Class 6A Week 1 Rankings and Predictions

Class 6A Rankings

Week 1, 2025

1. Greenwood (1-0)
2. Shiloh Christian (0-0)
3. Benton (0-1)
4. Marion (1-0)
5. Mountain Home (1-0)
6. Sheridan (1-0)
7. Lake Hamilton (0-1)
8. LR Catholic (1-0)
9. Jonesboro (0-1)
10. El Dorado (0-1)

Not ranked:

6A East: Sylvan Hills, West Memphis.

6A West: FS Southside, Russellville, Siloam Springs, and Van Buren.

CLASS 6A GAME OF THE WEEK

Class 5A No. 3 HS LAKESIDE (1-0) at Class 6A No. 6 Sheridan (1-0)

Sheridan erased a 7-0 deficit after a quarter last week to roll to a 58-28 victory over White Hall, keeping the Battle of Highway 270 trophy in Grant County for the second consecutive year. Senior QB Dax McMellon completed 26 of 40 passes for 457 yards and 5 TDs, while junior all-state tailback Zay Stephens scored 4 times in the second quarter. Receiver Wylie DePriest caught 2 of McMellon’s TD tosses. Ross Stevens came up with an interception, Brayden Lewis and Lawson Wallingsford defended the pass well, and Laighton Tarter led the Yellowjackets’ defense.

These teams entered last year’s game with 1-0 records, as they do this year, and Lakeside beat Sheridan 56-27. This game could come down to special teams, and Lakeside makes enough plays in that phase to pull out a key road victory this week.

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly picked 12 of 14 games (86 percent) involving Class 6A teams last week.

6A EAST

No. 4 MARION (1-0) at Class 5A Harding Academy (0-0): Marion won the first meeting of these schools 37-7 last September. Marion opened its 2025 season last week with a 60-27 victory over Wynne, Harding Academy’s 5A East rival. The Patriots got a combined 5 touchdowns from brother tandems — junior TB Jeremiah Dent and senior WR Jeremy Dent, and seniors Kajeris Hill and Kajeris Hill. Jeremiah Dent scored twice, and Jeremy Dent rushed for a score; Kajeris Hill returned a punt 84 yards for a score, and Kejeris Hill returned a kickoff 86 yards. Junior Kam Riley approached 100 total yards with 2 scores, while senior receiver Aamoni Wren caught a 9-yard TD pass from senior QB Zayden Walker (7-12 passing, 95 yards, 3 TDs). Wynne led Marion 20-13 early in the second quarter before Marion responded with 33 unanswered points. Former Shiloh Christian defensive coordinator Ashley Henley succeeds Neil Evans as Harding Academy coach. Evans compiled a record of 96-21 and won 4 state titles.

Marion showcased an explosive, balanced attack last week against Wynne, and that will carry the Patriots to victory again this week inside First Security Stadium on the Harding University campus.

No. 10 El Dorado (0-1) at Class 5A No. 6 CAMDEN FAIRVIEW (1-0): El Dorado stunned Camden Fairview last season, winning 35-34. The Wildcats have won 9 of the past 11 meetings with the Cardinals, including the past 3 contests by a combined 3 points. El Dorado trailed Class 7A Little Rock Christian last week 28-0 at halftime and 35-0 in the third quarter of an eventual 35-14 road loss. The Wildcats rushed for 254 yards at LR Christian, getting touchdown runs from Jeremy Samuel and Cannon Jacobs. El Dorado’s secondary performed well at times at LR Christian, forcing several third-and-long scenarios. Arkadelphia beat Camden Fairview 17-14 last week. Fairview junior Dayton Browning ran 8 times for 133 yards and caught 5 passes for 43 yards. This is a historic south Arkansas rivalry game, and another close game is likely. We will go with El Dorado and its ability to run the ball and recent success against Fairview.

No. 9 Jonesboro (0-1) at Class 5A No. 2 JOE T. ROBINSON (1-0): Joe T. Robinson topped Jonesboro 25-17 last fall in the first meeting of the schools. Jonesboro fell last week at Class 7A Conway 68-37 despite getting 249 yards passing and 2 TD passes from senior QB Asa Myers, and 6 receptions for 134 yards and 2 scores from receiver Kam Davis. Joe T. Robinson stunned Class 7A Pulaski Academy 59-14 in last week’s season-opener. Two weeks ago, Jonesboro defeated Pulaski Academy 38-25 in a scrimmage. Jonesboro’s offense was extremely productive at Conway, which bodes well for the future; however, the Senators will need to produce more big plays to pull off a win this week.

SYLVAN HILLS (1-0) at Class 5A Vilonia (1-0): Sylvan Hills has won 3 of the past 4 meetings with Class 5A Vilonia, but Vilonia bested the Bears 31-12 last fall. Sylvan Hills dramatically snapped its 22-game losing streak last week, denying Class 5A Maumelle’s potential 2-point conversion to preserve a 55-54 Bears victory. Sylvan Hills amassed 657 offensive yards on 92 plays, led by senior QB Tyler Hampton (21 of 37 passing, 327 yards; 136 rushing yards; 7 total TDs). Vilonia QB Coleson Ashcraft scored the only TD (and winning points) in last week’s 6-3 victory at Beebe. Ashcraft finished with 99 yards rushing and passed for 59 yards. Von Fronabarger made 14 tackles and 1 sack, while Ryan Deal had 7 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 QB hurries.

Sylvan Hills flashed an explosive offense and a will to win last week against Maumelle, and the Bears ride the momentum to a road victory for the school’s first 2-0 start since 2016.

No. 8 LR CATHOLIC (1-0) vs. St. Pius X (Mo.): This game will be played at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

Little Rock Catholic erased a 14-0 halftime deficit last week, rallying for a 21-20 victory over Class 5A Texarkana at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Rockets got a 20-yard interception return for TD from Brock Hatchett, a 12-yard TD run from QB Philips Blair, and a 9-yard TD toss from Blair on the game’s final play to stun the Razorbacks. Pate Capps and Sawyer Bagby played well on defense for Catholic, and kicker Linkoln Perez made all 3 extra points, including the game-winner with no time left on the clock in regulation.

Little Rock Catholic has won its past 2 games at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility, and the Rockets ride the momentum from last week’s victory to make it 3 this week.

OPEN Benton, West Memphis

6A WEST

No. 1 GREENWOOD (1-0) at Class 7A FS Northside (0-1): Greenwood has won 6 in a row over the Grizzlies, dating to a 31-16 Northside victory in the 2018 opener. Greenwood Coach Chris Young is a Northside graduate, where Young’s father, Joe Fred Young, guided the Grizzlies to a 147-67 record over 18 seasons.

Greenwood survived Class 7A Bentonville West’s upset bid in Week 0, rallying for a 35-31 victory inside Smith-Robinson Stadium, the 70th consecutive home victory for the Bulldogs and the 27th consecutive win overall, dating to the 2022 Class 6A state final. Bentonville West led 31-28 in the fourth quarter, when Greenwood senior all-state QB and Central Florida commit Kane Archer hit Brayden Renick for an 8-yard TD toss with 8:40 left in regulation, and the Bulldogs defense made it stand up by forcing a turnover on downs with 1:30 left. Archer completed 19 of 27 passes with 4 TDs, including 15 of 20 for 211 yards in the first half. Bulldogs receiver Braxton Canada caught 3 passes for 103 yards and 2 scores.

FS Northside struggled with turnovers and finishing drives in its season-opening loss to rival FS Southside. Archer is already one of the state’s most polished passers, and his ability to spread the ball makes the Bulldogs hard to defend. Greenwood’s defense also plays with discipline, forcing opponents to string drives together. Northside stays in it, but Archer and Greenwood’s depth wear the Grizzlies down late.
Class 5A Harrison (1-0) at Class 6A No. 5 MOUNTAIN HOME (1-0): Class 5A Harrison leads the all-time series with Mountain Home 56-19-3, but the Bombers tagged the Goblins with a 30-14 loss a season ago, Mountain Home’s second consecutive victory in the series. Mountain Home rallied for a 49-30 victory in last week’s season-opener at West Plains, Mo. The Bombers rolled up 500 yards, led by QB Brantlee Phillips‘ 345 total yards and 3 TDs. He passed for 216 yards and 2 scores, with 129 yards rushing and another TD on the ground. All-state playmaker Barrett Miller totaled more than 250 all-purpose yards and 5 scores against West Plains. Carter Adkins caught a TD pass and intercepted a pass on defense. Harrison junior QB Gavin Jones threw the winning 48-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter to Caleb Melendez to spark last week’s 35-27 win at Branson, Mo. Senior Eli McNutt led the Goblins’ ground attack with 2 TDs, while junior Killian Eddings and Isaiah Hale each ran for 1 TD.

Mountain Home has taken control of the rivalry in recent years, and the Bombers take down a third victory in a row over Harrison this week to send their seniors off with an unbeaten mark against the Goblins in varsity football.

Class 6A No. 7 LAKE HAMILTON (0-1) at Class 7A LR Southwest (0-0): Lake Hamilton routed Little Rock Southwest in 49-0 last fall, the first meeting of the schools. Lake Hamilton trailed Garland County rival Hot Springs Lakeside 35-14 last week at halftime of an eventual 56-20 defeat. The Wolves took leads of 7-0 and 14-7 on rushing TDs from Hudson Davenport and Coy Autrey, but the Rams scored the final 28 points of the half to take control. The Wolves amassed 328 total yards, including 197 on the ground, against Lakeside. Lake Hamilton must not overlook a Southwest program that is playing its season-opener on Friday night, but the Wolves will likely enjoy an advantage in the trenches, leading the way for success on the ground.

Class 5A GREENBRIER (1-0) at Russellville (0-1): Russellville has won 3 consecutive games against Greenbrier, posting a 10-7 win last fall. Russellville took a 29-20 halftime lead in last week’s contest against Class 5A Morrilton before the Devil Dogs rallied in the second half for a 48-35 victory. The Cyclones outgained the Devil Dogs 483-457, and won time of possession 34:50-13:10, but Morrilton scored on 5 of its 6 second-half drives to earn victory. QB Marcellus Olson-Patton completed 7 of 13 passes against Morrilton for 124 yards and 2 TDs, and he added 213 yards on the ground with another score, while Ladarreus Prince (64 yards rushing and a TD) and Sam Callahan (62 yards rushing) also ran well. Julius Thompson caught 1 of Patton’s TD tosses. Greenbrier RB Enoch Assan ran for 6 TDs in a 57-32 win at Class 4A Warren. Russellville proved its mettle against a strong Morrilton outfit, but Greenbrier boasts too many playmakers in this one.

Siloam Springs (0-0) at Class 5A ALMA (0-1): Class 5A Alma has beaten Siloam Springs 3 times in a row by a combined 69 points, including 28-14 last fall. Siloam Springs head coach Doug Loughridge coached Alma from 2013-2019, guiding the Airedales to a 48-36 record and 3 conference titles. Siloam Springs was sharp in the first half of last week’s season-opener against Heritage, leading 21-0 late in the second quarter, when the game was called due to an issue with stadium lights. The game will officially be declared a no-contest since it did not reach halftime. Mason Short and Jack O’Brien scored TDs in the first quarter, when the Panthers led 14-0, and Boaz Benson added a 3-yard TD run in the second quarter to account for the 21-0 score. Alma led rival Van Buren 29-21 in the fourth quarter last week before losing 40-29. Senior Samuel Schlegel finished with 97 yards receiving and 1 TD, 66 yards rushing and 1 TD, 40 yards passing and 1 TD, 53 yards on kick returns and averaged 35 yards on 5 punts.  Siloam Springs impressed last week against Class 7A Heritage, but Alma led Siloam’s 6A West rival Van Buren most of the night before allowing the final 14 points. We think Alma does enough to finish the job this week.

Class 7A LR Christian (1-0) at Class 6A No. 2 SHILOH CHRISTIAN (0-0): Shiloh Christian has beaten Little Rock Christian the past 2 seasons, including a 44-40 decision last fall. Preseason No. 2 Shiloh Christian took its first step toward those expectations 2 weeks ago with a 31-6 scrimmage victory over Class 7A Springdale. The Saints got good play from QB Cole Creighton and receiver Chandler Kemp, but senior all-state tailback Griffin Mason left with an injury. Sophomore all-conference performer Max Eldridge took over for Mason and ran for 3 TDs in the remainder of the first half. Shiloh’s defense forced 3 Springdale turnovers, including interceptions from A.J. Ylanan and Silas Nantze.  Shiloh will miss Mason if he’s unable to play, and him being limited could push this one to Little Rock Christian.

Van Buren (1-0) at Class 7A SPRINGDALE (0-1): Class 7A Springdale beat Van Buren 49-28 last fall, the first meeting of the schools since 2019. Van Buren scored the game’s final 14 points for a 40-29 victory over Alma last week, the third year in a row that the Pointers have won the Battle of the Bone. The Pointers led 14-0, but Alma battled back for a 22-14 halftime lead, and led 29-21 in the fourth period. That’s when Van Buren got the go-ahead TD when QB Hayden Williford found Toray Wilford for a 4-yard scoring toss with 8:10 left, and the Pointers clinched victory when Jace Ponder scored a defensive TD on the game’s final play. Van Buren got 198 passing yards and 3 TDs from Williford, and 6 receptions for 59 yards and a TD from Wilford. Hayden Christenberry rushed 34 times for 225 yards, and Austin Riggs caught 3 passes for 116 yards and 2 scores. Van Buren won despite committing 6 turnovers, losing the ball on a turnover on downs, and missing a field goal.  Springdale will be looking for consistency after struggling to finish drives in a Week 0 loss to LR Central, while Van Buren brings a veteran squad that knows how to win tight games. Springdale QB Carson Hayter will provide sparks for the Bulldogs, especially in short-yardage and Wildcat looks, and this time he delivers big plays to finish drives. Van Buren’s experience will keep the Pointers in it, but Springdale’s fight and play-making ability set it apart. The Bulldogs win this one in front of their home crowd.
OPEN FS Southside