Hootens.com Class 2A Rankings

Week 10, 2024

1. Carlisle (9-0)

2. Conway Christian (9-0)

3. Bigelow (7-2)

4. Murfreesboro (7-2)

5. Junction City (6-3)

6. East Poinsett County (6-3)

7. Des Arc (7-2)

8. Cross County (6-3)

9. Marked Tree (6-3)

10. Bearden (5-4)

11. Poyen (6-3)

12. Mount Ida (6-3)

13. Mineral Springs (5-4)

14. Hector (4-4)

15. McCrory (6-3)

16. Hazen (5-4)

17. Earle (4-5) 

18. Gurdon (4-5)

19. Dierks (6-3)

20. England (4-5)

Not ranked:

1-2A: Mountain Pine (3-6), JC Westside (1-7), Magazine (2-6), Mountainburg (3-6)

2-2A: Izard County Consolidated (0-9), Marianna (0-8)

3-2A: Spring Hill (2-6), Foreman (0-9), Lafayette County (3-6)

4-2A: Clarendon (0-8), Baptist Prep (4-5), Hampton (3-6)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 3 Bigelow (7-2, 6-0) at NO. 2 CONWAY CHRISTIAN (9-0, 6-0): The 1-2A conference title comes down to this game for the third consecutive year. 

Bigelow won it the previous 2 years, including last season when the Panthers ran the table to win the Class 2A state title. Last week, Bigelow beat JC Westside 45-16 as Nathan Brackett caught 2 TDs while Ryan Jones and Guy Starks each caught TD passes. QB Martell Macon has passed for 457 yards with 6 TDs and 0 INTs the past 3 weeks. Jayden Dunlap leads the Panthers defense with 79 tackles, including 9 tackles for losses. Bigelow coach Luke Starks says he knows it will be a tough matchup against Conway Christian. “Conway Christian is an extremely talented and well-coached team,” he said. “That group of seniors plays well together and have had a lot of success."

Conway Christian enters off a 43-0 win over Hector, when Jeryn Thomas passed for 118 yards and rushed for 104 yards and a TD. Aaron Lovelace scored 3 TDs while Brady Dominos scored 2. 

Longtime Conway Christian Coach Justin Kramer says it's always special to play in a game that matters at this point of the season. “For a few years, we had control over the matchup and now, for the last few years, they’ve had control," he says. "We had a great matchup with them last year in this same game with the same thing on the line, and they came out on top. 

“They are well-coached kids that play with great passion and with the support of an entire community. We believe we have great kids here that also play at an extremely high level. They will give us their best shot, and we are most certainly going to give them ours and hope we’re the one standing in the middle of the ring when the final bell rings.”

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly predicted 10 of 16 games involving Class 2A teams. For the season, Hooten’s has correctly predicted 141 of 173 games (82 percent).

WEEK 10 PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS)

1-2A

Bigelow (7-2, 6-0) at CONWAY CHRISTIAN (9-0, 6-0): See Hootens.com Game of the Week, above. 

NO. 14 HECTOR (5-4, 3-3) at Magazine (3-6, 1-5): Hector can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Magazine. Magazine fell to Mountain Pine 14-12 last week. Daniel Green (2-91 receiving; INT.) shined along with Dakota Clark and Chakong Yang, who each had 8 tackles. 

Mountain Pine (3-6, 2-4) at NO. 12 MOUNT IDA (6-3, 4-2) (Thurs.): Mountain Pine stayed alive in the playoff race with a 14-12 win over Magazine, and the Red Devils will need some help even it beats Mount Ida to have any chance. Zachary Middleton and Aidan Putman scored TDs. Middleton added the decisive 2-point conversion. Mount Ida beat Mountainburg 47-3 last week behind Ben Woodfield (13-289 rushing, 4 TDs; 87-yard KO return for TD) and Dakota Beech (15 tackles; 31-yard TD reception). 

MOUNTAINBURG (3-6, 2-4) at JC Westside (1-7, 0-6) (Thurs.): Mountainburg fell to Mount Ida 47-3 last week, but the Dragons got solid efforts from Ryan Allen (155 rushing, 71 passing, 6 tackles), Hayden McGill (10 tackles, including a sack) and Dayton Pense (30-yard FG). JC Westside fell to Bigelow 45-16 but Kyle Waln passed for 97 yards and rushed for 44 yards and a TD and Cooper Hilton scored a rushing TD.

2-2A 

EPC (6-3, 5-1) at Marked Tree (6-3, 4-2) (Thurs.): This game impacts playoff seeding. EPC gets the No. 1 seed with a win after beating Des Arc last week, but Marked Tree, Des Arc, Cross County, McCrory and Earle are all in the playoff mix. EPC knocked off conference leader Des Arc 36-30 last week behind Dee Buchanan (15-141 rushing, 3 TDs) and touchdowns from Jacob Gaines, Eli Bragg and Quincy Perry. Marked Tree fell to Cross County 40-28 despite big games from TJ Hodges (177 rushing, 2 TDs) and Kenyon Carter (147 passing, TD; rushing TD) and Jonah Walker (15 tackles).

DES ARC (7-2, 5-1) at McCrory (6-3, 3-3) (Thurs.): Des Arc dropped its first conference game last week to EPC, 36-30, but can still claim the top seed with a win and an EPC loss. Jamie Collins (33-194 rushing) and Hudson Goodman (2 TDs) led the offense. McCrory still has a chance to make the playoffs but will need a win and some help. Last week, the Jaguars beat Marianna 34-6. Leevi Tucker rushed for 102 yards and 2 TDs in the win. Caden Ayers and Jakavin Stegall each scored a TD. 

CROSS COUNTY (6-3, 4-2) at Earle (4-5, 3-3) (Thurs.): Cross County upset Marked Tree 40-28 to tighten an already tight battle for the top 4 seeds. Cayden Crafford (164 rushing, 2 TDs) and Davion Simmons (170 rushing, 2 TDs) led the Cross County offense, along with Braxton Armstrong and Danny Beale also scoring TDs. Earle must beat Cross County and get some help to make the playoffs. James Jarrett had 2 INTs, 188 all-purpose yards and 2 TDs in the victory. 

Marianna (0-8, 0-6) at IZARD COUNTY (0-9, 0-6): The winner of this game will avoid a winless season. Marianna has forfeited 2 games and scored 32 points in the six games it has played. ICC is averaging 8.0 points per game after moving up 8-Man. ICC’s Aaron Dockins had 73 yards in KO returns in last week's loss to Earle.

3-2A 

NO. 5 JUNCTION CITY (6-3, 5-1) at Spring Hill (2-7, 1-5) (Thurs.): Junction City bounced back from its first conference loss to beat Lafayette County 35-28. The Dragons rushed for 214 yards, led by Dominique Grimes (8-78 rushing,  2 TDs; TD pass to Nolan Dismuke). JB Banks led the defense with 7 tackles, including 2 TFL and DK Hampton had an INT. Spring Hill, led by Tucker Vickers' 88 yards on 9 carries, fell to Murfreesboro 42-8.

No. 13 Mineral Springs (5-4, 4-2) at NO. 4 MURFREESBORO (7-2, 6-0) (Thurs.): Mineral Springs lost to Dierks 18-8 despite the play of Malik Matthews (18-131 rushing; 2-point conversion) and Evan Erwin (54 rushing, 35 passing). Five of Erwin's passes were dropped. Murfreesboro beat Spring Hill 42-8 with Laytan Wilcher and Brody Marron scoring 2 TDs each and Lathan Compton (11-148 rushing). “This is always a big game,” Murfreesboro Coach Brad Chessir said. “It’s another game where records don’t matter. I expect Mineral to come out and give us their best shot. We have to keep doing what we do. They have good size and are very athletic.”

Gurdon (4-5, 3-3) at DIERKS (6-3, 4-2) (Thurs.): Gurdon, off a 45-14 win over Foreman, needs a victory and some help to make the playoffs. Gurdon was led by Jamari Williams (7-131 rushing, 3 TDs), along with TD scorers Dakota Bradshaw, Uriah Gatlin and Rhett Ledbetter. Dierks beat Mineral Springs 18-8 with Jordan Hill (26-128 rushing, 2 TDs) and Peyton Boeckman accounting for the TDs.

LAFAYETTE COUNTY (3-6, 1-5) at Foreman (0-9, 0-6) (Thurs.): Lafayette County gave Junction City fits in a 34-28 loss to the Dragons. Rob Bailey and Jordan Walter both rushed for more than 100 yards. Walker scored twice while Bailey added one. Foreman’s DJ Anderson rushed for 108 yards and a TD in the Gators’ loss to Gurdon. Rylan Johnson rushed for 83 yards and a TD on 10 carries. 

4-2A

No. 16  Hazen (5-4, 5-1) at NO. 1 CARLISLE (9-0, 6-0) (Thurs.): The winner of this game will be the conference champion for the third consecutive season. The Hazen Hornets found an identity 3 weeks ago as the Hornets have rushed for more than 300 yards a game during a 3-game winning streak, which included a 54-14 win over Hampton last week. QB JJ Pinkney rushed for 103 yards and 3 TDs in the victory. Bison freshman QB Ty Tanksley continues to set school records, breaking his yardage mark with 326 yards and 5 TDs in the Bison’s win over England. Jaden Elliott rushed for 100 yards and 3 TDs. 

NO. 10 BEARDEN (5-4, 4-2) at No. 20 England (4-5, 3-3): Bearden can secure a playoff spot with a win over England after pulling off one of the season's biggest upsets, beating Poyen 29-14. Matthew Chambers, Tristan Olvey and Marky Jimerson combined for 331 yards rushing and 2 TDs. Hunter Stringfellow, Olvey and Valentine Gonzalez combined for 26 tackles, holding Poyen scoreless in the first half. “We found ourselves in a possible win-or-go-home situation last week,” Bearden Coach Brandon Austin said. “We played good enough to win. It will take a little more than that against a tough England team with their backs against the wall as well.” England fell to Carlisle 61-8. Nehemiah Solee scored the Lions’ lone TD and a 2-point conversion in the first quarter to give it a short-lived 8-7 lead. 

Clarendon (0-8, 0-6) at NO. 11 POYEN (6-3, 4-2) (Thurs.): Clarendon, coming off a 12-6 loss to Baptist Prep, looks to avoid a winless season at Poyen, which struggled in a 29-14 loss to Bearden. Colt Barrett and Alejandro Guzman each scored a rushing TD in the loss. 

HAMPTON (3-6, 1-5) at Baptist Prep (4-5, 1-5): Hampton was led by Aden Williams (8-79 rushing) in a 54-14 loss to Hazen. Baptist Prep, which started the season 3-0 before being decimated by injuries, broke a 5-game skid with a 12-6 win over Clarendon last week. QB Andrew Mashburn threw 2 TD passes. The Eagles defense had 13 tackles for loss, led by Hutch Finton (3 sacks), Levi Yager (2 sacks) and Jacob Dunn (2 sacks).