held to 7 points in each game. Mansfield looks to get back on track this week against a Lavaca team that beat Greenland 46-6. A strong performance by the Golden Arrows' offensive line paved the way for Michael Barwick (21 carries, 219 rushing yards, 3 TDs). Camden Callahan (13 tackles) was the Golden Arrows' top defender.

West Fork (2-5; 1-3) at HACKETT (4-3; 2-2): West Fork beat Cedarville 44-0 to end its 5-game losing streak. The Tigers had not scored more than 21 points previously. Hackett lost 34-13 to No. 4 Charleston on Friday. West Fork has won 2 of the past 3 in the series, but it has to deal with a Hackett team that has scored 40 or more points 3 times this season.

GREENLAND (1-6; 0-4) at Cedarville (0-7; 0-4): Greenland has won 4 of the last 5 matchups in the series, but the Pirates have scored a combined 29 points over their last 4 games this season. Cedarville, looking for its first win, lost 44-0 to West Fork on Friday.

2-3A

Melbourne (2-5; 1-2) at No. 10 NEWPORT (3-4; 2-1): Melbourne lost 21-7 against No. 17 Perryville this past week. The Bearkatz defense did its part, with Robert Langston (7 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 FF), Malcolm Hammack (6 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 FF), Carson Davis (7 tackles, 1 TFL) and Brycen Young (6 tackles, 1 sack) leading the effort. Newport, off last week, beat Atkins 47-18 two weeks ago. Aamoni Wren (10-117 rushing, 1 TD; 3-90 receiving, 2 TDs) and Luke Reynolds (7-13 passing, 137 yards, 3 TDs) led the Greyhounds offense. Tyler Ridley (9 tackles) and Antonio Ross (8 tackles, 1 INT) were the defensive leaders for Newport.

PERRYVILLE (5-2; 3-0) at Quitman (3-4; 1-2): Perryville, which has 4 in a row overall, improved to 3-0 in conference with a 21-7 win against Melbourne on Friday. The Mustangs have outscored opponents 85-29 during their winning streak, putting up at least 20 points in each game. Quitman had its 2-game winning streak end with a 34-33 loss to Atkins last Friday. Quitman defeated Perryville 49-34 last season, but the Mustangs ride into Friday’s game with a perfect conference record on the line.

Yellville-Summit (3-4; 0-4) at ATKINS (1-7; 1-3): Yellville-Summit lost to No. 5 Salem 52-8 last week, its fourth consecutive loss. The Panthers have been outscored 152-44 during the losing streak. Atkins ended a 19-game losing streak dating back to 2021, winning 34-33 against Quitman. In that outing, The Red Devils offensive line, with 2 freshmen starting, did not yield a sack while helping Atkins record 211 rushing yards. Tanner Hegeman's 80-yard kickoff return for a TD was one of the game highlights. On defense, John Davis (15 tackles, 1 INT, 2 blocked PAT attempts) led the defense.

3-3A

No. 6 HOXIE (7-0; 2-0) at Manila (3-4; 2-0): Hoxie beat Piggott 45-8 last week to remain as 1 of 2 undefeated 3A teams, QB Kayden Glenn (8-8 passing, 211 yards, 2 TDs; 47 rushing yards, 1 TD), Prechton Wilkerson (3-139 receiving, 3 TDs; 30 yards rushing), Camden Brooks (54 yards rushing, 1 TD; 1 INT) and Dillon Guthrie (72 yards rushing, 1 TD) led the Mustangs. Landon Gibson (7 tackles), Mattheis Dobbs (6 tackles) and Ethan Dulaney (5 tackles) led the defense. Manila beat Palestine-Wheatley 33-14 to improve to 2-0 in conference play. Hoxie has won 6 straight against the Lions, including 48-0 last year.

Osceola (2-5; 2-0) at No. 8 WALNUT RIDGE (5-2; 2-0): Osceola won 2 in a row — by a combined 118-14 — before last week's bye. Walnut Ridge beat Piggott 49-0 in its most recent game, before last week's bye. Walnut Ridge has outscored its opponents 92-0 while winning 2 of its last 3 games. Jersie Cunningham (66 passing, 1 TD), Robbie Tate (164 rushing, 2 TDs) and Jaxton Brady (42 rushing, 1 TD) led Walnut Ridge's offense.

4-3A

Two Rivers (0-7; 0-4) at No. 9 GLEN ROSE (5-2; 4-0): Two Rivers has allowed each of its 7 opponents to score 40 or more points. Glen Rose, on the other end of the spectrum, beat Danville 56-8 last week for its fifth win in a row. QB Rein Bland (4-4 passing, 67 yards, 2 TDs), WR/QB Draven McSpadden (2-3 passing, 74 yards; 2-37 receiving, 1 TD; 48-yard punt return TD), RB Heath Ballance (5-97 rushing, 3 TDs) and Roger Thomas (5-32 rushing, 1 TD) led the Beavers offense. LB Ty Hood (8 tackles, 47-yard INT returned for TD) sparked the Glen Rose defense. Kicker Dossen Jackson was 8 for 8 on extra-point attempts.

Danville (1-6; 1-3) at No. 12 BISMARCK (5-2; 3-1): These teams are meeting for the first time, and it looks like a difficult spot for Danville. The Little Johns, who got their first win 2 weeks ago over Two Rivers 49-14, enter off a 56-8 loss to Glen Rose. Bismarck has won 5 of its past 6, including a 50-14 win over Magnet Cove. QB Ben Keithley (413 passing, 6 TDs), Johnny Diaz (51 rushing; 71 receiving, 1 TD), Preston Hughes (44 rushing, 1 TD; 54 receiving, 1 TD), Tony Weeks (120 receiving, 1 TD), Caedmon Keithley (101 receiving, 1 TD) Dalton Daniels (66 receiving, 1 TD) and Joseph Roberson (26 receiving, 1 TD) complemented Keithley. Hughes (15 tackles, 2 INTs) led the defense for the Lions.

CENTERPOINT (4-3; 4-0) at Paris (3-4; 1-3): Centerpoint has won 4 in a row, including 16-12 last week over Jessieville. The Knights' defense led the way, with LB Jeb Pedron (9 tackles), DT Tate Spray (7 stops, 2 pass deflections), and Easton Taylor (1 INT; 1 made field goal) standing tall. Paris ended a 3-game losing streak with a 45-12 win against Two Rivers on Friday.

MAGNET COVE (5-2; 2-2) at Jessieville (3-4; 1-3): Magnet Cove, which opened its season 5-0, fell 50-14 to Bismarck last week, its second consecutive defeat. This week, Magnet Cove gets Jessieville, which lost 16-12 to Centerpoint last Friday. Jessieville beat Paris 43-17 the week before Centerpoint. Magnet Cove has won the past 4 meetings between the schools.

5-3A

No. 2 PRESCOTT (7-1; 3-0) at Smackover (4-3; 1-1): Prescott beat tough out-of-state foe Homer, La. 31-14 last Friday, the Curley Wolves' sixth consecutive win. QB Pierce Yates (17-30 passing, 272 yards, 4 TDs; 7-17 rushing), KJ Page (3-30 rushing), Jah’Noah Harris (1-61-1 receiving), PJ Gulley (6-115 receiving, 2 TDs; 1-9 rushing), DeCari Prater (4-66 receiving, 1 TD) and D’Wayne White (4-18 receiving; 1-13 rushing) rushing) led the Prescott offense. Kicker John Rabadan kicked a 29-yard FG and made all 4 extra-point attempts last week. Smackover got its first conference win with a 40-20 victory over Horatio. Prescott has won 3 of the past 5 meetings with Smackover, including a 47-20 last season.

GURDON (2-4; 0-2) at Horatio (1-6; 0-2): Both teams in search of their first conference win. Gurdon comes in off a 35-6 loss to Fouke; Horatio lost 40-20 to Smackover. Horatio QB Riley Williamson (15-23 passing, 220, 2 TDs; 38 rushing, 1 TD) and RB Drake Angel (10-45 rushing) were the top offensive performers.

6-3A

No. 3 HARMONY GROVE OUACHITA COUNTY (5-2; 2-0) at Fordyce (4-3; 3-0):

Harmony Grove Ouachita County, coming in off a bye, beat Rison 56-13 in its most recent game. The Hornets meet a Fordyce team that beat Rison 42-7 last Friday. Brenton Sledge (2 TDs) led Fordyce on offense; Tayshaun Childs had 10 tackles, while Carmilo Allen and Akeem Allen combined for 19 tackles on defense.

RISON (0-7; 0-2) at Lake Village (1-4; 0-2): Winless Rison comes in off a 42-7 loss to arch-rival Fordyce, but the Wildcats have a chance on Friday against 1-win Lake Village team that is coming off a bye. Lake Village lost 52-8 in its most recent game against Drew Central. Rison has won 8 in a row over Lake Village, dating back to 2006.

OPEN No. 5 Salem, Palestine-Wheatley, Piggott, Barton, Drew Central