8-Man Week 3 Rankings and Selections
Rankings
Class 8-Man
Week 3, 2026
- ↔ 1. Corning (3-0; beat Abundant Life 36-0)
- ↔ 2. Cedar Ridge (3-0; beat Blevins 42-0)
- ↑ 4. Izard County (2-0; beat Cave City 26-22)
- ↑ 5. Magazine (2-0; beat JC Westside 40-0)
- ↑ NR. Rose Bud (2-0; beat Woodlawn 54-30)
- ↔ 6. Strong (0-1; lost to River Oaks, La., 32-8)
- ↓ 3. Woodlawn (1-1; lost to Rose Bud 54-30)
- ↓ 7. Brinkley (2-0; beat Dermott 12-8)
- ↓ 8. SS Bee B (1-1; beat Hermitage 62-60)
- ↓ 9. Lafayette Co (2-1; beat Barton 72-20)
NOT RANKED
WEST: Arkansas Christian (2-1), Guy-Perkins (1-1), JC Westside (0-2)
EAST: Marvell (1-0), Midland (1-1), Rector (0-1)
SOUTH: Blevins (0-2), Dermott (0-2), Friendship Asp (0-3), Hermitage (0-2)
UNSANCTIONED: Cave City (1-2), Barton (0-1)
WEEK 3 PREDICTIONS (favored teams in ALL CAPS and highlighted in Orange)
HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 5 Rose Bud (2-0) at No. 2 CEDAR RIDGE (3-0): Rose Bud went from unranked to No. 5 after winning at Woodlawn 54-30. Woodlawn, which reached the 8-Man semifinals last fall, had been ranked No. 3 in Week 2. Rose Bud totaled 365 rushing yards and 55 passing yards with sophomore Kade Wortham (160 yards rushing, 2 TDs; 55 passing, TD) and senior Eli Jordan (111 rushing, 2 TDs) leading the way.
“You don’t walk into Woodlawn and score 50 points unless you’re good,” Cedar Ridge Coach Scott Morgan says of Rose Bud. “We have to make sure we understand our keys, trust them, and react. Offensively, we’re going to do what we do, not trying to reinvent the wheel. It should be a great atmosphere; it’s our first home game of the year. It should be a fun one to watch and be a part of.”
Cedar Ridge, the defending 8-Man champion, has opened this season with wins at Abundant Life (Jacksonville), Blevins, and Cave City. Junior Bradley Pankey threw for 110 yards and a TD to go along with 66 rushing yards and a TD in a 42-0 win over Blevins. Junior Ryder Kelch had 8 tackles.
“They have a couple of explosive players on offense, and their ends are fast and physical on defense,” Rose Bud Coach Garrett Haag says. “Game plan is the same as it’s been: Have long drives on offense, protect the football, and force turnovers on defense. Coach Morgan does a really good job there and will have a plan to stop our run game, so we’ll have to be ready to make adjustments.”
Cedar Ridge wants to keep its undefeated streak going, and Rose Bud wants to maintain momentum as it heads into conference play. Rose Bud’s ground offense will be hard to stop, but Cedar Ridge’s defense has been very heavy on stopping the run in the past few games. The Timberwolves will have to win this on defense, as the Ramblers’ offense looks dangerous.
WEST
No. 7 Woodlawn (1-1) at No. 3 IZARD COUNTY (2-0): Izard County is coming off a 26-22 win over Cave City, a victory sealed when Peyton Thompson (5 tackles) recorded a fourth-quarter interception. Sophomore Kane Johnson (215 passing, 76 rushing, 4 TDs) sparked the offense. Woodlawn junior Parker Arnold had 134 rushing yards and 81 passing yards in the loss, Woodlawn’s first at home since 2024. Izard County’s defense looks to be the deciding factor in this one.
HERMITAGE (0-2) at Marvell (1-0): Hermitage put up huge offensive numbers in a 62-60 loss against South Side Bee Branch. Junior Robin Carroll (313 rushing yards, 4 TDs; 123 passing yards, 2 TDs) led the offense, along with senior Josh Mitchell (2-123-2 receiving). Marvell scored 24 unanswered points in the second half against Friendship Aspire, led by Mario Kennel (1 rushing TD; 1 kickoff return TD) and Zantheus Seals (2 rushing TDs). Hermitage’s offensive firepower will be too much for Marvell.
Blevins (0-1) at JC WESTSIDE (0-2): These teams will be trying to bounce back after decisive losses to top 5 teams: Blevins (42-0 to Cedar Ridge) and JC Westside (40-0 to Magazine). Blevins senior Jacob Orosco (5 tackles, 0) led a defense that will face Westside’s heavy rushing attack.
ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN (1-1) at Guy-Perkins (1-1): Arkansas Christian looks to make a statement against its first sanctioned 8-man opponent this season. Guy-Perkins enters this week after a 50-16 loss to Midland.
No. 5 Rose Bud (2-0) at No. 2 CEDAR RIDGE (3-0). See Hooten’s Game of the Week, above.
OPEN: Magazine, Lafayette County
EAST
Friendship Aspire (0-3) at RECTOR (0-1): Rector has been off since a Week 0 loss to Cave City. Friendship Aspire lost to Marvell 28-3 last Friday. Rector wins with RB Rashawd Smith (185 all-purpose yards, 3 TDs vs. Cave City) and more overall depth.
Midland (1-1) at No. 9 SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH (1-1): Senior Broden Bonsell (285 rushing yards, 6 TDs) led Midland last week. South Side Bee Branch beat Hermitage 62-60 as Allen Chapman ran for 214 yards and a TD. The Bee Branch offense is one of the best in 8-Man football, but the defense still has questions to answer.
ABUNDANT LIFE (1-2) at No. 8 Brinkley (2-0): Brinkley picked up a win against Dermott after the game was called early due to a fight. Abundant Life lost to top-ranked Corning 36-0. Brinkley’s athleticism will be a factor, but Abundant Life looks more polished right now.
OPEN: Corning
SOUTH
No. 7 Woodlawn (1-1) at No. 3 IZARD COUNTY (2-0). See notes in West.
Blevins (0-1) at JC WESTSIDE (0-2). See notes in West.
Friendship Aspire (0-3) at RECTOR (0-1). See notes in East.
OPEN: Strong, Dermott