Hootens.com Rankings
Class 5A, Week 10, 2012
Copyright Hooten Publishing, Inc.

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

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 1 Pulaski Academy at No. 13 Jacksonville (Thurs.)
The winner gets the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Pulaski Academy has won four conference titles the past five years, while Jacksonville hasn't won a league championship since 2006.
Pulaski Academy has won six straight games since losing at Class 7A West Memphis 30-21 Week 3. The Bruins have won their six league games by an average 49-13, but they trailed Little Rock McClellan by a touchdown at halftime in Week 7 and led Sylvan Hills by just 12 points at intermission a week ago. "Our inconsistency has been a mystery," Coach Kevin Kelley said. "We'll play bad for two or three series, then we are unstoppable for eight. We get in a funk and it snowballs on us. But it seems when we get out of it, things snowball the other way. We are a team that plays good with momentum."
Bruin senior quarterback Lawson Vassar passed for 502 yards and eight TDs in last week's 57-24 win over Sylvan Hills. Vassar completes 232 of 321 passes (72.3 percent) for 3,302 yards and 36 TDs this year, with just six interceptions. "His completion percentage really excites me," Kelley said. "He makes the proper reads." Senior receiver L.J. Wallace has caught 88 passes for 1,349 yards and 18 TDs this year, and he's generated at least 180 yards in five games. Senior tight end Hunter Henry, who has committed to the University of Arkansas, has 69 catches for 858 yards and 10 TDs while playing just seven games.
Like the high-powered offense, Pulaski Academy's defense thrives on momentum and usually plays better after it forces a turnover or recovers an onside kick, Kelley said. Junior linebacker Tyler Colquitt, a three-year starter, paces Pulaski Academy with 79 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He returned a fumble 72 yards for a TD Week 4 against North Pulaski. "He's our leader," Kelley said. Senior outside linebacker Wilson Tharp recorded 16 tackles and a sack against Sylvan Hills. Senior end/linebacker George Friedmann has two interception (one returned for a TD), two fumble recoveries (one returned for a TD) and six sacks this year.
Jacksonville expected to compete for the league title after dropping from Class 6A. The Red Devils won five straight games before losing 14-7 to Mills a week ago when they failed on a fourth-and-three with less a minute left. "They do so many different things on both sides of the ball," Kelley says. "They are a lot like us. They spread you out and get their athletes in space."

LAST WEEK
Hootens.com correctly predicted 13 of 16 games (81 percent), nailing the point spread of Vilonia by 14 over Huntsville. For the season, Hootens.com has correctly predicted 149 of 180 games (83 percent).

TV SHOW
Hooten's Arkansas Football airs at 8:30 p.m. Saturdays on KARZ 42 (in Little Rock) and Fox 24 (Fayetteville/Fort Smith) and 11 p.m. Sundays on KAIT 8 (Jonesboro), featuring the top players and teams from across the state.

WEEK 10 PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS followed by point spread)
5A CENTRAL
LR McClellan at LR CHRISTIAN (3) (Thurs.): Little Rock Christian must win to get into the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Warriors stopped West Helena at the 1-yard line as time expired to secure a 17-12 triumph. Little Rock McClellan scored a pair of defensive TDs in last week's 35-point win over North Pulaski.
MILLS (14) at West Helena (Thurs.): Mills finishes as the No. 2 seed if it wins and Jacksonville losses. The Comets beat Jacksonville 14-7 last week when senior fullback Dwayne Davis plunged 1-yard for the winning TD with 12 seconds left.
North Pulaski at SYLVAN HILLS (28) (Thurs.): Sylvan Hills must win and get some help to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Bruins trailed top-ranked Pulaski Academy by 12 points at halftime last week before losing 57-24.
PULASKI ACADEMY (28) at Jacksonville (Thurs.): Hootens.com Class 5A Game of the Week.

5A EAST
Beebe at BATESVILLE (14): Beebe started the season 0-6 but has ripped off three straight wins to get in playoff position. Junior fullback Eric Thorne ran for three TDs in last week's 28-12 win over Nettleton. Batesville finishes as the second seed in the league and hosts either Hot Springs Lakeside or Watson Chapel in the first round. The Pioneers average 32 points a game.
Blytheville at FORREST CITY (11): Forrest City gets in the playoffs with a victory, and Blytheville likely goes with a win. Forrest City went 0-10 last year and the Mustangs haven't won since beating Paragould by 27 points in Week 7, while Blytheville's last victory was 22-16 over Greene County Tech a week earlier. Forrest City junior QB Ethan Adams has passed for more than 1,600 yards and 20 TDS this fall.
Greene County Tech at PARAGOULD (1): The battle of Greene County is for pride, not the playoffs. Paragould's 28-12 win over Blytheville last week was its third 5A East triumph in two years. Paragould's last win in the series was 43-22 in 2008 (the Rams were awarded a forfeit victory in 2009).
WYNNE (24) at Nettleton: Wynne's 18-point triumph over Forrest City last week helped the Yellowjackets to their first conference title since 2006. The Yellowjackets returned two interceptions for TDs last week. Nettleton must win and get some help to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

5A SOUTH
De Queen at WHITE HALL (24): White Hall is the No. 2 playoff seed and hosts the No. 3 team from the East in the first round. Junior Irvin Tisdale ran for 158 yards in last week's 14-point win over Hope. De Queen won its first-ever 5A South game last week, knocking off winless Magnolia by seven points.
HOPE (18) at Magnolia: Neither team can make the playoffs, although Hope has played well in losses to playoff participants Watson Chapel and White Hall two of the past three weeks. Winless Magnolia misses the playoffs for the second straight season.
Hot Springs at HS LAKESIDE (2): The winner gets in the playoffs, the loser hits the hardwood. HS Lakeside has beaten rival Hot Springs seven of the past eight years. HS Lakeside's Garrett Garner plunged 1-yard for the winning TD in the final minutes at Watson Chapel last week. The Rams gave up 334 yards rushing in the first half, but just 42 yards in the second half against Watson Chapel. Hot Springs churned out 348 yards, including 262 rushing, against Camden Fairview last week.
Watson Chapel at CAMDEN FAIRVIEW (21): This game could have decided the conference title, but Watson Chapel lost to Hot Springs Lakeside by four points last week. Camden Fairview celebrates senior night as conference champions. Cardinal senior Jamie Smith ran for 240 yards and two TDs in last week's 33-point win at Hot Springs.

5A WEST
GREENBRIER (8) at Vilonia (Thurs.): The winner gets the coveted Judge's Cup. Greenbrier has locked up the No. 1 playoff seed and its first conference title since 1990. Senior QB Seth Peters has passed for 2,262 yards and 24 TDs this year. Vilonia returns to the playoffs after a one-year absence, and the Eagles can finish as high as the No. 3 seed with win and Alma loss.
ALMA (7) at Shiloh Christian: Alma is in the playoffs for the fifth straight year. The Airedales will finish as the No. 3 or No. 4 seed and travel to either Jacksonville, Mills or Pulaski Academy in the first round. Shiloh Christian might not want to play football in 2022. The Saints won't make the playoffs this year for the first time since 2002. They also missed the playoffs in 1992.
HARRISON (6) at Huntsville: This game turned ugly early last season when four players (three from Harrison, one from Huntsville) were ejected for fighting in the first quarter. Huntsville averages just 10 points a game, while Harrison gives up 37.
MORRILTON (28) at Clarksville: Morrilton is in the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. The Devil Dogs gained 525 yards in last week's 29-point win at Harrison. Clarksville beat Harrison 23-14 Week 8, its only win of the season.