Class 3A Week 7 Rankings and Selections

1.   ↑  2. Mansfield (5-2; beat Paris 68-21)
2.   ↑  3. Bismarck (5-1; beat Cossatot River 56-0) 
3.   ↑  5. Smackover (5-1; beat Centerpoint 48-20)
4.   ↑  6. Atkins (5-1; beat Glen Rose 47-21)
5.   ↓  1. Fordyce (3-2; lost 48-44 to Helena)
6.   ↑   7. Rivercrest (5-1; beat Harrisburg 41-24)
7.   ↑   8. Walnut Ridge (5-1; beat Piggott 42-7)
8.   ↑  10. Helena (3-2; beat Fordyce 48-44) 
9.   ↓   4. Glen Rose (3-3; lost to Atkins 40-21)
10.   ↑  11. Prescott (5-1; beat HGOC 56-6)
11.   ↑ 12. Newport (4-2; beat Riverview 49-0)
12.   ↓  9. Rison (5-1; lost to McGehee 32-26)
13. ↔ 13. Osceola (4-2; beat Palestine-Wheatley 44-30)
14. ↔ 14. Melbourne (4-2; beat Mountain View 23-0)
15. ↔ 15. Charleston (3-3; beat Cedarville 44-8)
16. ↔ 16. Lavaca (4-2; beat Greenland 45-12)
17. ↔ 17. Lake Village (6-1; beat Drew Central 46-32) 
18. ↑  19. Quitman (4-2; beat Yellville-Summit 48-12) 
19. ↑  NR. Jessieville (3-3; beat Danville 46-14)
20. ↑  NR. McGehee (3-3; beat Rison 32-36)

NOT RANKED:

1-3A: Paris (2-5), West Fork (2-4), Cedarville (4-3), Greenland (4-2)

2-3A: Yellville-Summit (2-4), Mountain View (2-4), Riverview (1-5), Marshall (0-6), Salem (2-4)

3-3A: Hoxie (3-3), Harrisburg (3-3), Manila (0-6), Piggott (0-6), Palestine-Wheatley (0-6)

4-3A: Perryville (2-4), Conway Christian (1-5), Two Rivers (0-6), Cutter Morning Star (0-6), Danville (4-2)

7-3A: Harmony Grove Ouachita County (2-4), Centerpoint (4-2), Parkers Chapel (2-4), Horatio (0-6), Cossatot River (0-6)

8-3A: Dumas (1-4) Drew Central (0-6)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 17 Lake Village (6-1, 3-0) at No. 5 FORDYCE (3-2, 2-1): Arlando Wilson Jr. of Lake Village and Fordyce’s Micah Gamble are 2 of the most dynamic playmakers in Class 3A. Wilson (88-934 rushing, 15 TDs) and Chad Dixon Jr. (78-607 rushing, 5 TDs) lead a Beavers attack that averages 335.7 rushing yards per contest. Fordyce, which has given up 98 points combined over the past 2 weeks to Drew Central and Helena, will be tested once again. Gamble averages 12.8 yards per carry and more than 200 rushing yards per game. Both teams could score 50 this week. Fordyce is a tough place to win, and Coach Tim Rodgers hasn’t often lost back-to-back games in the past 8 seasons, so expect a focused Redbugs squad. Lake Village won this matchup last season and could take this one down to the wire. 

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

1-3A

Cedarville (4-3, 1-2) at No. 16 LAVACA (5-2, 2-1): The Pirates laid an egg against Charleston last week and need to get back on track. The problem is, Lavaca has been playing well this season. A 33-point win over Greenland made a statement last week, and now it is playing for playoff seeding, with an eye toward Charleston in Week 10. 

No. 15 CHARLESTON (3-3, 2-0) at Greenland (4-2, 1-1): The Tigers played their most complete game last week, beating Cedarville 44-8. Luke Burleson has passed for 489 yards and 6 touchdowns and rushed for 294 yards and 3 scores rushing. Finn Schmalz (54-381) leads the Tigers in rushing. Greenland had a 33-point loss to Lavaca last week. The Pirates have 3 players with more than 500 rushing yards this season: Kyle Farquharson, EJ Johnson, and Braxton Story. 

No. 1 MANSFIELD (5-2, 3-0) at West Fork (2-4, 0-2): Mansfield should roll in the Battle of the Tigers behind its potent rushing attack. Brothers Jeremiah Burton (63-852 rushing, 10 TDs) and Silas Burton (57-716 rushing, 10 TDs) lead the Mansfield offense.

OPEN Paris

2-3A

No. 16 QUITMAN (4-2, 1-2) at Marshall (0-6, 0-3): Quitman quarterback Jack Sexton accounted for 5 TDs last week in a 48-12 win over Yellville-Summit. Sexton has 19 total touchdowns, and Quitman has a great chance to win out and finish as a No. 3 seed for the playoffs. Marshall’s John Massey has led the Bobcats’ defense this season.  

Riverview (1-5, 1-2) at No. 14 MELBOURNE (4-2, 3-0): The Bearkatz have methodically put themselves in position to play Newport for the conference championship. Ty Gillihan has averaged 6.0 yards per carry this season. Riverview still has a shot at the playoffs if it can pull off the upset this week, but Melbourne’s defense has been too good this season after a shutout last week. 

Mountain View (2-4, 1-2) at YELLVILLE-SUMMIT (2-4, 1-2): The loser of this game is most likely out of the playoff race. Both teams are coming off blowout losses and need a win. Westin Swearingen will be the difference for Yellville-Summitt at home in a close game. 

Salem (2-4, 2-1) at No. 11 NEWPORT (4-2, 3-0): This game was circled as a possible de facto conference championship in the preseason. Salem has struggled, but has won 2 of its last 3 games. Luke Sampson has 21 total touchdowns this season, including 4 last week against Riverview. Tripp Martin needs a big game on the ground for his Greyhounds to have a chance to win. 

3-3A

No. 13 OSCEOLA (4-2, 3-0) at Harrisburg (3-3, 1-2): The Seminoles enter off a 14-point win over Palestine-Wheatley. Deion Spears, Kylan Bragg, and Adrian Davis have been the offensive stars this season, while Deizel Freeman has been in the other team’s backfield constantly. The Hornets got 3 scores from Grayson Harkey last week, but lost to Rivercrest. Remi Rapert had 2 interceptions. This should be a competitive game, with the Seminoles having the talent edge. 

Piggott (0-6, 0-3) at HOXIE (3-3, 2-1): Hoxie now has a chance to make the playoffs after winning 2 of their first 3 conference games. If Gauge Snyder and Harper Fears run the ball well down the stretch, they will have a chance. They shouldn’t have any issues with the Mohawks, so staying healthy is the priority in this matchup. 

Palestine-Wheatley (0-6, 0-3) at No. 6 RIVERCREST (5-1, 3-0): Two weeks ago, this was a headline matchup. Now, the Patriots have their backs against the wall and must win out to make the playoffs after forfeiting their first 4 wins because they used an ineligible player. Rivercrest’s Lexx Latham had 210 yards and 2 touchdowns in last week’s win over Harrisburg. TJ Hayes had 8 catches for 136 yards and 2 scores. The Colts must stay focused and not let their upcoming schedule distract them. 

No. 7 WALNUT RIDGE (5-1, 3-0) at Manila (0-6, 0-3): The Bobcats have one final tune-up before Rivercrest and Osceola in weeks 8 and 9 to decide the conference championship. Their offense gets the headlines, but the defense allows 13.7 points per game. Elijah Hammon and Taylor Nichols lead the Bobcats’ defense. 

 4-3A

No. 4 ATKINS (5-1, 3-0) at Conway Christian (1-5, 1-2): Atkins Coach Austin Dobbs had his team ready for Glen Rose last week, and it showed. A 19-point win all but clinches the conference championship as they have won 5 in a row since losing to 4A Heber Springs in the opener. Brelan Criswell has 15 touchdowns. Conway Christian got a much-needed win over Two Rivers last week and is averaging 24.3 points per game, but Atkins rolls here. 

Two Rivers (0-6, 0-3) at No. 9 GLEN ROSE (3-3, 2-1): The Beavers hit a dam they couldn’t move last week in Atkins. But with Gage Hood, one of the state’s top playmakers, Glen Rose should bounce back this week with a home win. Two Rivers played better last week in a 42-34 loss to Conway Christian.

No. 19 JESSIEVILLE (3-3, 3-0) at Cutter Morning Star (0-6, 0-3): Two teams picked in the preseason to make the playoffs now are headed in opposite directions. The Lions have won 3 in a row, average 41 points per game, and the defense has gotten better since conference play began. Jacob Graves has 1,813 yards of total offense and 21 total touchdowns. CMS believed it could win its last 5 games but dropped a heartbreaker to Perryville last week. Jacob Smith must get the offense back on track to keep up with the Lions. 

PERRYVILLE (2-4, 1-2) at Danville (4-2, 2-1): Tenner Frith rushed for 155 yards, passed for 153 yards and accounted for 3 TDs in a win over Cutter Morning Star. Ryan Ross had 101 yards receiving while Braxston Collins led the defense with 14 tackles. Getting Frith back is huge for the Mustangs down the stretch. Danville must bounce back after last week’s loss to Jessieville. Jake Crane needs a big game to keep the Little Johns in contention for a playoff spot. 

7-3A

No. 2 BISMARCK (5-1, 3-0) at Harmony Grove O.C. (2-4, 1-2): Bismarck rolled last week while HGOC lost by shutout to Prescott. Bismarck’s Jacob Graves and Clayton Martinez should get their stats in the first 3 quarters, then rest in the fourth to get ready for Prescott next week. 

Parkers Chapel (2-4, 1-2) at No. 10 PRESCOTT (5-1, 3-0): The Trojans got a 72-42 win over Horatio to end a 4-game losing streak. Now they face the red-hot Curly Wolves. Prescott’s Kayden Gleason had 2 rushing scores and a receiving touchdown in last week’s win over Harmony Grove. Prescott has one of the state’s best defenses,  allowing 10 points per game. 

Horatio (0-6, 0-3) at No. 3 SMACKOVER (5-1, 2-1): The Buckaroos bounced back after losing to Bismarck with a 28-point win over Centerpoint. Kieundre Billingley is up to 639 yards on 45 carries; Madison McElroy has 492 yards on 51 carries. Billingley and McElroy have combined to rush for 12 TDs.

CENTERPOINT (4-2, 2-1) at Cossatot River (0-6, 0-3): Centerpoint gave Smackover a game for a while last week, but the Buckaroos’ speed was too much. Now, the Knights must win 2 of their next 3 matchups to solidify a No. 4 seed playoff spot, and they’re favored to do so. Anthony Valdez has thrown 8 TD passes and only 2 interceptions. Ely Welch leads the team with 297 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. 

8-3A

No. 17 Lake Village (6-1, 3-0) at No. 5 FORDYCE (3-2, 2-1): See Hootens.com Game of the Week. 

Drew Central (0-6, 0-3) at No. 12 RISON (5-1, 2-1): The Pirates lost a close one last week to Lake Village. The defense has struggled to keep up, but Cameron Sanders and Chase Knowles have helped the offense average 24.8 points per game, scoring at least 28 points in 3 games. Rison was snakebitten last week by McGehee. If Rison doesn’t play better defense, Drew Central is good enough to beat it. Rison Coach Chris Vereen will have the Wildcats ready to play. 

Dumas (1-4, 0-2) at No. 8 HELENA (3-2, 1-1): Dumas had its game against General Trass canceled last week. Coach Rod Smith was hoping to get his team on the field after losing to Rison in Week 4. Kentz Brown has a new Razorbacks offer and had 356 yards and 5 total touchdowns in Week 4. Helena pulled off the shocker last week in a back-and-forth win over Fordyce. The Cougars control their fate for a conference championship, playing 5 teams currently ranked in the top-20 over the next 4 weeks.

OPEN McGehee