Hootens.com Rankings
Class 5A, Week 8, 2011
Copyright Hooten Publishing, Inc.

1. Greenwood (7-0)
2. Camden Fairview (6-1)
3. Greenbrier (7-0)
4. Batesville (5-2)
5. Watson Chapel (5-2)
6. Alma (6-1)
7. HS Lakeside (6-1)
8. Wynne (5-2)
9. Beebe (5-2)
10. Morrilton (3-4)
11. White Hall (4-3)
12. Blytheville (4-3)
13. Siloam Springs (5-2)
14. Monticello (4-2-1)
15. West Helena (3-3)
16. Vilonia (2-5)
17. Sylvan Hills (4-3)
18. Nettleton (3-3-1)
19. Hope (3-4)
20. Magnolia (2-5)
21. Arkadelphia (3-4)
22. CAC (2-4-1)
23. Greene Co. Tech (2-5)
24. Harrison (1-6)
25. Hot Springs (1-6)
26. Crossett (1-6)
27. LR Christian (2-5)
28. Mills (1-6)
29. Paragould (1-6)
30. Forrest City (0-6-1)
31. Huntsville (1-6)
32. North Pulaski (0-7)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 3 Greenbrier at No. 6 Alma

The winner preps for a home conference showdown with Greenwood during the next two weeks (Greenbrier hosts Greenwood in Week 9, Alma in the regular-season finale). Greenbrier has beaten Alma two straight times, both in Faulkner County, but the Panthers have never won at Alma. Greenbrier senior quarterback Neal Burcham has passed for 2,379 yards and 32 touchdowns this fall, including a 535-yard, eight-TD performance in last week's 62-35 victory at Siloam Springs. Burcham has passed for 8,746 yards and 94 TDs in his career. Junior Seth Peters has caught 60 passes for 711 yards and nine TDs this season. The unbeaten Panthers give up 23 points a game, but they've surrendered 69 points to Morrilton and Siloam Springs the past two weeks. "Burcham is smooth and makes good decisions," said Alma coach Todd Dilbeck. "They do a great job of spreading the field, and that makes their passing game unbelievable. They get guys open by adjusting to what the defense is doing."

Alma has won six games this season with a stingy defense that gives up 13 points a game. Airedale senior QB Brady Bradley has completed 102 of 139 passes (73 percent) for 1,118 yards this fall, and he's ran for a pair of scores. "His legs give us another dimension," Dilbeck said. Seniors Josh Lohman (46 catches, 525 yards, three TDs), Ethan Brewer (17 catches, 298 yards, three TDs) and sophomore Gage Battles (24 catches, 202 yards and two TDs) pace Alma's passing attack, while junior Nate Whitson (54 carries, 282 yards and three TDs) leads the rushing attack. "It's fun watching this team gel," Dilbeck says. "We are catching the ball better and the overall team chemistry is improving."

LAST WEEK
Hootens.com correctly predicted 12 of 16 games (75 percent). For the season, Hootens.com has correctly predicted 121 of 147 games (82 percent).

TV SHOW
Hooten's Arkansas Football airs at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays on KARZ 42 (Z42 in Little Rock), Suddenlink Channel 22 in Northeast Arkansas, and On Demand in Northwest Arkansas (Cox Ch. 644).

WEEK 8 PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS followed by point spread)
5A EAST
BATESVILLE (10) at Blytheville: Blytheville led Beebe 32-22 late in the fourth quarter last week but lost 38-32 after muffing a kickoff that Beebe recovered in the end zone as time expired. Batesville sacked Wynne's QB 12 times and allowed just two first downs in the first half of last week's 37-8 triumph.
NETTLETON (11) at Forrest City: Nettleton junior Brysen Carter ran for 207 yards before separating his shoulder in the third quarter of last week's 40-34 win over Greene County Tech. Winless Forrest City allows 36 points a game.
BEEBE (8) at Greene County Tech: Beebe scored 16 points in the final 3:44 of last week's come-from-behind win over Blytheville. Senior Jay Holdway rushed for 178 yards and three scores against the Chickasaws. Greene County Tech allows 41 points a game.
Paragould at WYNNE (14): These teams have split the past four meetings, with Paragould winning 35-27 a year ago. Paragould's DiAngelo Rice ran for three TDs in last week's 21-13 win over Forrest City.

5A SOUTHEAST
North Pulaski at CROSSETT (7): Crossett snapped a 16-game losing streak with a 26-20 win at Mills a week ago. Junior QB River Johnson passed for 134 yards and two scores at Mills. Winless North Pulaski lost to Sylvan Hills 32-31 last week despite senior Derrick Hart rushing for 146 yards and two TDs and catching four passes for 117 yards and a score.
WHITE HALL (3) at West Helena: West Helena has won five of the past seven over White Hall. But the Cougars must play for the second time in six days after losing at Watson Chapel by 26 points on Saturday. White Hall gained almost 400 yards and whipped Monticello 34-0 a week ago, its first victory in the series since 2006. Senior QB Nathan Lee passed for 217 yards. Defensive end and University of Arkansas commit Jeremy Sprinkle recorded five sacks while senior noseguard Jacob Holland racked up 17 tackles against Monticello.
WATSON CHAPEL (21) at Mills: Watson Chapel has won 16 straight league games, including 44-18 over West Helena on Saturday. The Wildcats held West Helena to 26 yards rushing. Mills committed four turnovers against Crossett last week.
Sylvan Hills at MONTICELLO (2): The winner could get the No. 3 playoff seed. Monticello failed to score last week for the first time since Week 2, 2005. Sylvan Hills has won three straight league games by one point each.

5A SOUTHWEST
HS LAKESIDE (12) at LR Christian: Hot Springs Lakeside generated more than 500 yards offense in last week's 25-point victory over Hope. Senior Ajalen Holley has scored nine TDs in the past two games. Little Rock Christian has lost 10 straight conference games.
Magnolia at ARKADELPHIA (1): Arkadelphia still controls its conference title hopes with games remaining against Hot Springs Lakeside and Camden Fairview. The Badgers kicked the winning field goal with 18 seconds left in last week's 28-26 victory over CAC. Magnolia snapped a five-game losing streak with a 17-point win over Hot Springs by not committing a turnover.
CAMDEN FAIRVIEW (28) at Hope: Camden Fairview has beaten Hope seven times over the past 11 years by an average of 32 points a game. The Cardinals led Little Rock Christian 43-7 at halftime last week. Senior playmaker Derek Keaton averages 10.5 yards per carry, 11 yards per catch, 27 yards per punt return and 19 yards per kickoff return.
CAC (7) at Hot Springs: The winner keeps its playoff chances alive. CAC's 2-2 conference record mirrors last year's, when the Mustangs missed the playoffs. CAC senior QB Ben Shields threw three TDs at Arkadelphia last week.

5A WEST
GREENBRIER (7) at Alma: Hootens.com Class 5A Game of the Week.
Vilonia at GREENWOOD (25): Vilonia typically plays well at Greenwood's Smith Robinson Stadium, beating the Bulldogs 24-21 in 2006, and losing by 14 points or less in 2005 and 2008. Greenwood led Harrison 47-0 at halftime last week, holding the Goblins to 14 total yards and no first downs.
MORRILTON (14) at Harrison: Morrilton running back Jamar Criswell injured his knee at Greenbrier two weeks ago and could miss the rest of the season. Senior Paris Avery ran for 229 yards and six TDs against Vilonia in his first career start at running back last week. Harrison scored a pair of fourth-quarter TDs at Greenwood a week ago.
SILOAM SPRINGS (24) at Huntsville: Siloam Springs senior QB Braden Pippen injured his shoulder in the second quarter of last week's 62-35 loss to Greenbrier, yet Siloam Springs trailed 41-35 in the fourth quarter before Greenbrier scored three late TDs. Huntsville's four conference losses are by an average of 41-7.