Class 2A Week 1 Rankings and Predictions

Class 2A Rankings

Week 1, 2025

1. East Poinsett County (1-0)
2. Mount Ida (0-0)
3. Junction City (1-0)
4. Cross County (1-0)
5. Poyen (1-0)
6. Carlisle (1-0)
7. Bearden (0-0)
8. Murfreesboro (1-0)
9. Conway Christian (1-0) 
10. Des Arc (0-0)
11. England (1-0)
12. Bigelow (0-1)
13. Dierks (0-1)
14. Hector (0-0)
15. Mineral Springs (0-0)
16. Hazen (0-1)
17. Marked Tree (0-1)
18. Lafayette County (0-1)
19. McCrory (0-0)
20. Hampton (1-0)

Not ranked: 

1-2A: Mountainburg (0-0), Mountain Pine (0-1), Magazine (1-0), Johnson County Westside (0-0)

2-2A: Earle (1-0), Izard County (1-0), Marianna (0-1)

3-2A: Spring Hill (0-1), Gurdon (0-1), Foreman (1-0)

4-2A: Baptist Prep (0-0), Clarendon (0-1)

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly predicted 11 of 19 games (58 percent) involving Class 2A teams. 

GAME OF THE WEEK 

No. 2 MOUNT IDA (0-0) vs. No. 3 Junction City (1-0)

at OBU’s Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia

This might be the season’s marquee Class 2A nonconference matchup, taking place on a neutral site.

Mount Ida, which advanced to the Class 2A semifinals last fall, was idle last week. The Lions’ defense stood out during its half scrimmage 2 weeks ago against Lavaca, allowing 2 first downs and causing 4 turnovers. Eli McCullough, Jeff Brooks, and Dakota Beech had interceptions. Mount Ida’s offense rushed for 241 yards and 5 TDs, with Cain McCullough scoring 3 of those. Jackson White rushed for 57 yards and passed for 38 yards. 

Junction City opened with a 36-0 win over Harmony Grove-Ouachita County. QB Dakorey Larry (3-5 passing, 67 yards, 2 TDs; 10-100 rushing) threw TD passes to Daklyan Hampton and Jackson Caldwell. Jaxxon Caldwell had 106 yards rushing and a TD. Zemundra Gray had 100 yards and a TD. Caldwell (8 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery) led the defense. Gray had an INT.  “We are ready to compete against Mount Ida in this playoff-like environment,” Junction City Coach Devin Ball says. “We have unfinished business. This contest is an opportunity to gain ground on that.”

1-2A 

MOUNT IDA vs. Junction City at OBU: See Hootens.com Game of the Week

Class 3A MAYFLOWER (1-0) at Bigelow (0-1): Mayflower, coming off a 42-7 win over Jessieville, was led by QB Carter Smith (11-13 passing, 219 yards, TD). The Eagles also rushed for 3 TDs. Bigelow fell to England 33-14, with QB Cal Adams accounting for 95 yards and a TD; he had 5 tackles. Easton Platt led Mayflower with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. D-linemen Guy Starks, Bradley Griffis, and Pierce Roberson each had tackles for losses.

Class 3A QUITMAN (0-0) at No. 9 Conway Christian (1-0). Conway Christian opened defense of its 2A state title with a 24-20 win over Hazen. QB Xander Stone completed 11 of 20 passes for 197 yards and 2 TDs. Caleb McKinney rushed for 85 yards and a TD in the Eagles’ 15th consecutive victory. Quitman, which did not play in Week 0, is led by all-state senior QB Jordon Moore-Payne, who completed 302 passes for 2,530 yards and 25 touchdowns a season ago. All-state senior left tackle Jeremyah Green (6-4, 290) will protect him. Conway Christian won 36-13 last fall, but it has lost significant production. Quitman’s experience will give it the edge in this matchup. 

HECTOR (0-0) at Class 3A Perryville (0-1): Hector, idle last week, played Atkins in a scrimmage 2 weeks ago. “Kids played hard but made a decent amount of mental mistakes,” Hector Coach Trevor Cooper says. “But they are fixable. We competed until line depth took a toll on us in the end.” Lucas Baker and Greyson Mulder each caught TD passes. Perryville enters off a 40-12 loss to Atkins last Friday night, led by senior all-state guard Jordon Williams, who plays a major role in protecting sophomore QB Tanner Frith. Perryville won last year’s matchup, 49-12.

MOUNTAINBURG (0-0) at Class 3A Cedarville (0-1): Mountainburg, idle in Week 0, will be led by senior QB Ryan Allen, who passed for 1,650 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. Allen rushed for 98 yards and 2 TDs while completing 4 of 7 passes for 79 yards in its scrimmage game with Two Rivers on Aug. 22. Easton Overbey and Caed Cowett each scored TDs. Hayden McGill led the defense with 6 tackles. QB Allen gives the Dragons the edge in this matchup. Cedarville enters off a 32-14 loss to the Magazine and will be led by junior RB Daniel Ramirez.

DIERKS (0-1) at Mountain Pine (0-1): Dierks fell to Fouke 41-14 in its season opener. Maclane Smith and Drake Thatcher scored rushing TDs for the Outlawns. Mountain Pine lost to Poyen 28-16. QB Isaac Canada threw a TD pass to Caleb Beach. Antonio Rookard rushed for the Red Devils’ other TD. 

Lamar JV at MAGAZINE (1-0): Magazine opened the season with a 32-14 win over Class 3A Cedarville. Chakong Yang led the Rattlers with 80 yards rushing and a TD on 15 carries. Mark Cameron also rushed for 2 TDs. Christian Carey and Daniel Green threw TD passes. Hunter Inkegarger had 12 total tackles. 

JC Westside (0-0) at Class 3A DANVILLE (0-1): JC Westside was idle last week after scrimmaging Baptist Prep 2 weeks ago. Nathan Powell rushed for 87 yards and a TD on 6 carries, including a 60-yard TD run. Jonathon Sunday broke up two passes while Moose Yarbrough had an INT. Danville, coming off a 39-13 loss to Hackett last Friday, is led by senior all-Conference 2-way player Gunner Wilkins, who had 25 carries for 103 yards and 1 touchdown on offense and 8 tackles on defense. Danville won last season’s matchup 48-28. Danville will get the victory over J.C. Westside. 

2-2A

Class 3A PALESTINE-WHEATLEY (1-0) at Cross County (1-0): This is a father-son battle on the sidelines. Palestine-Wheatley Coach Tyler Paschal goes against his father, Van Paschael, who coaches Cross Country. Palestine-Wheatley, coming off a 49-8 win over the Clarendon Lions, is led by sophomore standout Adron Cooper (92 rushing, 4 TDs; 1-52 receiving, TD). Senior QB Brody Parker (5-6 passing, 3 TDs) also contributed. Palestine-Wheatley won last year’s matchup 34-21. Cross County is coming off a 30-6 win over Harrisburg. Kobe Walker returned an interception 30 yards for a TD. Caden Crawford rushed for 100 yards and 2 TDs. Sawyer Powell rushed for 50 yards and a TD. Caden Finley had 15 tackles. Iveyion Gardner has 6 tackles, a fumble recovery and an INT.

Hazen (0-1) at DES ARC (0-0): The Hazen Hornets gave defending state champion Conway Christian all it wanted in a 24-20 loss. The Hornets played the second half without starting QB JJ Pinkney, who suffered a shoulder injury in the first half. Noah Adkins led the Hornets in rushing with 92 yards and 2 TDs. Des Arc, which has won 4 of the previous 5 meetings with the Hornets, was idle last week. The Eagles made a strong showing against Class 4A Lonoke in a half scrimmage 2 weeks ago, falling 13-8. QB Hudson Goodman scored the TD and 2-point conversion. 

Class 3A Manila (0-1) at MARKED TREE (0-1): Marked Tree fell to Newport 38-6, with Chance Duke throwing a 43-yard TD pass to Dontavous White for the Indians’ only points. Manila is coming off a 35-8 loss to Paragould last Friday. Senior QB Isaac Moore, who plays baseball, leads the offense against the Indians. Marked Tree won last year’s matchup 43-6, and the Indians should prevail again.

Class 4A WEST HELENA (1-0) at Earle (1-0): Both teams are coming off impressive wins last week: West Helena beat Watson Chapel 50-14, while Earle beat Class 3A Barton 66-22. Earle jumped a 26-7 first-quarter lead by capitalizing on 2 turnovers. Earle QB Aiden Davis passed for 205 yards and 3 TDS. Ta’Ron Hurst had 4 TDs — 2 receiving and 2 rushing. DT Bell caught a TD pass and returned a fumble for another. Daron Maples had 2 INTs while Clinton Wren led the defense with 13 tackles. West Helena’s Keveahn Brown ran for three first-half TDs against Watson Chapel, including a 30-yarder. 

Class 4A Riverview (0-0) at MCCRORY (0-0): This is the season-opener for both teams. McCrory scrimmaged defending state champion Hoxie on Aug. 18, with Bryson Waymire and Caden Ayers scoring rushing TDs. Chuck Carr takes over as Riverview’s third coach in 5 seasons, succeeding Steve Williams (5-24 record in 3 years). The Raiders lost to Clinton in a scrimmage game 2 weeks ago.

Open: EPC, Marianna, Izard County 

3-2A

Junction City (1-0) vs. MOUNT IDA (0-0) at OBU: See Hootens.com Game of the Week, above.

DIERKS (0-1) at Mountain Pine (0-1): See 1-2A above.

Class 3A FOUKE at Murfreesboro (1-0): Fouke is coming off a 21-0 win against Dierks last week. Junior QB Cody Heflin leads the Panthers, along with senior RB Joshua Scoggins. Senior all-conference linebacker Chris Sherman led the defense. Fouke won last year’s matchup 39-22. Murfreesboro opened the Jay Turley tenure with a 50-22 win over Centerpoint. QB Kooper Caldwell passed for 289 yards and 3 TDs to Aden Stinson, Kale Burns and Cayden Ballard. Stinson, Cale Humphry and Caldwell each had rushing TDs. This is a toss-up game, and we are picking Fouke to do the same thing as last year. 

Mineral Springs (0-0) at Class 3A BISMARCK (0-1): Mineral Springs was idle last week. The Hornets were not able to play a scrimmage. They will be led this year by returning all-conference players Keithen Dixon at halfback and LB/WR Christian Chambers, and lineman JJ Hicks. Bismarck, which won 62-14 last fall, is coming off a 34-28 OT loss last week against Mansfield. Senior QB Preston Hughes went 6-11 for 121 yards and 2 TDs and also led the rushing attack with 53 rushing yards and a TD. Senior Caedmon Keithley had 12 tackles. Keithley also had a 72-yard kickoff return for a TD. Bismarck’s explosiveness will be too much for the Mineral Springs defense.   

GURDON (0-1) at Class 3A Parker’s Chapel (0-1): Gurdon lost to Magnet Cove 39-0 in the opener last week. The Go Devils started 5 new offensive linemen and turned the ball over too much, according to Coach Kyle Jackson. The Go Devils finished with 192 yards in total offense. Parker’s Chapel fell to Foreman 38-16.

Foreman (1-0) at HAMPTON (1-0): Foreman ended its 31-game losing skid with a 38-16 win over Parker’s Chapel on Friday. Rylan Johnson had 111 yards rushing and 2 TDs. He also had 2 sacks on defense. Kaylon Easter had 2 rushing TDs and a pick-six. Keenan Marshall had 7 tackles. Hampton beat Lafayette County 30-18 in Coach Nick Palese’s debut. DJ Clarke passed for 68 yards and a TD. Keegan Jones and Deondre Smith each scored rushing TDs. Aden Williams had an 86-yard KO return for a TD. Braiden Giraud caught a TD pass. 

Open: Lafayette County, Spring Hill

4-2A

Foreman (1-0) at HAMPTON (1-0). See 3-2A above.

Palmer, Miss. at CARLISLE (1-0): Carlisle beat Lakeside-Lake Village 27-6 last week. QB Baylor Hauk passed for 194 yards and 3 TDs in the victory. Tyler Thrift caught 2 TD passes. Palmer (0-2) competes in Mississippi’s smallest classification. 

POYEN (1-0) at Class 3A Cutter Morning Star: Poyen QB Colt Barrett passed for 226 yards and 2 TDs in the Indians’ 28-16 win over Mountain Pine. Austin Harness rushed for 115 yards and 2 TDs on 14 carries. 

BEARDEN (1-0 ) at Class 3A Episcopal (0-1): Episcopal is coming off a 42-14 loss to Smackover last week. All-conference senior QB Turner Harbour leads the offense. Episcopal looks to bounce back against 2A Bearden, which prevailed 43-0 when the teams met last fall. This will be Bearden’s first game of the 2025 season. Junior all-state running back Matthew Chambers will lead the offense. He had more than 1,000 rushing yards last season. Jimerson scored 2 TDs in Bearden’s scrimmage with Lafayette County on Aug. 21. Landon Faucett was 7 for 11 passing for 115 yards. Episcopal is coming off a tough 42-14 loss to Smackover last week. All-conference senior QB Turner Harbour leads the offense. Bearden won last year’s matchup 43-0.

Hazen (0-1) at DES ARC (0-0): The Hazen Hornets gave defending state champion Conway Christian all it wanted in a 24-20 loss. The Hornets played the second half without starting QB JJ Pinkney, who suffered a shoulder injury in the first half. Noah Adkins led the Hornets in rushing with 92 yards and 2 TDs. Des Arc, which has won 4 of the previous 5 meetings with the Hornets, was idle last week. The Eagles made a strong showing against Class 4A Lonoke in a scrimmage 2 weeks ago, falling 13-8 in a half. QB Hudson Goodman scored the TD and 2-point conversion. 

ENGLAND (1-0) at Class 3A Drew Central (0-1): The Marquez Jackson era of England Lions football got off to a great start with a 33-14 win over Bigelow. QB Jordan Palmer passed for 86 yards and a TD. He also rushed for yards and a TD. RB El’Wyon Johnson rushed for 98 yards and 2 TDs on 16 carries. Jarvis Drayler had 9 tackles, including a sack, and returned an INT for a TD. Drew Central looks to bounce back after a 27-6 loss to Carlisle. It is led by senior QB Tra’Bennet Fuller, who returns for his third year being the starter. Senior all-conference defenders Tyon Woodard and Blake Chandler are speedy hard nosed guys. England won this matchup last fall, 28-22.

BAPTIST PREP (0-0) at Class 3A Two Rivers: Baptist Prep was idle last week. Two weeks ago, the Eagles beat JC Westside in a scrimmage. They had 266 yards of offense and forced 3 turnovers in a half. Aaron Fielder passed for 57 yards and a TD. Andrew Mashburn passed for 96 yards and a TD. Levi Sanders rushed for 58 yards. Two Rivers is led by Junior QB Drake Hess who was an all-conference performer last season. Baptist Prep won this matchup last year, 42-28

Clarendon (0-1) at Class 3A BARTON (0-1): Clarendon, under interim coach Elgin Perry, lost to Palestine-Wheatley 49-8. QB Kymani Fluker threw a 4-yard TD pass to William Wise. “We played a very solid team,” Perry said. “We are truly a work in progress.” Barton lost to Class 2A Earle 66-22.