Hooten’s Arkansas Football Rankings

Class 6A, Week 9, 2024

Copyright Seventy Seven's Football Publishing, LLC.

1. Greenwood (8-0)

2. Benton (7-1)

3. Shiloh Christian (6-2)

4. Marion (7-1)

5. Mountain Home (7-1)

6. LR Catholic (7-1)

7. Russellville (4-4)

8. Lake Hamilton (5-3)

9. Van Buren (3-5)

10. Jonesboro (2-6)

NOT RANKED

6A East: West Memphis (1-7), El Dorado (4-4), Sheridan (2-6) and Sylvan Hills (0-8).

6A West: Fort Smith Southside (3-5) and Siloam Springs (2-6).

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (6A EAST)

NO. 4 MARION (7-1, 5-0) at No. 6 Little Rock Catholic (7-1, 4-1): Little Rock Catholic has won the only 2 meetings in this series, including 38-34 last season, but the Rockets suffered a 42-0 home defeat to Benton last week at War Memorial Stadium. The Rockets moved the ball well in the first half, including a penetration into the Benton red zone late in the second quarter before throwing an interception and trailing 28-0 at halftime. Catholic logged 293 yards of total offense (139 rushing, 154 passing). QB Jackson England passed for 135 yards, while Hayden Roaf caught 3 passes for 54 yards and Noel Lewis rushed for 74 yards against Benton.

Marion, 7-1 for the second consecutive season, rallied last week for a 42-21 home victory over Sheridan. The Patriots finished just short of 400 yards against the Yellowjackets and scored 28 unanswered points to open the second half. Patriots senior tailback Jalen Smith (21-302 rushing, 5 TDs) led the offense, while Zayden Walker played turnover-free football against Sheridan, completing 5 of 9 passes for 61 yards and a TD toss to Corey Yates, the first varsity score for Yates. This game will go a long way to deciding which team gets a potential first-round playoff bye. A Patriots win sets up a huge Week 10 home game with Benton.

WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS and highlighted)

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly selected 7 of 8 games (88 percent) involving 6A teams a week ago and has correctly picked 73 of 87 games (84 percent) for the season.

West Memphis (1-6, 1-4) at NO. 2 BENTON (7-1, 5-0): Benton has won 4 of the past 7 meetings with West Memphis, including conference victories the past 2 years. West Memphis needs to win out and get some help to make this year's playoff field after last week's 63-28 defeat at El Dorado. West Memphis led El Dorado 28-14 before the Wildcats rallied. Senior QB Drew Jenkins delivered big plays and helped the Blue Devils to 216 total yards, including 139 passing and 77 rushing. Benton's 42-0 win over LR Catholic was the Panthers' second shutout of the season. The Panthers amassed 450 yards against Catholic, including 386 passing, while running only 21 plays. Benton tailback Luther Tucker (3-67 rushing, 2 TDs) produced, and Benton defensive lineman Landon Jackson intercepted a Catholic pass inside the red zone to preserve his team's 28-0 lead at halftime.

El Dorado (4-4, 2-3) at NO. 10 JONESBORO (2-6, 2-3): El Dorado has won 3 of the past 5 meetings with Jonesboro, but the Golden Hurricane won the last meeting 31-20 in 2021. Jonesboro put up a season-high 57 points in a 31-point road win at Sylvan Hills. Jonesboro rushed for a season-high 204 yards, led by tailback T.J. Brown's 136 yards. Quarterback Asa Myers (5-8 passing, 123 yards) completed TD passes to Kelen Smith and Kameron Davis. El Dorado closed out last week's 63-28 over West Memphis by scoring the game's final 39 points after trailing 28-14 in the third quarter. The Wildcats racked up 325 yards, including 249 on the ground. El Dorado forced both turnovers in the game. Playoff seeding and a first-round home playoff game are up for grabs, and El Dorado must contend with one of the longer road trips in Class 6A this season (247 miles each way).

Sylvan Hills (0-8, 0-5) at SHERIDAN (2-6, 1-4): Sylvan Hills has won 3 of the past 4 meetings in this series, but Sheridan rallied to win 27-23 a season ago. Sylvan Hills needs to win out and get some help to qualify for this year's playoff field. The Bears totaled 329 total yards (184 passing and 145 rushing) last week, but they lost the turnover battle 3-1 and allowed Jonesboro to convert on 4 of 5 third downs. Sylvan Hills QB Tyler Hampton tossed 2 TD passes and added a 50-yard rush against Jonesboro. Sheridan held a 15-14 halftime lead at Marion before losing 42-21. The Yellowjackets recovered 2 of 3 onside-kick attempts after falling behind 14-0 in the first period. Sheridan got a 59-yard TD run from Zay Stephens, while Dax McMellon tossed a TD pass to J.P. Black. Sheridan outgained Marion 447-397, but committed 2 turnovers. Sheridan can all but clinch its spot in the playoffs with a victory in the school's first year under Kevin Kelley, and that's plenty of motivation.

6A WEST 

NO. 1 GREENWOOD (8-0, 5-0) at FS Southside (3-5, 0-5): Greenwood has won 11 of the past 12 meetings with Southside, which lost a 45-38 shootout last week at Russellville despite getting 367 passing yards and 4 touchdowns from QB Blake Forsgren. Jayden Webb (4-144 receiving, 2 TDs) and Peyton Zimmerman (92 receiving, TD) were Forsgren's primary targets. Greenwood (21 consecutive victories) continues to steamroll to the 6A West conference title after dismissing Van Buren 63-14. Greenwood led 49-7 at halftime as QB Kane Archer (13-17 passing, 307 yards, 5 TDs) distributed passes to Grant Karnes (6-98, 1 TD), Isaiah Arrington (4-88, 2 TDs) and Champ Davis (2-91 passing, 2 TDs). Bulldogs Kaylor Jasna, Radley O' Neal and Lawyer Thornsberry logged interceptions.

No. 9 Van Buren (3-5, 2-3) at NO. 5 MOUNTAIN HOME (7-1, 4-1): Mountain Home is 6-1-1 in the past 8 meetings with Van Buren, dating back to 2004. Van Buren holds a 2-game edge on FS Southside and Siloam Springs for the final postseason spot, and the Pointers could punch their ticket with a victory. Van Buren lost 63-14 a week ago to Greenwood, but the Pointers got good performances from QB Elijah Johnson (112 passing yards with a TD toss), tailback Cameron Keller (136 rushing yards and a score) and receiver Trenton Cooley (10-47, TD). Van Buren produced 247 yards (135 rushing, 112 passing) against Greenwood. Mountain Home's best start since 1986 continued as the Bombers blanked Lake Hamilton 36-0 in Pearcy without Coach Steve Ary, who did not travel with the team after having a heart procedure earlier in the week. That did not stop Mountain Home from rolling up 364 total yards, including 319 rushing, against Lake Hamilton. The Bombers defense surrendered 115 yards. Mountain Home won 41-24 last season, and Mountain Home has overcome multiple injuries to its quarterbacks and on defense to fashion a 7-1 record. The Bombers will clinch at worst a first-round home playoff game with a win this week. 

Siloam Springs (2-6, 0-5) at NO. 7 RUSSELLVILLE (4-4, 2-3): Russellville has won 9 of its 12 meetings with Siloam Springs, including 61-17 last fall. Siloam Springs likely misses the postseason for the fourth season in a row this year after falling 45-6 to Shiloh Christian a week ago. The Panthers allowed almost 400 passing yards. Russellville took a big step toward returning to the playoffs last week, outlasting Fort Smith Southside 45-38, and outgaining the Mavericks 450-436. The Cyclones rode a balanced attack (239 yards rushing, 211 passing) to victory, and won the turnover battle 4-2. Russellville owns head-to-head tiebreakers against Van Buren and Southside, giving the Cyclones a step up on the playoffs.

No. 8 Lake Hamilton (5-3, 3-2) at NO. 3 SHILOH CHRISTIAN (6-2, 4-1): Lake Hamilton lost its second game in a row, absorbing a 36-0 loss to Mountain Home, the first time the Wolves have not scored in a game since Oct.13, 2023 in a 42-0 loss to Greenwood. The Wolves own the No. 4 playoff seed in the 6A West, a game better than Van Buren and Russellville. Lake Hamilton and Russellville meet next week. Lake Hamilton defeated Van Buren 41-3 on Oct. 11.  Shiloh Christian celebrated the return of starting QB Cole Creighton last week as it beat Siloam Springs 45-6 and outgained the Panthers 472-192. Shiloh yielded 3 passing yards. Creighton was sharp after missing the past 5 games, completing 82 percent of his passes for 367 yards and 2 TDs, with Zane Sluyter (8-158 receiving, TD) acting as his primary receiver. Promising tailback Max Eldridge rushed for 56 yards and 3 TDs at Siloam Springs. Lake Hamilton could use a resume win to solidify its playoff positioning, but the Wolves surrendered more than 300 yards rushing a week ago to Mountain Home, which spells bad news against a stout Shiloh Christian rushing attack.