Hootens.com Rankings
Class 2A, Week 10, 2021
Copyright Hooten Publishing, Inc.

1. Bigelow (9-0)
2. McCrory (7-1)
3. Des Arc (8-1)
4. Hazen (7-2)
5. Clarendon (5-2)
6. Fordyce (6-3)
7. Junction City (5-4)
8. Quitman (6-3)
9. Hector (7-2)
10. Dierks (4-4)
11. Magnet Cove (5-4)
12. Poyen (5-3)
13. Mount Ida (5-3)
14. E. Poinsett County (3-7)
15. Gurdon (6-4)
16. Hampton (2-6)
17. Lafayette County (4-3)
18. Earle (3-4)
19. Marked Tree (3-5)
20. Carlisle (0-9)
21. Mountainburg (3-5)
22. Cross County (1-7)
23. Yellville-Summit (4-5)
24. Murfreesboro (3-5)
25. J.C. Westside (2-6)
26. Foreman (1-8)
27. Conway Christian (1-8)
28. Parkers Chapel (1-6)
29. Magazine (1-7)
30. Bearden (0-9)
31. England (0-7)
32. Mineral Springs (0-7)

GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 5 Clarendon at No. 3 Des Arc
Des Arc vies for a third straight league title, while Clarendon can grab a share of its first conference crown since 1998. Des Arc junior fullback Jack Kearby has rushed for a team-high 822 yards and five TDs. Junior slotback Trevion Reed has carried for 623 yards (16 YPC) and 13 TDs. Sophomore QB Cache Flanagan has played well the past two games for injured senior starter Jake Reidhar (broken collarbone). Senior LB Cooper Childers (71 tackles) spearheads DA's first-team defense that has not allowed a TD since the Week 3 vs Earle. Clarendon counters with senior QB Kaleb Williams, who has connected on 58 percent of his passes for 1,155 yards and 10 TDs with five INTs. Williams has rushed for 618 yards and eight TDs, just behind senior ATH Quincey McAdoo with 646 yards and eight TDs. Junior receiver Terrance Hampton has caught 18 passes (32 yards per reception) for 582 yards and seven TDs. Senior LB Devin Brown tops the CHS tackle chart with 84. Watch extended highlights of Clarendon’s 22-20 loss to Hazen earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of Des Arc’s 34-26 loss to McCrory earlier this year.

LAST WEEK
Hootens.com correctly picked 12 of 14 games (86 percent) involving Class 2A teams. It is 149 of 173 (86 percent) for the season.

WEEK 10 PREDICTIONS (favored team in CAPS followed by point spread)
3-2A
Earle at MCCRORY (9) (Thurs): Both teams were idle the past two weeks. With the exception of speedy junior slotback Lacoya Tucker, No. 2 McCrory should be at full strength Friday night for the first time since Week 2. With a win, McCrory can capture its first league title since 2015 when it also won the Class 2A state title. A favorable playoff draw awaits. Earle lost to EPC 26-20 three weeks ago. McCrory rallied past EPC 22-18 Week 5. Watch extended highlights of McCrory’s 31-24 OT loss to Baptist Prep earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of McCrory’s 22-18 win over EPC earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of McCrory’s 34-26 win over Des Arc earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of Earle’s 46-14 loss to Gurdon earlier this year. Cross County at MARKED TREE (1) (Thurs.): Both teams chasing first league victory. Winner earns the fourth playoff seed, while the loser slips to the fifth seed. Senior QB A.J. Beale leads Cross County in total offense and in tackles at safety/linebacker. MT gave up more than 400 yards last week in a 46-20 loss to neighbor rival EPC. Junior RB Willie Marshall paces MT in total offense, while senior LB Aiden McGuire leads the Indians in tackles. 
E. POINSETT COUNTY is open.

4-2A
Hector at QUITMAN (10): Battle for second place in the 4-2A with the loser getting the third playoff seed. Quitman senior QB/LB Will Litton has completed 64 percent of his passes this fall for 1,437 yards and 16 TDs with just three interceptions. Senior WR Trevor Locke paces Quitman with 40 receptions for 511 yards and seven TDs. Litton has recorded a team-high 101 tackles. Hector counters with sophomore QB Jackson Taylor, who has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,230 yards and 10 TDs with just three interceptions. Junior WR Drake Riley has caught a team-high 44 passes for 467 yards and seven TDs. Riley leads Hector with 85 tackles, including eight TFL and three INTs. Watch extended highlights of Quitman’s  44-14 loss to Bigelow earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of Quitman’s 41-0 win over Magazine earlier this year. Conway Christian at BIGELOW (36): Top-ranked Bigelow claims consecutive 4-2A titles without a serious test in league games the past two seasons. It handled Hector 35-0 last week. Conway Christian ended a 17-game losing skid by topping Magazine 28-26. Added depth from freshmen off a 9-0 junior high team allowed key varsity starters to rest on a few plays in the victory. Watch extended highlights of Bigelow's 44-14 win over Quitman earlier this year.   
Magazine at J.C. WESTSIDE (4): J.C. Westside led Yellville-Summitt 20-6 after three quarters last week but lost 30-20 despite another outstanding effort from ATH Dakota Beavers. The senior ran for 97 yards and a TD and caught four passes for 81 yards. Magazine's lone victory came Week 2 over the Waldron JV 14-6. Magazine has not posted a winless conference record since going 0-10 overall, 0-8 in 2005. Watch extended highlights of Magazine’s 41-0 loss to Quitman earlier this year. Mountainburg at YELLVILLE-SUMMIT (2): The winner earns the fourth playoff seed, while the loser slips to the fifth spot. Y-S sophomore Landon Keiter stripped a J.C. Westside kickoff returner of the ball last week and took it 40 yards for a momentum-swinging TD in a 30-20 win over JCW. Y-S outscored JCW 24-0 in the fourth quarter. Junior QB Jayven Keymer ran and passed for a combined 200 yards last week with senior receivers Caiden Curtis and Lucas McVay making timely catches. Y-S has not won five of more games since going 6-3 and winning a share of the former 1-3A in 2012.  

5-2A
POYEN (3) at Magnet Cove: The 5-2A title is on the line after both teams were idle last week. Poyen senior QB/LB Colton Lowe leads the Indians in total offense with 1,190 yards and 15 TDs. In his last outing (28-6 win vs. Gurdon), Lowe completed four of six passes, ran for 82 yards and two TDs, and intercepted three passes returning one for a TD. Magnet Cove healthy again, missing just one original starter. Junior ATH Julius McClellan leads MC with 761 yards and seven TDs, followed by senior RB/LB Brett Williams with 676 yards and nine TDs. Williams has logged a team-high 66 tackles followed by McClellan with 53. Before Poyen topped Magnet Cove 27-20 last year, MC had won four straight in the series by a combined margin of 125-34. Poyen has not captured a conference crown since its varsity debut in 2010. MC has won five league titles since dropping from Class 3A in 2011.
MOUNT IDA (15) at Murfreesboro: Non-conference clash. 5-2A member Mount Ida beat Gurdon 20-7 last week by rushing for 300 of its 350 yards. Senior RB Baylor Bates carried 30 times for 116 yards and a TD, while junior RB Jacob Woodfield ran 23 times for 124 yards. Murfreesboro failed to convert on fourth down or committed a turnover on seven of its 12 possessions in a 36-14 loss at Lafayette County.
GURDON is open.

6-2A
Clarendon at DES ARC (6) (Thurs.): See Game of the Week.
CARLISLE (16) at England: Carlisle ran for 317 of its 400 total yards last week in a 70-30 loss to neighbor rival Hazen. Senior RB Jason Sullivan leads Carlisle this season with 812 rushing yards (6.7 YPC) and 11 TDs. England, which generated 152 yards last week vs. Des Arc, on the brink of its first winless season since 2009.
HAZEN is open.

7-2A
Mineral Springs at FOREMAN (13): Foreman notched its first win of 2021 last week by forcing six turnovers (four interceptions) in a 34-6 win over 8-2A member Parkers Chapel. Sophomore Tyrance Marks carried 26 times for 150 yards and two TDs. Freshman RB Hayden Ziegler ran for 94 yards and a TD on 22 attempts. Mineral Springs (0-7) moves up 10 freshmen off a 5-3 junior high team to join 13 upperclassmen. The loser travels to No. 1 Bigelow in the first round of the playoffs.
Lafayette County at DIERKS (5): After posting a combined seven wins over the past five seasons, Lafayette County, under first-year head coach Jason Hathcock, plays for its first league title since Stamps and Lewisville merged in 2003 to form Lafayette County. Before that, Lewisville won 7-A title in 1988. A week ago, LC junior KJ. Hayes followed up a 182-yard rushing performance against Foreman by ripping off 213 yards and three TDs in a 36-14 win over Murfreesboro. Hayes also recovered a fumble and returned an interception for a TD. Dierks trying to capture consecutive league titles for the first time since 2004-2005. Last week, the Outlaws ran wild for 345 yards while holding Mineral Springs to 26 yards in a 57-6 rout.
MOUNT IDA (15) at Murfreesboro: Non-conference clash. 5-2A member Mount Ida beat Gurdon 20-7 last week by rushing for 300 of its 350 yards. Senior RB Baylor Bates carried 30 times for 116 yards and a TD, while junior RB Jacob Woodfield ran 23 times for 124 yards. Murfreesboro failed to convert on fourth down or committed a turnover on seven of its 12 possessions in a 36-14 loss at Lafayette County.

8-2A
Bearden at FORDYCE (38): Fordyce has clinched its third straight 8-2A title with a favorable playoff draw with the opening two rounds at Paul "Bear" Bryant Stadium. Sophomore OLB Carmelo Allen leads Fordyce in tackles this fall followed by senior ILB A.J. Williams and senior LB Jacobie Walker. Bearden on the brink of its first winless campaign since going 0-8-1 in 1972. Watch extended highlights of Fordyce’s 22-20 over Camden Harmony Grove earlier this year. Watch extended highlights of Fordyce’s 20-16 win over Rison. Watch extended highlights of Fordyce’s 42-6 win over Junction City earlier this year. HAMPTON (12) at Parkers Chapel: Third playoff seed is on the line. Both teams coming off lopsided losses. PC committed six turnovers and lost 34-6 at 7-2A Foreman, while Hampton managed less than 200 yards in a 42-6 loss to No. 6 Fordyce. Both teams will face stiff first-round playoff draws next week. Hampton junior RB Zy Johnson has rushed 110 times this fall for 882 yards.
JUNCTION CITY is open.