Hootens.com

7A Rankings

Week 9, 2024

BY STEVEN JONES

1.  Bryant (8-0, 5-0)

2. Conway (8-0, 5-0)  

3. Bentonville (5-3, 5-0) 

4. Fayetteville (6-2, 5-1) 

5. Pulaski Academy (6-2, 3-2) 

6. Rogers (5-3, 3-2)  

7. Springdale (6-2, 3-2) 

8. Little Rock Christian (6-2, 4-1) 

9. Bentonville West (2-6, 2-3)

10. Springdale Har-Ber (2-6, 1-4)

7A Central Unranked: Cabot (2-6, 1-4); Little Rock Southwest (1-7, 1-4); Little Rock Central (1-7, 0-5); North Little Rock (0-8, 0-5)

7A West Unranked: Fort Smith Northside (2-6, 1-4); Rogers Heritage (0-8, 0-5)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (7A West)

NO. 3 BENTONVILLE (5-3, 5-0) at No. 7 Springdale (6-2, 3-2) Conference play has been good to Jody Grant’s Tigers after an 0-3 nonconference record. QB Trevor Grant (nearly 300 passing yards, 3 TDs) led Bentonville to an eye-popping 557 yards (268 rushing, 289 passing) and Chris Ficklin ran for 179 yards and 4 TDs. Springdale has been hit by the turnover bug in consecutive losses after a 6-0 start. Senior QB Carson Hayter accounted for 3 total TDs a week ago in a 35-21 loss to Fayetteville. A Springdale win keeps the Bulldogs in the running for a first-round playoff home game. A Bentonville victory seals the outright conference title.

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

LAST WEEK 

Hootens.com correctly picked 8 of 8 games (100 percent) involving 7A teams and has correctly picked 79 of 88 games (90 percent) in 2024. 

7A WEST

Rogers Heritage (0-8, 0-5) at NO. 4 FAYETTEVILLE (6-2, 5-1): Senior quarterback Garyt Odom (UNLV commit) threw for 4 TDs in Fayetteville's 14-point victory over Springdale last week. Heritage, winless on the season, has to contend with Odom as well as big-play receivers Catavion Taylor and Jaison DeLamar.

Fort Smith Northside (2-6, 1-4) at NO. 9 BENTONVILLE WEST (2-6, 2-3): Northside enters this matchup off a 42-21 loss to Har-Ber, and the Grizzlies will need to play better defensively this week on the road. Bentonville West had a thrilling victory over Har-Ber 2 weeks ago and was dominant in a 51-14 win over Heritage a week ago.

No. 10 Springdale Har-Ber (2-6, 1-4) at NO. 6 ROGERS (5-3, 3-2):  Har-Ber is back in the top 10 after putting up 42 points in a win against Northside. Rogers took care of Springdale 2 weeks ago but lost to Bentonville 56-34 last week with QB Jeff Regan rushing for 265 yards. The Mounties defense gets stops when it matters and wins this one at home.

7A CENTRAL

NO. 1  BRYANT (8-0, 5-0) at North Little Rock (0-8, 0-5): Bryant continued its dominance with a 56-6 win over Cabot. Receivers Caleb Tucker and Karter Ratliff each caught 2 of QB Jordan Walker’s 6 TD passes. North Little Rock remains winless and its schedule doesn’t get any easier.

No. 8 Little Rock Christian (6-2, 4-1) at NO. 2 CONWAY (8-0, 5-0): Conway used a double pass to Trey Harris to break it wide open in a 32-12 win at PA last week. QB Wersley Tapp took a rare under-center snap and flipped it out to WR Max Owen, who found a wide-open Harris. The Wampus Cats applied tremendous defensive pressure on PA QB Brandon Cobb, and held the Bruins to their lowest point total in nearly 2 decades. Little Rock Christian won over a Southwest LR team that gave it a run for its money. Conway keeps it rolling at home.

NO. 4 PULASKI ACADEMY (5-2, 2-2) at Little Rock Southwest (1-7, 1-4): PA looks to bounce back after a 32-12 home loss to No. 2 Conway. Max Conine scored 2 second-half TDs for the Bruins. Southwest played well last week in its 48-43 loss to No. 8 LR Christian. The Gryphons, led by QB Chase Forte’s 4 total TDs last week, can put points on the board.

Little Rock Central (2-6, 1-4) at CABOT (2-6, 1-4): Both teams look to keep playoff hopes alive. Cabot lost 56-6 a week ago to No. 1 Bryant. Central beat North Little Rock 27-21 to post its second win overall, and their first in the 7A Central.