Class 6A Week 12 Rankings, Matchups and Selections

Published On: November 18, 2025Categories: High School, News, Rankings and Picks

Class 6A Rankings

Week 12, 2025

RK. — PV. TEAM (RECORD; WEEK 11 RESULT)

↔ 1. Greenwood (10-0; had first-round playoff bye)
↔ 2. Shiloh Christian (8-2; had first-round playoff bye)
↔ 3. Mountain Home (9-2; beat Sheridan 78-42)
↔ 4. Sylvan Hills (9-1; had first-round playoff bye)
↔ 5. Benton (8-2; had first-round playoff bye)
↔ 6. El Dorado (8-3; beat Lake Hamilton 28-10)
↔ 7. Jonesboro (7-4; beat FS Southside 42-34)
↑ 9. Marion (7-4; beat Van Buren 32-29)
↓ 8. Van Buren (5-6; lost to Marion 32-29)
↔ 10. FS Southside (5-6; lost to Jonesboro 42-34)

NOT RANKED

6A EAST: LR Catholic (2-8), Sheridan (3-8), W. Memphis (0-10)

6A WEST: Lake Hamilton (3-8), Siloam Springs (3-7), Russellville (0-10)

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly picked 2 of 4 Class 6A games (50 percent) and has picked 90 of 106 games (85 percent) in 2025.

HOOTENS.COM CLASS 6A GAME OF THE WEEK

6A West (3) No. 3 Mountain Home (9-2) at 6A EAST (2) NO. 5 BENTON (8-2)

Benton is 3-0 against Mountain Home all-time, but the teams have not met since Benton topped Mountain Home 52-23 in a road conference game in 2021. Benton won the only previous playoff meeting 42-21 in the first round of the 2016 postseason.
Mountain Home won a playoff game for the sixth consecutive season last week, stuffing Sheridan 78-42. Bombers quarterback Brantlee Phillips accounted for 8 touchdowns, completing all 5 passes for 108 yards and 5 TDs. He added 132 rushing yards and 3 more scores. Barrett Miller rushed for 223 yards and 3 TDs. Carter Adkins and Connor Schulz deliver big plays for the Bombers.

“Their quarterback and running back combo is good, they run it well,” Benton Coach Brad Harris says. “They have 2 good receivers who can go. It’ll be a challenge for our defense.”
Drew Vigna, Blake Vacco, Ford Coleman, and Caden Del Soto lead the Mountain Home defense.
Benton won a share of its third consecutive 6A East title, but settled for the No. 2 playoff seed because it lost to co-champion Sylvan Hills in the regular season. The Panthers still received a first-round bye. Three-year starting QB Drew Davis, Benton’s all-time leading passer and leader in touchdown passes, sparks a Panthers offense that scores more than 45 points per game. Davis has completed 187 of 276 passes this fall (68 percent) for 2,732 yards and 33 TDs, and he’s added 374 rushing yards with 12 scores. Gunner Deaton (392 rushing yards with 5 TDs) and Brendan Murdock (375 yards with 2 scores) give Benton a potent punch at tailback. Will Carter (52-917 receiving, 15 TDs) and Kason Collatt (53-761, 3 TDs).

“They have a strong passing attack,” Mountain Home Coach Steve Ary says. “We are going to have to score with them. We need some turnovers.”
Both teams advanced to the semifinals last fall, but only one will do so this year.

TOP OF PLAYOFF BRACKET

6A East (5) No. 8 Marion (7-4) at 6A EAST (1) NO. 4 SYLVAN HILLS (9-1): Marion leads the all-time series with Sylvan Hills 8-3, including a 46-43 Week 4 road victory earlier this season, the Bears’ only loss. Sylvan Hills beat Marion 17-14 in the 2018 state quarterfinals.
Marion is in the state quarterfinals for the fifth time in 8 seasons after the Patriots twice erased 9-point deficits in the second half last week to win 32-29 at Van Buren, scoring twice in the final 6 minutes. Marion led 13-7 after the first quarter before Van Buren claimed a 15-13 lead at halftime, and the Pointers led 22-20 after 3 quarters. Marion junior tailback Jeremiah “Jet” Dent took off for touchdown runs of 66 and 85 yards; senior tailback Rico Ward got Marion within 29-26 in the fourth quarter with an 11-yard TD run. Patriots senior quarterback Zayden Walker connected with junior receiver Kam Riley for the game-winning 17-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter. Marion outgained Van Buren 616-324, but the Patriots lost the turnover battle. Chris Byrd (14 tackles at Van Buren), Makhi Guyton (12 stops), and Colton Kimbell (10 tackles) paced the Patriots’ defense.

“Marion is a really physical football team on both sides,” Sylvan Hills first-year Coach Mark Kelley says. “Their defense plays with a ton of speed, and their offense has some of the more explosive players in 6A. We have to be able to limit their explosive plays.”
Sylvan Hills earned a first-round playoff bye last week and the No. 1 playoff seed in the East by virtue of its 40-35 victory Week 5 at Benton. It was the Bears’ first conference title since 2020, which was the last time Sylvan Hills reached the playoff quarterfinals. Senior QB Tyler Hampton (2,810 passing yards, 33 TDs, 5 INTs; 529 rushing, 14 TDs) leads an offense that averages 49 points per game. Tailback Isaiah Howell (142-1,289 rushing, 15 TDs; 17-188 receiving, 3 TDs), Eli Duckery (620 rushing, 7 TDs), Tyler Blakely (33-679 receiving, 7 TDs) and Ryan Parham (45-563 receiving, 8 TDs) are major contributors.

Sylvan Hills has been on a mission since that September loss to Marion, and the Bears find a way to limit Marion’s big plays this week to make the semifinals for the first time in 5 years.

6A East (3) No. 6 El Dorado (8-3) at 6A WEST (2) NO. 2 SHILOH CHRISTIAN (8-2): El Dorado faces a 314-mile bus ride to Springdale for this quarterfinal contest.
El Dorado held Lake Hamilton to 252 yards in last week’s 28-10 first-round playoff victory. Wildcats senior linebacker Jakori Lumsey led the El Dorado defense with 10 tackles, and received assistance from Marcevious Ishmeal (7 tackles), Winston Williams (6) and Spencer Pool (4). El Dorado gained 323 yards against Lake Hamilton, led by Jeremy Samuel (139 rushing, TD) and Cannon Jacobs (2 TD passes, 1 rushing TD). The Wildcats led 14-10 at halftime, and that lead became 21-10 on the second play of the third quarter when Jacobs connected with Christian Williams for a 78-yard TD toss. Kaden King played well at right guard; Max Wright and Winston Williams stood out on defense.
Shiloh Christian earned a first-round playoff bye after finishing as the 6A West’s runner-up. The Saints are averaging more than 50 points per game, led by junior quarterback Cole Creighton (3,027 passing, 37 TDs, 69-percent completion rate, 7 INTs.). Four Saints rushed for 204 yards or more this fall, led by Max Eldridge (92-481 rushing, 13 TDs) and Griffin Mason (65-465 yards, 6 TDs). Zane Sluyter (65-1,125 receiving, 11 TDs), Chandler Kemp (50-953 receiving, 15 scores) and Cohen Beach (23-481 yards, 7 TDs) spark the Saints at receiver. Colton Miller (76 tackles in 2025), Silas Nantze (72 stops) and Corbin Miller (69 tackles) lead a Shiloh Christian defense that allows just over 19 points per game.
“Shiloh is a very good team that is physical and plays extremely hard,” El Dorado Coach Chris Hill says. “The offense is elite, and the defense poses a lot of problems.”
“They have a great program,” Shiloh Christian coach Tucker Barnard says of El Dorado. “They’re a well-coached team putting up a lot of points. We are excited for the matchup.”
El Dorado will need to shorten the game by running the ball and limiting possessions, but that’s easier said than done against Shiloh Christian’s top-flight defense at the Field of Champions.

BOTTOM OF PLAYOFF BRACKET

6A East (4) No. 7 Jonesboro (7-4) at 6A WEST (1) NO. 1 GREENWOOD (10-0): Jonesboro makes a 298-mile bus trip for this state quarterfinal contest.
Jonesboro stopped a late drive inside its 20 last week to secure a 42-34 victory over Fort Smith Southside, the school’s first playoff victory since 2019. Jonesboro senior QB Asa Myers (2,114 passing, 19 TDs, 5 INTs) completes 54 percent of his passes. Tailback T.J. Brown (222-1,328 rushing, 19 TDs) leads the ground game, complemented by K’Den Hawkins (75-513 rushing, 4 TDs). Kameron Davis (49-902 receiving, 11 TDs) and Kamari Fisher (45-366 receiving, TD) are the top pass-catchers. Jonesboro is averaging 37 points per game. Noah Wendel (107 tackles), Kenneth Douglas (63 stops) and Jacques Jordan (60 tackles) are the leaders on defense.
“We will have to be at our best and do a good job keeping them in front of us,” Greenwood Coach Chris Young says.
Greenwood won the 6A West for the fourth year in a row, earning a first-round playoff bye. The 2-time defending Class 6A state champions have won 36 consecutive games and 75 in a row inside Smith-Robinson Stadium. Bulldogs senior QB Kane Archer (2,654 passing yards, 24 TDs, 4 INTs; 868 rushing yards, 20 TDs) is the clear leader. Three other Greenwood runners (Wesley Raggio, Mario Dunbar, and Champ Davis) have rushed for 308 yards or more. Five Bulldogs receivers (Davis, Braxton Canada, Cooper Bland, Brayden Rennick, and Benton Hossley) have caught 24 or more passes for at least 339 yards. Jaxen Cepeda has emerged at right tackle for a Greenwood offense that averages 46 points per game. Jayden Foster (69 tackles) leads a Greenwood defense that allowed 17 points per game, along with Drew Dickinson (63 stops), and Bryer Hackler (58 tackles).
Jonesboro could pose some issues for Greenwood, but the Bulldogs are virtually unbeatable at home over the past decade and will be focused coming off the bye.