Hootens.com Rankings
Class 2A, Week 12, 2011
Copyright Hooten Publishing, Inc.

1. Magazine (11-0)
2. Danville (9-2)
3. Junction City (7-1)
4. Bearden (9-1)
5. Carlisle (10-0)
6. E. Poinsett County (9-0)
7. Magnet Cove (10-1)
8. McCrory (8-3)
9. Hazen (9-1-1)
10. Salem (9-2)
11. Gurdon (9-2)
12. Mineral Springs (10-1)
13. Spring Hill (9-2)
14. Strong (6-3)
15. Mountainburg (8-3)
16. Hackett (7-4)
17. Mount Ida (7-4)
18. Bigelow (7-3-1)
19. Norphlet (4-6)
20. Parkers Chapel (4-5)
21. England (5-6)
22. Des Arc (6-5)
23. Walnut Ridge (5-5)
24. Quitman (7-4)
25. Conway Christian (6-5)
26. Dierks (5-6)
27. Clarendon (4-7)
28. Hampton (4-6)
29. Union Christian (4-6)
30. Horatio (4-3)
31. Cross County (3-6)
32. Marked Tree (4-6)
33. Murfreesboro (4-6)
34. J.C. Westside (4-6)
35. Poyen (3-8)
36. Woodlawn (1-8)
37. Mountain Pine (2-8)
38. Cedar Ridge (1-8)
39. Augusta (1-7-1)
40. Two Rivers (2-8)
41. Palestine-Wheatley (1-8)
42. Western Yell County (2-8)
43. Foreman (0-10)
44. Hector (1-8)
45. Decatur (1-9)
46. Marvell (0-10)
47. Hartford (0-9)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 2 Danville at No. 5 Carlisle.
These tradition-rich schools have made a combined 56 postseason appearances (Carlisle 22 and Danville 34) with Danville reaching the state finals five times, capturing three state championships. Carlisle has made it to Little Rock four times, but has not won the state title game. Carlisle (6-2A top seed) had a first-round bye last week, while Danville (4-2A second seed) crushed Clarendon 56-20.
Carlisle sophomore RB Bo Weddle ran 18 times Week 10 for 93 yards in a 12-8 victory over Hazen. Weddle rushed 18 times for 168 yards and three TDs three weeks ago in an 18-6 win over McCrory. Weddle has 1,001 yards this season. Carlisle rushed for 368 yards on 48 carries vs. McCrory and for 242 yards on 51 attempts against Hazen. Sophomore Deron Hicks and senior Braxton Petrus have rushed for more than 500 yards apiece. Carlisle's defense, led in tackles by Weddle (55), senior Ty Vaughn and senior Zach King, allows just nine points per game.
Danville's explosive offense averages 341 yards and 43 ppg with multiple players able to greatly impact a game. Senior Dadrian Ester rarely carries the football, but last week he caught two passes for 93 yards and a TD, recorded five solo tackles, returned two kicks for 36 yards and one punt return for 54 yards. Senior RB Sean Tyra averages 10 yards per carry and needs 24 yards this week to surpass 1,000 yards for the season. Senior FB Jaylen Ester has rushed for 467 yards (6.7 ypc) and 10 TDs. Senior Montel Jiles anchors the Danville defense with 71 tackles (47 solos). Junior Armando Jaime has 51 tackles, including  nine QB hurries and five sacks.

LAST WEEK
Hootens.com correctly picked 12 of 14 (86 percent) games involving Class 2A teams. Hootens.com is 225-47 (83 percent) for the season. 

WEEK 12 PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS (favored team in ALL CAPS followed by point spread)
TOP HALF OF PLAYOFF BRACKET
DANVILLE (7) at Carlisle: See 2A Game of the Week. 
Spring Hill at GURDON (10): Gurdon pulled away from Spring Hill 42-26 Week 7. The matchup features Spring Hill's senior offensive line anchored by honor student James Crow vs. Gurdon's senior-laden defensive line of NG JuJuan Marks (53 tackles), DE Larry Mitchell (six TFL), DE Jacob Cooley (four TFL) and DT Logan Britt (five sacks). Playoff-tested Spring Hill is 6-2 in the postseason from  2009-current, while Gurdon has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 1998. Gurdon has lost five fumbles in the past two weeks.
Des Arc at EPC (27): EPC destroyed Dierks 68-21 last week when the Warriors held Dierks to 126 total yards and forced four turnovers. EPC racked up 558 yards last week, running for 424 of them. EPC averages 411 yards and 54 ppg. In a sterling performance last week, Des Arc senior QB Luke Devorak ran 14 times for 134 yards and two TDs and completed seven of 10 passes for 125 yards and two TDs in a 44-22 win over Quitman. 
Mount Ida at BEARDEN (6): Bearden rallied from a two-TD deficit to top Hackett 34-21 last week. Bearden senior LBs Tyler Crouse and Blane Word, junior LB B.J. Ross, junior NG Austin Thompson and junior DE Markel Johnson spearhead a speedy defense that faces Mount Ida's hard-hitting Veer keyed by junior RB Josh Hall (1,995 yards). Hall broke Josh Baker's single-season rushing record set in 2007 by rushing for 275 yards and four TDs last week at Bigelow. Hall also stars at linebacker and rarely comes off the field. In the first-ever meeting between the schools, Mount Ida defeated Bearden 17-16 for the 2007 state title game.

BOTTOM HALF OF PLAYOFF BRACKET
Mineral Springs at JUNCTION CITY (13): Junction City had a first-round bye last week while Mineral Springs thumped Poyen 62-0 behind junior RB Rashad Williams' 200 rushing yards and two TDs. A speedy Junction City defense allows 163 yards per game and features nine players with more than 30 tackles, including senior linebacker Bronte Elliott. Junction City has not lost since the opening (27-14) loss to Class 3A No. 5 Rison. Since then the Dragons have allowed 42 total points (6 ppg). Junction City has won 63 of its past 72 games.
Salem at MAGAZINE (22): Defending state champion Magazine has won 25 games in a row. Senior QB Cory Chambers has rushed for 900 yards (10 ypc), and senior LB Josh Dority paces the Rattlers with more than 100 tackles. Salem sophomore QB Dillon Turner has passed for 1,168 yards, while sophomore RB J.J. Gray has rushed for 1,321 yards. Junior LB David Tarpley leads Salem in tackles, collecting 17 last week in a 35-14 win over England.
Strong at MAGNET COVE (8): Magnet Cove tries to contain Strong senior QB Kenneth Dixon (5,300 career rushing yards), who terrorized Mountainburg last week with 227 yards rushing and six-of-eight passing, including a 17-yard TD toss late to beat the Dragons on the road 35-28. Magnet Cove counters with senior NG Blake Bratton (6-2, 285), who has filled two gaps all season. Leading tackler and senior playmaker Jeff Pinkston (ankle) is almost 100 percent again. Pinkston has rushed for 2,000 yards this fall.
Hazen at MCCRORY (6): Hazen senior RB/LB Matt Tenison has rushed for 1,622 yards this year, including 210 yards and three TDs last week in a 40-37 first-round victory over Walnut Ridge. Tenison paces Hazen with more than 140 tackles. McCrory counters with a huge line that paves the way for junior RB Logan Best (2,516 yards). Best ran wild last week for 407 yards and seven TDs in a 62-43 win over Conway Christian. Comparing scores: Carlisle defeated McCrory 18-6 Week 9; Carlisle defeated Hazen 12-8 Week 10.