Class 3A Week 4 Rankings and Selections

Hootens.com 

Class 3A Rankings

Week 4, 2026

1. ↔  1. Fordyce (2-1; beat Prescott 48-7)
2. ↔  2. Bismarck (2-1; did not play) 
3. ↔  3. Mansfield (2-2; beat Elkins 52-27)
4. ↔  4. Glen Rose (1-2; did not play)
5.  ↑   7. Smackover (3-0; beat Drew Central 41-24)
6.  ↓  5. Atkins (2-1; beat Bigelow 48-14)

7.  ↑ 6. Rivercrest (2-1; lost to Forrest City 50-24)
8. ↔  8. Walnut Ridge (2-1; did not play)
9.   ↑   12. Rison (3-0; beat Junction City 58-38)
10. ↔ 10. Helena (2-1; did not play)
11. ↔ 11. Prescott (2-1; lost to Fordyce 48-7)
12. ↓   9.  Newport (1-2; did not play)
13. ↔ 13. Osceola (1-2; did not play)
14. ↔ 14. Quitman (3-0; did not play)
15. ↔ 15. Charleston (1-3; beat Clinton 24-21)
16. ↔ 16. Dumas (1-2; did not play)
17. ↔ 17. Palestine-Wheatley (3-0; did not play)
18. ↔ 18. Melbourne (1-2; lost to Brookland 35-20)
19. ↑  NR. Lavaca (3-1; beat Mountain View 47-7)
20. ↑  NR. Greenland (3-1; beat Subiaco Academy 41-12)

NOT RANKED:

1-3A: Paris (2-2), West Fork (2-2), Cedarville (3-1)

2-3A: Yellville-Summit (1-2), Mountain View (1-2), Riverview (0-3), Marshall (0-3), Salem (0-3)

3-3A: Hoxie (1-2), Harrisburg (2-1), Manila (0-3), Piggott (0-3)

4-3A: Jessieville (0-3), Danville (2-1), Perryville (1-2), Conway Christian (0-3), Two

Rivers (0-3), Cutter Morning Star (0-3)

7-3A: Harmony Grove Ouachita County (1-2), Centerpoint (2-1), Parkers Chapel (1-2),

Horatio (0-3), Cossatot River (0-3)

8-3A: Lake Village (3-1), Drew Central (0-3), McGehee (1-2)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 9 RISON (3-0) at No. 10 Helena (2-1) The Wildcats have been the surprise of 3A so far this season. They started out unranked and rolled to 3 convincing victories, including a 58-38 win last week over Junction City. Rison had 426 rushing yards and zero passing yards. Senior Kyson Walker has been outstanding and will be tested this week against a fast Cougars defense.  (52-446 rushing, 5 TDs; 5-110 receiving) leads Helena. The team that controls the ball and stays disciplined will come out on top. Helena is a tough place to play, and the Cougars will have the home-field advantage, but we give the edge to Rison in a shootout.

WEEK 3 PREDICTIONS (favored teams in ALL CAPS and highlighted in orange)

1-3A

PARIS (2-2) at Cedarville (3-1): The Paris defense held Hector to 26 points last week, and its offense showed enough life to pull out a 1-point victory. Cedarville played 4A Berryville close but could not complete a late comeback. This should be a lower-scoring game as the Pirates will try to control the ball with their rushing attack. Paris gets the edge in a close one based on nonconference competition.

No. 19 Lavaca (3-1) at No. 2 MANSFIELD (2-2): Mansfield rolled over previously second-ranked 4A Elkins last week thanks to 4 rushing touchdowns from Jubal Parks. Mansfield scored on the game’s first 7 possessions. Lavaca’s offense is averaging 40 points per game, but it won’t be enough on the road against a Mansfield team that is back to full strength.

GREENLAND (3-1) at West Fork (2-2): The Pirates have relied on a rushing attack that nets 285 yards per game so far this season. The Tigers took it on the chin last week in a 36-point loss to Yellville-Summit. Greenland’s ground-and-pound offense will be too much for West Fork.

OPEN Charleston

2-3A

Yellville-Summit (1-2) at SALEM (0-3): Sophomore QB Westin Swearingen has led the Panthers’ offense this season and will look to lead his team to an upset over the winless Greyhounds. Salem needed a week off to lick its wounds after a rough nonconference stretch. Hunner Roberts and Caleb Smith lead the Salem defense that should give the Greyhounds the advantage at home.

No. 18 Melbourne (1-2) at No. 14 QUITMAN (3-0): Quitman’s Dylan McThorn and Jack Sexton, a dynamic 1-2 punch, have combined for almost 500 yards rushing so far this season. Melbourne counters with a passing attack led by junior quarterback Abe Cooper. This should be a close one with Quitman getting the edge at home.

No. 12 NEWPORT (1-2) at Mountain View (1-2): Mountain View broke through with a 35-0 beatdown against Manila and has confidence, but it won’t be enough against battle-tested Newport. The Greyhounds’ losses were to 4A and 5A teams by a combined 6 points.

Marshall (0-3) at RIVERVIEW (0-3): The winner of this matchup will have an inside track to stay out of the cellar for the conference race and could be the momentum needed for a couple wins down the stretch. Riverview has more athletes and is at home, so they get the nod.

3-3A

No. 7 RIVERCREST (2-1) at Manila (0-3): This matchup should be over early: Manila has been shut out in its last 2 contests while Rivercrest is averaging more than 40 points per game. 

No. 8 WALNUT RIDGE (2-1) at Harrisburg (2-1): Walnut Ridge can make its case as a top-5 team with a dominant road performance to start conference play.

Senior Jace Blake (546 rushing, 7 TDs) leads the Bobcats, who suffered a 27-24 loss to Southside 2 weeks ago. Harrisburg’s Grayson Harkey is averaging 121 yards per game rushing. 

Piggott (0-3) at No. 13 OSCEOLA (1-2): The Seminoles prepared for conference with a difficult nonconference schedule. Expect Kylan Bragg to have a big night rushing against the Mohawks.

No. 17 PALESTINE-WHEATLEY (3-0) at Hoxie (1-2): Hoxie won its first game 2 weeks ago, thumping Salem 28-6. Junior Colby Bullard runs hard and will be a big focal point for the Mustangs’ offense. Palestine-Wheatley’s defense (allowing fewer than 10.0 points per game) will be tough to handle. Coach Tyler Paschal has a good group, and this game will go a long way in determining which team makes the playoffs. Give Palestine-Wheatley the edge.

4-3A

No. 4 GLEN ROSE (1-2) at Perryville (1-2): Everything runs through senior quarterback Gage Hood (492 passing, 238 rushing, 9 TDs) for Glen Rose. Perryville has a dual-threat QB itself in Tanner Frith (327 passing, 389 rushing, 7 TDs). Glen

Rose has too much firepower and rides Hood to a win.

No. 6 ATKINS (2-1) at Cutter Morning Star (0-3): Atkins senior Brelan Criswell is one of the top backs in 3A, averaging 12.4 yards per carry with 5 touchdowns. Atkins hasn’t had to throw the ball much, but Ethan Linboom is an accurate passer with good running ability as well. Cutter Morning Star junior Jacob Smith already has 854 yards passing, and his favorite target is junior Kingstyn Hollingsworth (126 receiving yards per game, 5 TDs). Atkins has too much offense, but it should be a fun game to watch. Cutter Morning Star has the offense to take a run in the conference and contend for a playoff spot.

Conway Christian (0-3) at JESSIEVILLE (0-3): The Lions had high ambitions coming into the season and have had some bad luck to

start, including a 43-42 loss to Magnet Cove and a loss to Class 2A No. 1 Mount Ida. QB Jacob Graves has 986 yards total offense and 9 touchdowns. If the Lions can tighten the defense, they can make a run. Conway Christian got a good look at some tough offenses in nonconference play, and if they make the needed adjustments, they could get their first win in 3A this season.

Two Rivers (0-3) at DANVILLE (2-1): The Little Johns have had a couple of weeks to bounce back from their loss to Hector. Jake Crane is averaging 11.3 yards per carry and should get back on track in this one.  

7-3A

Parkers Chapel (1-2) at No. 3 BISMARCK (2-1): The Lions have looked good in back-to-back wins over Haskell Harmony Grove and Glen Rose. Cayden Burch and Clayton Martinez continue to carry the offense. Parkers Chapel has lost 2 in a row since their Week 0 overtime win at Hampton. If Jayden Givens and Brendan Sampson can get the defense in line, they might have a chance. Bismarck is too tough at home.

Cossatot River (0-3) at No. 11 PRESCOTT (2-1): The Curly Wolves had no answer for Fordyce’s Micah Gamble and last week. Now, head coach Brian Glass gets his team ready for the conference run, which favors it over the next 4 weeks. They have to be ready for Bismarck and Smackover in Weeks 8 and 9. It starts with a win at home this week.

No. 5 SMACKOVER (3-0) at Harmony Grove OC (1-2): The Buckaroos have 3 rushers averaging at least 69 yards rushing per game, led by sophomore Kieundre Billingly (14-325 rushing, 6 TDs). Almost half his carries have been for a score

this season. Harmony Grove has lost 45-0 to Junction City, a team Smackover defeated 55-12. The Hornets are coming off a 42-6 win over Hampton 2 weeks ago, but they do not have the horses to keep up with Smackover.

Horatio (0-3) at CENTERPOINT (2-1): The Knights can get a couple of good wins to start conference play before Smackover comes to town on Oct. 9. Their defense has been good so far this season, with Travis Hamilton and Gunner Kerberskey each getting 2 sacks. Ely Welch and Levi Wright are sure tacklers and lead the Knights in that department. Horatio hopes to keep this one competitive.

8-3A

No. 9 RISON (3-0) at No. 10 Helena (2-1): See Hootens.com Game of the Week

DREW CENTRAL (0-3) at McGehee (1-2): Drew Central may be the best winless team in the lower classifications. The Pirates played hard against Crossett and Star City and came up short, then stayed close with Smackover for a bit last week til the Buckaroos pulled away. Sophomore Cameron Sanders (223 rushing) has run the ball well. McGehee lost 30-20 at Earle last week. The young Owls need more from Parker Reed and Ashton Humphries this week. The Pirates have been more consistent and get the win on the road.

Lake Village (3-1) at DUMAS (1-2): The Bobcats rely heavily on sophomore dual-threat QB Toriando Dunlap (795 passing, 7 TDs; 431 rushing, 3 TDs). The Beavers will catapult into the rankings with a road win this week. RBs Arlando Wilson Jr. (446 rushing, 6 TDs) and Chad Dixon Jr. (342 rushing, 6 TDs) lead Lake Village. This one could come down to the wire, and Dumas gets the edge being at home.

OPEN Fordyce