Class 2A Week 3 Rankings and Selections

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Class 2A Week 3

Rankings

RK . —  PR. TEAM (RECORD, WEEK 2 RESULTS)

1. ↑  2. Mount Ida (3-0; beat 3A Jessieville 15-0)
2. ↓  1. Junction City (1-2; lost to Haynesville, La., 23-7)
3. ↑  4. Bigelow (2-1; beat 3A Perryville 22-13)
4. ↑  5. Baptist Prep (2-0; did not play)
5. ↑  7. Hazen (2-0; beat 3A Marshall 42-0)
6. ↑  8. Poyen (3-0; beat Magnet Cove 38-14)
7. ↓  6. Earle (1-1; beat 3A Lake Village 36-22)
8. ↑ 13. Hector (3-0; beat 3A Danville 24-19)
9. ↔ 9. Bearden (1-1; did not play)
10. ↔ 10. Gurdon (2-1; lost to 4A Fountain Lake 48-12)
11. ↑  12. Des Arc (1-2; beat Carlisle 32-24)
12. ↑  16. Dierks (3-0; beat 4A Fouke 55-34)
13. ↓   3. Carlisle (1-2; lost to Des Arc 32-24)
14. ↓  11. Magnet Cove (1-2; lost to Poyen 38-14)↑↑↑
15. ↔ 15. Marked Tree (2-1; beat LR Episcopal 44-6)
16. ↑  NR. England (2-0; beat Mineral Springs 19-14)
17. ↑  NR. East Poinsett County (2-1; beat 3A Cutter-Morning Star 36-28)
18. ↑  20. Mountainburg (1-2; beat 3A Two Rivers 48-21) 
19. ↓  14. Murfreesboro (0-3; lost to 4A Genoa Central 16-14)
20. ↓   18. McCrory (0-2; lost to 4A Bald Knob 52-30)

NOT RANKED

1-2A: Mountain Pine (0-3), Hackett (0-3)

2-2A: Clarendon (2-1), Cross County (1-1), Marianna (1-2)

3-2A: Foreman (1-2), Mineral Springs (1-2), Spring Hill (1-2)

4-2A: LR Episcopal (1-2), Hampton (0-3)

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly predicted 15 of 22 games involving Class 2A teams (68 percent) and has correctly predicted 48 of 67 games (71 percent) for the season

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WEEK 3 GAMES  (Favored team in ALL CAPS and highlighted in orange)

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 1 MOUNT IDA (3-0) at No. 10 Gurdon (2-1)

There is a reduced schedule in Week 3, but this game is a marquee matchup anytime, anywhere. Mount Ida moved up to No. 1 this week after a 15-0 win over Class 3A Jessieville. Kaceston Phimvongsa rushed for 73 yards on 14 carries. Chris Dorrell had 11 tackles and scored a rushing TD. Jake Gaston and Riley Harmon had 10 tackles each. Buck Miller hit a 26-yard FG to put the Lions up 2 scores in the third quarter. 

Mount Ida Coach Mike White says Gurdon will be a challenge.

“They will be a very tough test for us with their ability to stop the run on defense,” White says. “We have to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and contain their speed. They are a well-coached team.”

Gurdon is coming off a 48-12 loss to Class 4A Fountain Lake. The Go-Devils led 6-0 before trailing 27-6 at halftime. 

“Turnovers continue to be a thorn in our side,” Gurdon Coach Kyle Jackson says. “We turned the ball over twice on our end of the field, and they turned them into 14 points like good teams do.”

Demonta Smallwood rushed for 65 yards and a TD against Fountain Lake. QB Jonah Jester threw a TD pass to Amari Huell. “It doesn’t get any easier this week,” Jackson says. “Mount Ida is always good under Coach White, and that’s the case again this year. They look every bit as good as their ranking. If we don’t protect the ball, it won’t be close. We can’t turn the ball over and have them eat up the clock like they are good at with their offense. The possessions are going to be limited this week, and we will not have a chance in the game if we turn it over.”

Gurdon must limit mistakes, or Mount Ida might run away with it. 

1-2A

No. 1 MOUNT IDA (3-0) at No. 10 Gurdon (2-1): See Hootens.com Game of the Week

Class 3A TWO RIVERS (0-2) at Hackett (0-3): Hackett’s Tomas Ruiz had 81 yards rushing and 11 tackles in a loss to 3A Cedarville last week. Ty Ratliff caught a TD pass and had 81 yards receiving. 

No. 8 HECTOR (3-0) at Class 3A Paris (1-2): Hector’s Hudson McAlister and Gavin Lusk both rushed for more than 100 yards in the Wildcats’ win over 3A Danville. McAlister scored 2 TDs; Lusk and Dawson Hall each scored once. Justin Duvall led the defense with 8 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. Easton Pruitt had an INT that sealed the victory. 

Class 3A No. 5 ATKINS (1-1) at No. 3 Bigelow (2-1): Bigelow’s Guy Starks had 11 tackles, including 2 tackles for loss, and an INT in the Panthers’ win over 3A Perryville. Luke Schluterman had 8 tackles, including 2 TFL and a sack, while also catching a TD pass. “Big week this week with a very talented Atkins team,” Bigelow coach Luke Starks says.  

Class 3A LAVACA (2-1) at No. 18 Mountainburg (1-2): Mountainburg QB Easton Overbey passed for 200 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for 2 more in the Dragons’ win over Two Rivers. Levi Crow caught 2 TD passes; Ethan Provence rushed 16 times for 134 yards; and Daniel Soule led the defense with 12 tackles. 

OPEN Magnet Cove, Mountain Pine

2-2A

Class 3A MCGEHEE (0-1)  at No. 7 Earle (1-0): The Earle Bulldogs are coming off a 36-22 win over 3A Lake Village. 

No. 20 McCrory (0-2) at No. 5 HAZEN (2-0): McCrory is coming off a 52-30 loss to 4A Bald Knob. Things don’t get any easier for the Jaguars this week. Caden Ayers rushed for 115 yards and a TD, and Briceton Cornelious caught a TD pass for McCrory. Hazen, which is 2-0 for the first time since 2022, routed 3A Marshall 42-0. Noah Adkins (115 rushing, TD), QB Morgan Berg (93 yards rushing, 2 TDs) and Jose Luis Dubon Vincente (4 PATs) led Hazen.

Class 4A STAR CITY (2-0) at Cross County (1-1): This game was not originally on the schedule but was added when Class 3A Barton was forced to shift to 8-man football. The Thunderbirds, the defending 2A champs, were idle last week after a loss to 3A Palestine-Wheatley 2 weeks ago. Trytan Tucker caught a 39-yard touchdown pass and Corbyn Kraft led the Cross County defense with 16 1/2 tackles. 

OPEN Des Arc, Marked Tree, East Poinsett County, Clarendon and Marianna

3-2A 

No. 2 Junction City (1-2) at Class 3A No. 12 RISON (2-0): Junction City is trying to avoid a 1-3 start after a 23-7 loss to Haynesville, La., last week. The Dragons managed only 181 yards in total offense. DJ Brown (14-93 rushing) and Nemo Caldwell (6 tackles) led the way.

Mineral Springs (1-2) at QUEEN CITY, TEXAS (2-1): Mineral Springs gave England a scare in a 19-14 loss. “I thought our kids played hard for all 4 quarters and gave us everything they had all night long. I feel like we’re a team that’s in shape and prepared to play the entire game,” Mineral Springs Coach Jarrod Jackson says. “It’s our job as coaches to find a way to make enough plays to finish games.” Mineral Springs has lost twice by a total of 7 points. Jamerian Staton rushed for 183 yards and 2 TDs against England.

No. 1 MOUNT IDA (3-0) at No. 10 Gurdon (2-1): See Hootens.com Game of the Week

No. 12 Dierks (3-0) at Class 4A No. 18 CENTRAL ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN (2-0): Dierks is slowly climbing the rankings with 3 wins in a row. The Outlaws beat 4A Fouke last week, led by QB Maclane Smith, who rushed for 170 yards and 4 TDs. Drake Thatcher added 131 yards and a TD. Jason Bailey led the defense with 9 tackles.

Spring Hill (1-2) at Class 3A CENTERPOINT (1-1): Spring Hill routed Mountain Pine 50-18 for its first win. The Bears rushed for 563 yards: Connor Dunham (12-187 rushing, 2 TDs), Levi Askey (21-184 rushing, 2 TDs) and Tim Landes (124 yards) led the offense. 

4-2A 

No. 4 BAPTIST PREP (2-0) at Class 3A Cossatot River (0-2): Baptist Prep was idle last week after routing Mountain Pine 56-0 two weeks ago. QB Titus Benson passed for 422 yards and 6 TDs and rushed for 2 more in the win. Aaron Fielder caught 3 passes for 106 yards and 2 TDs. He also had an INT. Brock Mashburn caught 2 TD passes. 

Class 3A PARKER’S CHAPEL (1-1) at No. 9 Bearden (1-1): Bearden was off last week after edging Mineral Springs 22-20. Michael Lovelace rushed for 77 yards and 2 TDs. KJ Humphrey returned an INT for a score. 

OPEN: Carlisle, Poyen, Hampton, England, LR Episcopal