Class 2A Week 8 Rankings and Selections

Class 2A Rankings

Week 8, 2025

RK-PV Team (Record Week 7 Result)

1. ↔ 1. East Poinsett County (6-1; beat Earle 40-22)
2. ↔ 2. Junction City (6-1; beat Dierks 43-13)
3. ↔ 3. Mount Ida (6-1; beat Hector 49-6)
4. ↑  6. Carlisle (6-1; beat Poyen 49-22)
5. ↑ 10. Bearden (5-2; beat Hampton 42-24)
6. ↑  7.  Cross County (5-2; beat Marianna 48-6)
7. ↓  5.  Hampton (6-1; lost to Bearden 42-24)
8. ↓  4.  Hector (6-1; lost to Mount Ida 49-6)
9. ↓  8.  Earle (5-2; lost to East Poinsett County 40-22)
10. ↑ 11. Des Arc (5-2; beat Izard County 68-24)
11. ↑ 12. Marked Tree (4-3; beat McCrory 44-24)
12. ↑ 15. Murfreesboro (5-2; beat Lafayette County 54-34)
13. ↓  9.  Poyen (3-4; lost to Carlisle 49-22)
14. ↑  20. Conway Christian (4-3; beat Mountain Pine 33-6)
15. ↓  14. Magazine (5-2; beat JC Westside 41-6)
16. ↔ 16. McCrory (3-4; lost to Marked Tree; 44-24)
17. ↔ 17. Dierks (3-4; lost to Junction City 43-13)
18. ↑  19. Gurdon (4-3; beat Mineral Springs 28-22)
19. ↑  NR. Foreman (3-4; beat Spring Hill 24-16)
20. ↑ NR. Mountainburg (3-4; beat Bigelow 47-14)

NOT RANKED

1-2A: Mountainburg (3-4), Mountain Pine (1-6), Johnson County Westside (0-6), Bigelow (2-5)

2-2A: Izard County (1-6) and Marianna (0-6)

3-2A: Mineral Springs (1-6), Lafayette County (1-6), Spring Hill (4-3)

4-2A: Baptist Prep (2-5), Hazen (2-5), England (3-4) and Clarendon (0-7)

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly predicted 13 of 16 games (81 percent) involving Class 2A teams and  has correctly predicted 108 of 144 games (75 percent) for the season.

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 5 Bearden (5-2, 4-0) at No. 4 CARLISLE (6-1, 3-1)

The winner of this game may have the inside track to the 4-2A conference title.

Bearden is 4-0 in league play after handing Hampton its first loss, 42-24. If the Bears beat the Bison, they will be all alone atop of the standings with 2 games to play. If Carlisle wins, it forces a tie for first with Bearden and likely Hampton, and if it remains that way, the point-system tiebreaker will come into effect. 

Bearden’s Marky Jimerson rushed for 192 yards and 5 TDs behind an offensive line led by A’Tayvien Moore. Jeremiah Wright, Maddox Welch, Kavarus Williams and Jackie Flint led the defense, combining for 6 tackles for losses. Treydon Quarles intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards, and the Bears held Hampton scoreless for the game’s final 2 1/2 quarters. 

“We will need a similar performance to what we had against an incredibly talented Hampton team this week to match up with one of the best teams in 2A in Carlisle,” Bearden Coach Brandon Austin says.

Carlisle pulled away from Poyen for a 49-22 win in its bounce-back game after losing to Hampton the previous week. 

RB Remi Gisclair (124 rushing, 2 TDs) and QB Baylor Hauk (15-19 passing, 150 yards, 3 TDs; 64 rushing yards, TD) led the offense. Kicker Jimmy Cham was 7 for 7 on PATs. 

Carlisle Coach Gary Wilson says he knows this is a chance to get back into the race for the No. 1 seed. 

“We’ve got to handle our business,” Wilson says. “The kids were pretty down after Hampton. I think they are pretty pumped again. We’ve got to stay focused. If we play like we did in the second half [against Poyen], we can be pretty special on both sides of the ball.

“Bearden is definitely better than they have been. They’ve got some really good skill kids. I think we had better tackle really well.”

The Bison should win if they continue to play well at home, but Bearden is no slouch either. The Bison are averaging 38.4 points per game while yielding 14.3. Bearden is averaging 33.1 and allowing 27.6 per game. 

What gives in this battle of giants in Class 2A? 

1-2A

No. 3 MOUNT IDA (6-1, 4-0) at Bigelow (2-5, 2-2): Mount Ida routed Hector 49-6 last week in a battle of unbeaten teams. Cain McCullough (TD pass, rushing TD), Tyler Mosher (TD reception), Jackson White (3 rushing TDs; 6 tackles), Dalton Young (108 rushing, TD) and Chris Dorrell  (11 tackles, 3 TFL, INT) were top contributors. Bigelow fell to Mountainburg 47-14 despite Easton Platt catching 5 passes for 89 yards and 2 TDs. Guy Starks and Jacob Harris each had 13 tackles, including 2 for losses.

No. 14 CONWAY CHRISTIAN (4-3, 3-1) at No. 15 Magazine (5-2, 2-2): Conway Christian has won 3 of its last 4 games, including 33-6 over Mountain Pine last week. Xander Stone (197 passing yards) threw TD passes to Isaiah Brister and Kyle Cain, and Caleb McKinney (118 rushing, 3 TDs) led the ground game. Magazine’s Daniel Green rushed for 142 yards and 2 TDs in the Rattlers’ win over JC Westside. Hunter Inklebarger scored on a 48-yard run. The defense forced 3 turnovers and blocked 2 punts.

JC Westside (0-6, 0-4) at HECTOR (6-1, 3-1): Westside QB Moose Yarbrough passed for 146 yards and a TD to Payton Williamson in a loss to Magazine. Johnathon Sunday had an INT. Hector fell hard to Mount Ida in its battle for first place. Hayden Millsaps and Drew Newport each had 9 tackles. Grayson Mulder had 5 tackles and a forced fumble. 

MOUNTAINBURG (3-4, 1-3) at Mountain Pine (1-6, 1-3): Mountainburg shocked Bigelow with a 47-14 win. Ryan Allen (20-275 rushing, 4 TDs) and Hayden McGill (rushing TD, INT-return TD) provided the spark. Braydon Shepard and Ethan Provence each had INTs. Mountain Pine’s lone score came on Caleb Beach’s INT return.

2-2A

No. 1 EAST POINSETT COUNTY (6-1, 4-0) at Marianna (0-6, 0-4): EPC’s Jacob Gaines  (137 rushing yards, 2 TDs; TD reception) led the Warriors’ win over Earle. Dee Buchanan rushed for 118 yards and 2 TDs, and Devin Magee returned an INT 51 yards for a TD. Marianna enters on a 24-game losing skid after falling to Cross County 48-6 last week.

No. 9 Des Arc (5-2, 3-1) at No. 6 CROSS COUNTY (5-2, 3-1): Des Arc scored early and often in beating Izard County last week. The Eagles were led by Kaibrein Buchanan, who rushed for 133 yards and 3 TDs on 4 carries. Gabe Berry scored 2 TDs. Cross County routed Marianna last week. Caden Crawford scored TDs on runs of 10 and 30 yards. Kicker Jake Brooks kicked a 35-yard FG. 

No. 11 MARKED TREE (4-3, 2-2) at Izard County (1-6, 0-4): Marked Tree QB PJ Powell rushed for 2 TDs and passed for two against McCrory. Jaylan Palmore scored twice. Izard County QB Kane Johnson (268 passing, 2 TDs) targeted Benaiah Spray (9-127 receiving, 2 TDs). Billy Davis had 6 tackles.

No. 16 McCrory (3-4, 1-3) at No. 9 EARLE (5-2, 3-1): McCrory’s Tristan Neldon led the Jaguars in tackles, including 4 for losses in a loss to Marked Tree. Derrick Lately Jr., Zavion Maples, and Xavier Jones each scored TDs in Earle’s loss to East Poinsett County. 

3-2A

No. 2 JUNCTION CITY (6-1, 4-0) at No. 12 Murfreesboro (5-2, 3-1): Junction City QB Dakorey Larry had another stellar game in a win over Dierks. Larry completed 8 of 14 passes for 84 yards and a TD. He rushed for 68 and 2 TDs on 9 carries. Dalton Baker had 6 tackles. Jakorey Larry had 5 tackles and an INT. Murfreesboro QB Kooper Caldwell passed for 396 yards and 5 TDs against Lafayette County. Aden Stinson caught 2 TD passes while Liam Eoff, Isaac Kuykendall and Kale Burns caught one each. 

No. 19 FOREMAN (3-4, 1-3) at No. 17 Dierks (3-4, 1-3): Foreman beat Spring Hill 24-16 to end a 3-game skid. Vicktron Moore had a rushing TD and returned an INT 95 yards for another score. Ryan Johnson also had a rushing TD. Brody Bearden rushed for 106 yards on 18 carries. Maclane Smith and Drake Thatcher each scored TDs in Dierks’ loss to Junction City. 

Lafayette County (1-6, 0-4) at MINERAL SPRINGS (1-6, 1-3): Lafayette County gave Murfreesboro fits in a 54-34 loss. Jordan Walters (27-211 rushing, 4 TDs; 2-point conversion) led Lafayette County. Mineral Springs’ QB Keithen Dixon rushed for 117 yards and 2 TDs in the Hornets’ loss to Gurdon. Courtney Thomas also scored a rushing TD. 

Spring Hill (4-3, 3-1) at No. 18 GURDON (4-3, 3-1): Spring Hill had its 3-game winning streak snapped, losing to Foreman. QB Jaxon Smith rushed for 147 yards and 2 TDs in the loss. Gurdon edged Mineral Springs as Uriah Gatlin rushed for 104 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Jonah Jester, Braxton Nolan and Tad Cogburn each scored TDs. 

4-2A

No. 5 Bearden (5-2, 4-0) at No. 4 CARLISLE (6-1, 3-1): See Hootens.com Game of the Week, above.

POYEN (3-4, 2-2) at Baptist Prep (2-5, 1-3): Poyen QB Colt Barrett passed for 293 yards and 3 TDs in the Indians’ loss to Carlisle. Walker Smith, Kaden Townley and Ethen Parrault each caught TD passes. Baptist Prep could not contain Hazen’s running attack in a loss. QB Aaron Fielder (321 passing yards, 2 TDs; 12 tackles) and Ben Brown (5-123 receiving, 2 TDs; 5 tackles) were top performers.

HAZEN (2-5, 1-4) at Clarendon (0-7, 0-4):  Hazen snapped an 0-4 skid in conference play with a 56-20 win over Baptist Prep. QB JJ Pinkney (18-266 rushing, 4 TDs) and Noah Adkins (17-153 rushing, 2 TDs) led on offense. Pinkney also had 2 INTs. Clarendon’s struggles continued with a 45-6 loss to England. 

England (3-4, 2-2) at No. 17 HAMPTON (6-1, 3-1): England QB Jordan Palmer rushed for 60 yards and passed for 164 yards and 2 TDs in a rout of Clarendon. EJ Brewer rushed for a TD and returned an INT for a TD. El’Wyon Johnson also scored a rushing TD. Hampton suffered its first loss, after starting with a 6-0 record, falling to Bearden. QB DJ Clarke passed for 155 yards and a TD and ran for a TD. Aden Williams caught 7 passes for 111 yards and scored a rushing TD. Deondre Smith caught a TD pass.