Class 2A Week 8 Rankings and Selections

HOOTENS.COM

CLASS 2A 

WEEK 8 RANKINGS

RK — PR. TEAM (RECORD; WEEK 7 RESULTS)

1. ↔  1. Mount Ida (8-0; beat Hector 36-0) 
2. ↔  2. Baptist Prep (7-0; beat Bearden 63-12)
3.  ↑   4. Earle (6-1; beat Clarendon 60-6)
4.  ↑   9. Marked Tree (6-1; beat McCrory 64-0)
5. ↔  5. Gurdon (5-2; beat Mineral Springs 55-16)
6. ↔  6. Dierks (6-1; beat Junction City 32-28)
7. ↔  7. Bearden (5-2; lost to Baptist Prep 63-12)
8. ↑  13. Des Arc (5-2; beat East Poinsett County 54-40)
9. ↑ 11. Hazen (5-2; beat LR Episcopal 49-13)
10. ↑ 12. East Poinsett County (4-3; lost to Des Arc 54-40)
11. ↑ 14. Magnet Cove (5-2; beat Bigelow 34-28)
12. ↓  4. Bigelow (4-4; lost to Magnet Cove 34-28)
13. ↓  10. Hector (4-3; lost to Mount Ida 36-0)
14. ↑  16. Carlisle (4-3; beat Hampton 48-0)
15. ↑  17. England (4-2; beat Poyen 38-22)
16. ↓  8. Poyen (5-2; lost to England 38-22)
17. ↓  15. Junction City (2-6; lost to Dierks 32-28)
18. ↑  20. Clarendon (4-3; lost to Earle 60-6)
19. ↔ 19. Foreman (4-3; beat Spring Hill 32-6)
20. ↓  14. Mineral Springs (3-5; lost to Gurdon 55-16)

NOT RANKED

1-2A: Mountain Pine (0-7), Hackett (1-6), Mountainburg (2-5)

2-2A: Cross County (3-4), Marianna (1-6)

3-2A: Spring Hill (1-6), Murfreesboro (1-6)

4-2A: LR Episcopal (1-6), Hampton (0-7)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 3 Earle (6-1, 4-0) at No. 4 MARKED TREE (6-1, 4-0): This matchup should decide the 2-2A conference title and a No. 1 seed in the state playoffs.

Earle beat Clarendon 60-6 for its sixth consecutive victory last week, led by QB Aiden Davis, who passed for a TD and ran for another. The Bulldogs have given up 14 points in 4 conference games. 

Marked Tree has also won 6 consecutive after a season-opening loss, beating McCrory 64-0 last week. D’Angelo Risper rushed for 146 yards and 2 TDs. PJ Powell threw 2 TD passes to D’Marion White and Dontavous White; DJ Stacy returned the opening kickoff for a TD; Braden Sullivan blocked a punt that teammate Brayden Ivy returned for a TD; David Burns returned a fumble for a score. 

Marked Tree Coach Waylon Dunn says his team will have to contend with Earle’s size up front: “We’ve got to be able to block them, and we’ve got to be able to get off blocks and be good tacklers and just not give up big plays.”

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly predicted 12 of 15 games involving Class 2A teams (80 percent) and has predicted 103 of 138 games (75 percent) for the season.

WEEK 8 PREDICTIONS (Favored teams in ALL CAPS and highlighted in orange)

1-2A

No. 1 MOUNT IDA (8-0, 4-0) at No. 11 Magnet Cove (5-2, 4-0): The Lions shut out Hector last week, rushing for 366 yards in the 36-0 win. Kaceston Phimvongosa (12-156-2 rushing); Jeff Brooks (112 all-purpose yards, 3 TDs); and Chris Dorrell (11-111) did the damage. Magnet Cove’s Nehemiah Norwood rushed for 326 yards and 4 TDs in the Panthers’ win over Bigelow. Harper Wilson (6 tackles, including 1 sack) led the defense. Mount Ida should remain undefeated as it heads into its final regular-season game next week. 

Mountain Pine (0-6, 0-3) at HACKETT (1-6, 0-3): Mountain Pine fell to Murfreesboro in a nonconference game. Mason Matlock scored a TD on a 45-yard run, and Adrian Clayborn scored the 2-point conversion. Hackett’s Tomas Ruiz rushed for 170 yards, had 8 tackles and intercepted a pass in a 34-14 loss to Mountainburg. This could be Hackett’s first conference win. 

No. 13 HECTOR (4-3, 1-2) at Mountainburg (2-5, 1-2): Hector has lost 3 of 4 after starting the season 3-0, including a 36-0 loss to Mount Ida last week. Hudson McAlister rushed for 72 yards. Mountainburg beat Hackett 20 -0, with Easton Overbey (78 passing yards, TD; 88 rushing yards, TD) and Bradley Dudley (2 rushing TDs; 12 tackles, including a sack) leading the charge. Mountainburg has a chance to pull the upset. 

OPEN No. 12. Bigelow (4-4, 3-1)

2-2A

McCrory (0-7, 0-4) at CROSS COUNTY (3-4, 1-3): This is a year to forget for the Jaguars, who lost 64-0 to Marked Tree last week. Cross County, the defending state champion, picked up its first conference win, beating Marianna last week. Alex Sinclair scored 4 TDs as the Thunderbirds rushed for 298 yards; Cross County should even its record this week. 

Marianna (1-6, 0-4) at No. 8 DES ARC (5-2, 3-1): Marianna has been improved under first-year Coach Demetris Johnson. The Trojans played with Cross County for a while, losing 55-26. Des Arc won a shootout with EPC as the teams combined for 94 points. Jamie Collins and CJ Willhite each rushed for over 100 yards in the victory. Des Arc’s running game should be the difference this week.

No. 3 Earle (6-1, 4-0) at No. 4 MARKED TREE (6-1, 4-0): See Hootens.com Game of the Week

No. 10 EAST POINSETT COUNTY (4-3, 2-2) at No. 18 Clarendon (4-3, 2-2): East Poinsett County gave Des Arc fits before losing 54-40 last week. QB Jeb Holiman led the Warriors, passing for 269 yards and 4 TDs. Ashton Reel led the Warriors with 17 tackles. Clarendon, which is much improved this season, struggled in a 60-6 loss to Earle. Jamarie Jackson returned a kickoff 76 yards for the Lions’ only TD.  EPC could take a big step toward a playoff spot with a win. 

3-2A

No. 5 GURDON (5-2, 3-0) at Spring Hill (1-5, 0-4): Gurdon (375 rushing yards) routed Mineral Springs last week as Braxton Nolan (164 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and Demonta Smallwood (105 rushing, TD) led the Go-Devils. Spring Hill rushed for 181 yards in a 32-6 loss to Foreman. Gurdon can take a big step toward a showdown with Dierks in Week 10. 

Murfreesboro (1-6, 0-3) at No. 17 JUNCTION CITY (2-6, 1-3): The Rattlers got its first win, beating Mountain Pine in nonconference action last week. Bubba Stinson scored 3 TDs. Junction City, which is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs, lost to Dierks 32-28. Nemo Caldwell (14-187 rushing, 2 TDs) and Delonte Duff (9 tackles) led the Dragons.

No. 19 Foreman (4-3, 3-1) at No. 6 DIERKS (6-1, 3-0): Foreman, coming off a 32-6 win over Spring Hill, can show how much it has improved when it travels to Dierks. The Gators passed for 192 yards and rushed for 179 yards. Jamarquis Jones rushed for 2 TDs and Vicktron Moore had 11 tackles. Dierks QB Maclane Smith (131 passing, TD; 87 rushing, 2 TDs) led the offense against Junction City. Maxton Greene led the Outlaws with 12 tackles. 

OPEN No. 20 Mineral Springs (3-5, 2-2)

4-2A

No. 2 BAPTIST PREP (7-0, 4-0) at No. 14 Carlisle  (4-3, 3-1): Baptist Prep took a big step toward its first conference title in 22 years with a 63-12 win over Bearden. QB Titus Benson (260 passing yards, 5 TDs; 2 rushing TDs) and Boaz Benson (5-51 receiving, TD; 13 tackles) led the way, while Andrew Mashburn and Aaron Fielder each returned INTs for TDs. Carlisle took care of business against Hampton, winning 48-0. QB Michael Spingola rushed and passed for a TD; and Remington Gisclair rushed for a TD. No one has slowed down Baptist Prep, and it will be difficult for the Bison, even at home. 

Hampton (0-7, 0-4) at No. 16 POYEN (5-2, 3-1): Hampton had 12 players during its game with Carlisle last week. Tre Lambert caught several passes while Kypton Rowland made some good throws at QB. Poyen, which has suffered numerous injuries in the past few weeks, fell to England. Baylor Groomes scored all 3 TDs for the Indians. Poyen should win, but this could be a good chance for Hampton to jump up and make it a game. 

No. 9 Hazen (5-2, 2-2) at No. 7 BEARDEN (5-2, 3-1): Hazen’s bounce-back season continued with a 49-13 win over LR Episcopal. Noah Adkins rushed for 174 yards and 4 TDs on 18 carries. Bearden struggled in a loss to Baptist Prep last week. Treydon Quarles had 92 receiving yards and a TD, and Colton Emerson also caught a TD pass. QB Landon Faucett passed for 168 yards. Bearden bounces back at home unless the Hornets can control the clock with their running game.

No. 15 ENGLAND (4-2, 2-2) at LR Episcopal (1-6, 0-4): England QB Dallys Woods passed for 207 yards and 5 TDs in the Lions’ win over Poyen last week. KJ Strong (9-146 receiving, 3 TDs) and Kenny Johnson (3 tackles, FF, INT.) led the Lions. Will Vansteenberg led the Wildcats in tackles against Hazen last week. John Cooper-Crow threw TD passes to Nick Grady and Dalen Wilkins, and Riley Fields scored a rushing TD. England can take a big step forward with another victory.