Class 7A Week 8 Rankings and Selections

HOOTENS.COM 

CLASS 7A, WEEK 8

RK. —  PV.  TEAM (RECORD; WEEK 6 RESULT)

1. ↔ 1. SHILOH CHRISTIAN (7-0, 4-0; beat Heritage 44-11)
2.  ↑  3. BENTONVILLE (6-1, 3-1; beat Fayetteville 44-10)
3.  ↑  4. CONWAY (6-1, 4-0; beat Central 49-7)
4.  ↑  7. HAR-BER (5-2, 3-1; beat West 17-14)
5. ↔ 5. NORTH LITTLE ROCK (5-2, 3-1; beat LR Christian 52-37)
6.  ↓  2. BENTONVILLE WEST (6-1, 3-1; lost to Har Ber 17-14)
7.  ↑  9. LR CHRISTIAN (4-2, 2-1; lost to NLR 52-37)
8.  ↑ 10. BRYANT (3-4, 3-1; beat Northside 48-0)
9.  ↑ NR. CABOT (3-3; 2-1; beat PA 35-28)10
10.  ↓ 8. FAYETTEVILLE (3-4, 1-3; lost to Bentonville 44-10)

NOT RANKED

7A-CENTRAL Pulaski Academy (2-5; 1-3), FS Northside (2-5; 0-4), LR Central (1-6; 0-4)

7A-WEST Springdale (1-6; 1-3), Rogers Heritage (0-7; 0-4), Rogers (1-6; 1-3)

WEEK 8 PREDICTIONS (favored teams in ALL CAPS and highlighted in Orange)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK:

No. 1 SHILOH CHRISTIAN (7-0; 4-0) at No. 4 Springdale Har-Ber (5-2; 3-1)

Hootens.com correctly predicted Springdale Har-Ber’s upset of No. 2 Bentonville West last week, and Har-Ber is back in the 7A game of the week, this time hosting undefeated and No. 1 Shiloh Christian. Har-Ber jumps up to No. 4 in this week’s poll. Shiloh Christian continues to dominate, but Har-Ber brings momentum and a tough defense. Har-Ber took the lead for good on a late 4th-quarter TD pass from Roman Gomez to Breck Roach. Gomez, Har-Ber’s third-team QB, entered the game in the second quarter and led the team to victory. Shiloh Christian, averaging 43.0 points per game, continues to ride high after a 44-11 win over Heritage. Har-Ber has scored more than 40 twice — in lopsided wins over Heritage and Northside. Har-Ber’s climb in the polls, its recent momentum, and tough defense make this an appealing matchup, but the Saints are unbothered and move to 8-0.

7A WEST 

Rogers (1-6; 1-3) at No. 2 Bentonville (6-1; 3-1): Bentonville, back to No. 2, had no issues last week, beating Fayetteville 44-10. The Tigers’ only loss this season came 2 weeks ago to Shiloh Christian. Rogers dominated on both sides of the ball to beat Springdale 44-7 last week for its first win. Bentonville handles Rogers at home.

No. 6 BENTONVILLE WEST (6-1; 3-1) at Rogers Heritage (0-7, 0-4): Bentonville West is down a few spots after losing to Har-Ber 17-14. West jumped out to a 14-2 lead, but the offense sputtered in the second half as turnovers and other mistakes proved costly. Heritage is winless, and this doesn’t look like the right spot to pick up its first victory.

Springdale (1-5; 1-2) at No. 10 FAYETTEVILLE (3-3; 1-2): Fayetteville endured a 34-point loss last week to Bentonville, now No. 2 in the rankings. These two teams have comparable league records, but Fayetteville gets back on track. Springdale could not keep pace with Rogers last week.  

7A CENTRAL 

No. 4 CONWAY (6-1; 4-0) at Pulaski Academy (2-5; 1-3): Conway leads the 7A Central after a 49-7 win over Little Rock Central, as the Wampus Cats put up 380 yards of total offense. Kambrien Blackmon rushed for 88 yards and a TD and caught a 55-yard TD pass. Ryder Cook completed 4 TD passes, and the Wampus Cats’ defense forced 4 turnovers. PA lost to Cabot by 7 points a week ago, and the Wampus Cats will be an even tougher hill for the Bruins to climb.

No. 5 NORTH LITTLE ROCK (6-1; 3-1) at Little Rock Central (1-6; 0-4): North Little Rock proved Hootens.com wrong a week ago, taking advantage of 5 Little Rock Christian turnovers. NLR QB Robert Johnson ran for 2 TDs and threw for another. Central’s lone score last week came on a Trey Stewart TD in the 4th quarter of a 49-7 loss to Conway. The Charging Wildcats move to 4-1 in the 7A Central, utilizing a physical rushing attack at Quigley Stadium.

No. 9 Cabot (3-3, 2-1) at No. 8 BRYANT (3-4; 3-1): Here is another interesting 7A Central matchup. Cabot QB Cannon Moore threw 3 fourth-quarter touchdowns to lead the Panthers back from a 28-14 deficit to beat Pulaski Academy 35-28. QB Tyce Fletcher passed for 170 yards and rushed for 55 yards and 2 TDs. Bryant QB Judah Summers rushed for 3 TDs and threw for another, leading Bryant (422 yards of offense) to a shutout win over Northside. Bryant sneaks by Cabot in a game that could come down to which team has the ball last. 

Fort Smith Northside (2-5, 0-4) at No. 7 LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN (4-2; 2-1): Strength of schedule moved the Warriors up in the polls, but they are coming off of a 52-37 loss to North Little Rock. Haden Hall got the Warriors into the end zone often, but too many turnovers proved costly. Northside totaled 30 yards of offense last week. The Grizzlies struggled in the second half and couldn’t move the chains. LR Christian bounces back.