8-Man Week 10 Rankings and Selections
RK.-PV. TEAM (Record; Week 9 result)
- ↔ 1. Magazine (8-0; beat Guy-Perkins 69-8)
- ↔ 2. Cedar Ridge (8-0; beat Midland 54-22)
- ↔ 3. Corning (8-0; Marvell forfeit)
- ↔ 4. Strong (5-1; beat Dermott 64-0)
- ↔ 5. Izard County (8-1; beat SSBB 54-46)
- ↔ 6. Lafayette Co (8-1; beat Dermott 72-14)
- ↔ 7. SS Bee B (6-3; lost to Izard County 54-46)
- ↔ 8. Brinkley (5-3; beat Rector 56-0)
- ↔ 9. Rose Bud (4-5; beat JC Westside 42-26)
- ↑ NR. Woodlawn (4-4; beat Blevins 68-6)
NOT RANKED
WEST: Guy-Perkins (1-7), JC Westside (2-7), Arkansas Christian (3-6)
EAST: Marvell (1-6), Midland (2-6), Rector (2-4)
SOUTH: Blevins (0-9), Dermott (1-8), Friendship Aspire (1-9), Hermitage (4-4)
UNSANCTIONED: Cave City (6-3)
HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 3 Corning (8-0, 4-0) at No. 2 CEDAR RIDGE (8-0, 4-0): Both teams, and followers of the 8-Man game, have been looking forward to this matchup for more than a year. Corning is 17-1 since the start of the 2025 season; Cedar Ridge is 18-1 during that span. Each team’s lone loss last fall came to Subiaco Academy, currently in 4A.
This game will determine the East championship and a playoff bye.
It’s a matchup of Cedar Ridge’s consistently potent offense vs. Corning’s dominant defense, and the Timberwolves’ underrated defense against Corning’s young offense.
Cedar Ridge has dominated its conference schedule, which includes a 54-22 win against rival Midland last Friday. Junior QB Bradley Pankey (11-13-194 passing, 5 total TDs) leads the way.
“There is no doubt they are the best team in the state,” Corning Coach Farrell Shelton says of Cedar Ridge. “They play very connected and have great leadership on and off the field. If we were not playing them, I would tell you I enjoy watching them. We will have to play within our style and not try to keep up with them. Try to shorten the game and keep it out of their hands.”
Corning is playing its first game in almost a month because of cancellations and forfeits, but Cedar Ridge Coach Scott Morgan says his team can’t worry about that.
“They’re aggressive, they’re deep, they’re fast, and have really good schemes on both sides of the ball,” Morgan says. “They’re the best team we’ve seen all season, bar none, and that’s why they’re playing for a conference championship. The key to our success is we have to find a way to get some stops on defense. Be it downs or turnovers, we have to get the ball back. Offensively, we have to keep doing our thing. Big game, though; it’s going to be a playoff atmosphere a week before they actually start.”
The game taking place in Newark, home of the Timberwolves, makes the difference here.
EAST
No. 3 Corning (8-0, 4-0) at No. 2 CEDAR RIDGE (8-0, 4-0)
(SEE Hootens.com Game of the Week)
RECTOR (2-4, 1-3) at Marvell (1-6, 0-4): Rector lost to Brinkley 56-0 last Friday, but it secured a No. 4 playoff seed after Midland’s loss to Cedar Ridge. Rector will be on the road in the playoffs against the winner of Hermitage and Woodlawn. Marvell forfeited last week’s game against Corning. Rector gets a good win this week going into the playoffs.
OPEN: Brinkley, Midland
WEST
No. 1 MAGAZINE (8-0, 5-0) at No. 5 Izard County (8-1, 5-0): Magazine makes the 3 and a half hour drive to Imboden Friday to take on Izard County. Magazine beat Guy-Perkins 69-8 last Friday with Senior Daniel Green (108 total yards, 3 TDs) leading the way. Izard County won at South Side Bee Branch last Friday 54-46 in OT. Sophomore Landon Gross (12-154-3 TDs) stepped up after QB Kane Johnson went down with an injury. Another conference championship on the line in this one. Magazine’s defense steps up, and the Rattlers get a big win.
No. 7 South Side Bee Branch (6-3, 4-2) at CAVE CITY (6-3): Bee Branch lost a heartbreaker at home when Izard County came back from down 14 to win 54-46 in OT. Senior Caden Mahan (300 total yards, 6 TDs) had one of his best games. Cave City won 43-14 at Arkansas Christian. Senior Dawson Johnson (8-44-3 TDs) surpassed the 2,000-yard mark for total yards. Bee Branch wants another win to build playoff momentum, but Cave City, competing as an unsanctioned 8-Man member, will end its season on a high note.
No. 9 ROSE BUD (4-5, 2-3) at Guy-Perkins (1-7, 0-5): Rose Bud secured its playoff spot last Friday with a 42-26 win over JC Westside and will be 1 win away from having its first .500 season. Sophomore Kade Wortham (200 total yards, 2 TDs) led his team. Guy-Perkins lost 69-8 to Magazine last week. Rose Bud ends its regular season on a high note before traveling to Brinkley next week in a first-round matchup.
ARKANSAS CHRISTIAN (3-6, 1-4) at JC Westside (2-7, 1-4): Both teams were eliminated from playoff consideration last week after Rose Bud beat JC Westside 42-26. Arkansas Christian lost 43-14 to Cave City last week. Both teams want to end the season with a win, but Arkansas Christian gets it.
SOUTH
No. 6 Lafayette County (8-1, 5-0) at No. 5 STRONG (5-1, 5-0): The South conference will be decided here. Strong beat Friendship Aspire 64-0. Sophomore AJ Hicks ran for 2 TDs and 163 yards and also registered a pick-6 on defense. Lafayette County beat Dermott 72-14 last Friday as Jaz Radford ran for 156 yards. Both teams have explosive offenses and stout defenses, but Strong has more experience in big games and the home-field advantage.
No. 10 WOODLAWN (4-4, 3-2) at Hermitage (4-4, 3-2): A home playoff game is at stake as the winner will host Rector in the first round and the loser will be on the road against South Side. Hermitage is in the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and is one win away from its first winning season since 2002. Woodlawn secured its spot with a 68-6 win over Blevins. Junior Griffin Maines (7-154-3 TDs) led his team; Woodlawn will hope to stay healthy going into the playoffs and will get the win.
DERMOTT (1-4, 1-8) at Blevins (0-5, 0-9): Neither team will make the playoffs, but that won’t stop them from competing. Blevins lost to Woodlawn last week, 68-6, and is still chasing its first win. Dermott lost 72-14 to Lafayette County. Both teams have had rough seasons and fought through it. Dermott gets the win.
OPEN: Friendship Aspire