Hooten’s Arkansas Football Rankings

Class 2A, Week 9, 2023

Copyright Seventy Seven’s Publishing

1. Mineral Springs (8-0)

2. Bigelow (8-0)

3. Carlisle (7-1)

4. Hazen (7-1)

5. EPC (7-1)

6. Conway Christian (7-1)

7. Murfreesboro (8-0)

8. Marked Tree (6-1)

9. Des Arc (6-2)

10. England (5-3)

11. Cross County (4-3)

12. Poyen (5-4)

13. Bearden (4-4)

14. Hector (4-4)

15. McCrory (4-4)

16. Earle (3-5)

17. Dierks (3-6)

18. Mountainburg (3-4)

19. Mount Ida (1-6)

20. Lafayette County (2-6) 

21. JC Westside (2-6)

22. Baptist Prep (2-7)

23. Clarendon (1-7)

24. Marianna (1-7)

25. Magazine (1-7)

26. LR Episcopal (0-7)

27. Hampton (0-7)

28. Foreman (0-7)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

Conway Christian (7-1, 3-0) at BIGELOW (8-0, 4-0):

This game will decide the 1-2A  championship. Bigelow won this matchup 38-7 last season.

Conway Christian has been boosted by the return of junior starting QB Jeryn Thomas 3 weeks ago, who has led the Eagles to routs over Johnson County Westside and Mountainburg. In the win over Mountainburg, Thomas rushed for 97 yards and passed for 83 yards vs. Mountainburg. Conway Christian DB Brady Johnson intercepted 2 passes against Mountainburg, returning 1 for a TD. 

Bigelow QB Rhett Meumeier passed for 151 yards and 3 TDs in the Panthers’ 48-22 win over Westside last week. Ryan Hobbs caught 2 TD passes. Bennett Wilson had 2 INTs. Wilson, Hobbs, and Easton Platt had combined for 14 INTs this season.

Bigelow (8-0) has the home-field advantage and the Panthers should protect it. But with Thomas coming into form for the Eagles, anything is possible. 

LAST WEEK 

Hootens.com correctly predicted 12 of 14 games involving Class 2A teams and is 100-22 (82 percent).

1-2A

HECTOR (4-4, 2-2) at Mountainburg (3-4, 1-2): Hector had little trouble in a 47-14 win over Magazine. QB Jackson Taylor passed for 167 yards and 4 TDs in the win. PJ Henderson caught all 4 TD passes. Brent Casto had 110 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Mountainburg threw 2 INTs and totaled 152 yards on offense.

OPEN  Magazine, Johnson County Westside

2-2A

Des Arc (6-2, 4-1) at EPC (7-1, 5-0): Des Arc struggled in the second half of a 38-22 loss to Cross County. Cache Flanagan rushed for 112 yards and 2 TDs in the loss. EPC scored early and often in beating Marianna 54-6. Dennis Gaines rushed for 109 yards and a TD on 10 carries. Jacob Gaines rushed for 2 TDs and returned an INT for another. This could be another quick game with 2 of the state’s best running teams. But the Gaines gang should be good to go. 

Cross County (4-3, 3-2) at MARKED TREE (6-1, 4-1): Cross County had its biggest win of the year Friday, beating Des Arc 38-22 after trailing 16-8 in the second quarter. Cardarian Washington (19-106 rushing), Quarterback Konnor Wilson (10-77 rushing, 3 TDs), and Marquis Mays (4-91 rushing, 2 TDs) led a rushing attack that totaled 324 yards. Marked Tree’s only loss came to Des Arch in OT, 66-64. The Indians are averaging 41.8 points per game. Last week, they beat Clarendon 44-14. T.J. Hodges rushed for 221 yards and 3 TDs while Kenyon Carter passed for 138 yards and 3 more scores. 

Clarendon (1-7, 0-5) at EARLE (3-5, 1-4): Clarendon has lost 7 in a row. Kylee Boose scored both Lions TDs in a 44-14 loss to Marked Tree last week. Earle has dropped 2 in a row after barely escaping Marianna 3 weeks ago. 

Marianna (1-7, 0-5) at MCCRORY (4-4, 3-2): Marianna has lost 7 in a row after beating Lafayette County on Sept. 1. McCrory, fighting for a playoff spot, is coming off a 48-26 win over Earle. Braden Walker threw 2 TD passes. Leevi Tucker rushed for 235 yards and 3 TDs and Will Rushing rushed for 2 TDs. 

3-2A

MINERAL SPRINGS (8-0, 4-0) at Poyen (5-4, 4-1): Mineral Springs averages 45.6 points per game. Last week, KT Thomas (223 rushing, 6 TDs; KO return for TD; 6 tackles) led Mineral Springs in its 52-13 win over Mount Ida 52-13. Evan Erwin passed for 138 yards. Poyen, playing its final regular-season game, beat Dierks 36-16 to move over .500. Kevin Freeman scored 3 rushing TDs and QB Colt Barrett passed for a TD and rushed for one. 

Foreman (0-8, 0-4) at MOUNT IDA (1-6, 1-3): Foreman has not won a game since beating Mineral Springs 20-14 on Nov. 4, 2021. Mount Ida has struggled all year but this looks like a good spot for the Lions, coming off a 52-13 loss to Mineral Springs. Ben Woodfield had 141 yards rushing for Mount Ida. 

Lafayette County (2-6, 1-3) at MURFREESBORO (8-0, 4-0): Lafayette County has been off since a 42-14 loss to Poyen 2 weeks ago. Andre Mack rushed for more than 200 yards and 2 TDs. Ricardo Wimbley and Zacharian Lawson had 13 tackles each.  Murfreesboro routed Foreman 60-0 to remain unbeaten. The Rattlers intercepted 4 passes, led by Travis Reed, who had 2, including 1 he returned for a TD. Cameron Stevens and Noah Cox had 1 apiece. Malachi Sanders rushed for 3 TDs. 

OPEN Dierks

4-2A

Bearden (4-5, 3-2) at HAZEN (7-1, 4-0): Bearden’s Marky Jimmerson returned a kickoff for a TD and rushed for another in the Bears’ 36-26 loss to England. Bryce Whisenhunt also returned an INT for a score. Hazen cruised past Episcopal and should do the same this week against Bearden with Carlisle on deck in Week 10. QB Josh Dawson passed for 209 yards and 2 TDs against Episcopal. Braylan Anderson scored 3 rushing TDs. 

Episcopal (0-7, 0-4) at HAMPTON (0-7, 0-4): One of these teams will get its first win. Turner Harbour threw for 100 yards and ran 59 yards for a TD in a 48-8 loss to Hazen. Hampton lost to Class 3A Junction City 49-6 last week. 

England (5-3, 3-1) at CARLISLE (7-1, 4-0): Carlisle gets the nod here with the home-field advantage and the opportunity to play for the 4-2A title next week at Hazen. England’s Justin Barber rushed for 164 yards and 3 TDs in the Lions’ win over Bearden. He also caught a TD pass. Nick Brown completed 9 of 13 passes for 156 yards and 2 TDs. Nehemiah Solee had an INT and recovered a fumble. Kayleb Elliott rushed for 188 yards and 3 TDs in the Bison’s win over Baptist Prep. QB Holden Jones passed for 188 yards. 

OPEN Baptist Prep