Hootens.com Rankings
Class 4A, Week 11, 2012
Copyright Hooten Publishing, Inc.

1. Stuttgart (9-1)
2. Arkadelphia (9-1)
3. Nashville (8-2)
4. Dollarway (9-1)
5. Prairie Grove (9-0)
6. Warren (7-3)
7. Malvern (8-2)
8. Highland (10-0)
9. Pottsville (9-1)
10. CAC (6-3)
11. Pea Ridge (9-1)
12. Ozark (8-2)
13. Star City (8-2)
14. Newport (7-3)
15. Booneville (7-3)
16. Lonoke (6-4)
17. Hamburg (6-4)
18. Valley View (7-3)
19. Dardanelle (8-2)
20. Mena (5-5)
21. Heber Springs (5-4)
22. Farmington (7-3)
23. Monticello (5-5)
24. Gosnell (5-5)
25. Gravette (4-6)
26. Maumelle (4-6)
27. Pocahontas (7-3)
28. Crossett (4-6)
29. Arkansas Baptist (3-6-1)
30. Dumas (3-7)
31. Lincoln (5-5)
32. Ashdown (3-7)
33. Bauxite (2-8)
34. Southside Batesville (4-5-1)
35. Jonesboro Westside (4-6)
36. Subiaco Academy (4-6)
37. Clinton (2-8)
38. Cave City (2-7-1)
39. Pulaski Robinson (2-8)
40. Dover (1-9)
41. Gentry (2-8)
42. DeWitt (1-9)
43. Berryville (1-8)
44. Brookland (3-6)
45. Lake Village (1-9)
46. Trumann (0-10)
47. Waldron (0-10)
48. Marianna (0-9)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 12 Ozark at No. 17 Hamburg
Hamburg has won six of its past eight games after opening the season with consecutive sportsmanship losses to Class 5A White Hall and Camden Fairview. , Hamburg led Warren at halftime Week 8 in the conference title game before losing by 22 points. The Lions play four sophomores and two freshmen on offense. "Our kids are playing harder," Hamburg coach Mike Cox said. "We got on a roll and built some confidence."
Senior Lamarco Harris didn't play against Warren, ran timidly in the first half of last week's 20-point win over Dumas before regaining his confidence in the second half, Cox said. Harris has rushed for more than 800 yards this year. Sophomore slot receiver/wingback DeAndre Rachal has emerged as Hamburg's premier player on the perimeter. Rachal caught a 30-yard TD pass at Star City Week 6 and ran for 105 yards and two scores at Warren. Junior end Justin Martin (6-5, 270) anchors Hamburg's defensive front, while junior linebackers River Davis and Detonate Paskel top the tackle chart. Hamburg's offense line averages 280 pounds.
Ozark counters with 21seniors, including steady quarterback Jonathon McKenzie. The dual threat has rushed for 872 yards and 14 TDs, and completed 67 of 163 passes for 1,142 yards and 10 scores this fall. McKenzie operates the read option attack, which gave Hamburg fits in the second half against Warren. Junior running back Bubba Elder has rushed 108 times for 757 yards and 12 TDs this fall, and Elder also starts at linebacker (46 tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception). Dangerous receiver Toby Richard enjoyed his best game of the season last week at Gentry with 47 yards and a TD in the first quarter. Richard (14 catches, 361 yard and five TDs) has been slowed by a separated shoulder since Week 3. Senior linebackers Ethan Hawkins (101 tackles, three fumble recoveries) and Brandon Brokeshoulder (91 tackles) pace the Hillbilly defense.
Hamburg could have an advantage on special teams. Senior Oscar Mon dragon has kicked four field goals this year, and all his misses are beyond 40 yards. Junior receiver/cornerback Desnond Stanley returned a punt for a TD against Dumas and ran a kickoff 85 yards to the 4-yard line. "They are athletic and have more speed than we've seen all year," Ozark coach Jeremie Burns said.

LAST WEEK
Hootens.com correctly predicted 23 of 24 games last week (96 percent). For the season, Hootens.com has correctly predicted 246 of 288 games (85 percent).

WEEK 11 PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS followed by point spread)
TOP HALF OF THE BRACKET
Booneville has first-round bye.
Farmington at NEWPORT (7): Newport returns to the playoffs for a state-best 29th straight season. The Greyhounds like to spread the field and run the ball. Freshman Carl Turner has rushed for 1,346 yards and 13 TDs and has 119 yards receiving, while junior Kristen Crite has rushed for 727 yards and has 370 yards receiving. Newport has lost its past two home playoff games. Farmington didn't score in Week 8 or 9, but the Cardinals average 27 points per game with senior running back Spencer Boudrey getting the bulk of the carries.
Mena at ARKADELPHIA (18): Arkadelphia can't get satisfied after winning its first conference title since 1995. Junior QB Jakahari Howell could return either this week or next week from a foot injury. Junior QB/running back Kris Oliver ran 20 times for 235 yards and 2 TDs in last week's five-point victory at Malvern. Sophomore Emmanuel Cooper's emergence at running back takes pressure off Oliver. Mena slipped to the No. 5 seed after leading Dardanelle by five points at halftime last week before losing by two TDs. Bearcat John Balentine ran for three TDs against Dardanelle.
OZARK (1) at Hamburg: Hootens.com Class 4A Game of the Week.
Arkansas Baptist at HIGHLAND (12): Arkansas Baptist could cause problems for the unbeaten Rebels, who haven't faced a wide-open passing attack with weapons this season. Arkansas Baptist won its final two games of the season to make the playoffs in its first season since moving from Class 3A. Sophomore QB Riley Perkins threw three TDs in last week's 31-point win at Pulaski Robinson. Highland captured its second straight conference title this year. Senior QB Sterling Stowers has generated more than 2,600 yards offense this fall. Stowers ran for two TDs and passed for two in last week's 46-point triumph over winless Trumann.
Jonesboro Westside at DOLLARWAY (45): Jonesboro Westside advances to the playoffs for the second time in school history and first since 1998. Dollarway has been to the post-season 13 of the past 14 years. Cardinal running backs Jeremiah Young and Joshua Liddell combined for more than 2,500 yards this year. Liddell ran for 178 yards and a pair of TDs in last week's 34-point win at Heber Springs.
Heber Springs at STAR CITY (2): Emotions are running high in Lincoln County after senior linebacker Zack Towers endured a severe head injury during last week's 32-29 win over Crossett. Towers remained on life support "and in grave condition" on Monday, Bulldog coach Blair Brown said. Bulldog senior and one of Towers' better friends Zach House speared the winning drive in the final two minutes last week. House lines up at QB, running back and receiver, and plays cornerback, safety and rover on defense. Heber Springs' Clint Ligon ran for 102 yards and two TDs in last week's 34-point loss to Dollarway.
MONTICELLO (2) at Pea Ridge: Monticello must get more consistent on offense, but its overall team speed could give the Blackhawks problems. Monticello's Diante Barnhill ran for 158 yards and three TDs in last week's 19-point win at DeWitt, which propelled the Billies into the playoffs. Pea Ridge finished 9-1 this fall, its best record since posting the same record but missing the playoffs in 1993 (only two teams from each conference went to playoffs). Senior running back Dayton Winn has rushed for more than 1,800 yards this year, which helps open the passing attack for senior QB Austin Easterling.

BOTTOM HALF OF THE BRACKET
Stuttgart has first-round bye.
Pocahontas at DARDANELLE (16): Dardanelle hosts its first playoff game since beating De Queen 34-27 in the first round in 2007, which was its last playoff victory. The Sand Lizards rallied from a five-point halftime deficit at Mena last week. Pocahontas' three conference losses this year were by a combined 111-20.
Lonoke at WARREN (8): Warren players will wear a blue sticker with the No. 16 on it throughout the playoffs to honor Star City's Zach Towers. The Lumberjacks won the 8-4A title this season, their first title since 2009. Warren sophomore QB Justin Gorman has passed for almost 1,100 yards this year, while junior QB Drake Jones threw five TD passes in last week's 33-8 win at Lake Village. Lonoke has won three straight games since switching senior D.J. Burton to QB. Burton ran 16 times for 205 yards and five TDs in last week's 27-point win over Clinton.
Gosnell at MALVERN (28): A rematch from the last year's first-round which Malvern won 49-7. The Leopards lost their final two regular-season games but can make a run in the playoffs as they get healthy. Malvern QB Austin Warford has passed for more than 1,800 yards and 18 TDs this fall and rushed for almost 1,000 yards and 12 TDs. Gosnell allowed 350 yards rushing in last week's 39-point loss at Valley View.
Crossett at PRAIRIE GROVE (21): Most teams in South Arkansas wanted to avoid Prairie Grove early in the playoffs. The undefeated Tigers have allowed just 29 points this season, and they forced four turnovers in the first half of last week's 55-0 win over Gravette, capping their first undefeated regular season since 2001. Crossett players will wear a blue sticker with the No. 16 on it throughout the playoffs to honor Star City's Zach Towers. The Eagles are in the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and they haven't won in the post-season since beating Wynne 24-14 in the 2003 quarterfinals.
Gravette at POTTSVILLE (25): This is the first meeting between these teams. Pottsville shared the 4-4A title with Booneville this season. Junior QB Michael Perry has accounted for more than 2,000 yards this fall. Perry ran for two TDs in last week's 42-point win over Waldron. Perry and seniors Corey Campbell and Tyler Weaver form a formidable secondary. Perry has returned two interceptions for TDs this year, and he returned a fumble for a score last week. Gravette advances to the playoffs for the sixth straight season, but Lions were shutout by Prairie Grove 55-0 a week ago.
Maumelle at NASHVILLE (24): These teams were part of the same conference from 2010-2011, with Maumelle winning 29-26 in 2011 and Nashville winning 52-20 in 2010 (when Maumelle was called Pulaski Oak Grove). Maumelle lost its final three games to Pottsville, Dardanelle and Booneville by a combined 87-30, and the Hornets haven't beaten a team with a winning record. Nashville finished the season with six straight wins, sharing the 7-4A title, its first since 2009. Senior QB Joel Henry has passed for more than 2,800 yards and 37 TDs this season.
CAC (10) at Valley View: Valley View returns to the playoffs for the fifth time since starting the varsity program seven years ago. Valley View senior Kadin Hydrick ran seven times for 127 yards and a TD last week against Gosnell. Central Arkansas Christian won four of its final five games, including a 7-0 win over No. 2 Arkadelphia Week 6, to advance to the playoffs for the second straight season. CAC threw five interceptions against Ashdown last week. The Mustangs haven't won a playoff game since beating Dumas 42-20 in the 2007 quarterfinals.