Class 6A Week 6 Rankings and Selections

HOOTENS.COM

WEEK 6, 2026

CLASS 6A RANKING

RK.— PV. TEAM (RECORD, WEEK 5 RESULT)

1. ↔  1. Searcy (5-0; beat West Memphis 38-0)
2.   ↑   3. Benton (3-2; beat Sylvan Hills 44-40) 
3.   ↓   2. Sylvan Hills (3-2; lost to Benton 44-40)
4.   ↑   5. Sheridan (5-0; beat Jonesboro 49-21)
5.   ↓  4. Mountain Home (4-1; beat Russellville 30-13)
6. ↔  6. Van Buren (4-1; beat FS Southside 31-28)
7.   ↑  9. Lake Hamilton (3-2; beat LR Catholic 45-7)
8.   ↓  7. El Dorado (4-1; beat Marion 31-7)
9.   ↓  8. Jonesboro (2-3; lost to Sheridan 49-21) 
10.   ↓  9. LR Catholic (1-4; lost to Lake Hamilton 45-7)

 NOT RANKED

6A EAST: Marion (0-5), W. Memphis (1-4).

6A WEST: FS Southside (0-5), Siloam Springs (1-4), LR Southwest (0-5), Russellville (1-4).

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly picked 6 of 8 games (75 percent) last week involving Class 6A teams and has picked 44 of 62 games (71 percent) involving Class 6A teams in 2026.

WEEK 6 PREDICTIONS (Favored team in ALL CAPS and HIGHLIGHTED IN ORANGE) 

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 2 Benton (3-2, 2-0) at No. 4 SHERIDAN (5-0, 2-0): Benton has won 17 of the past 23 meetings with Sheridan, including the last 9 in a row. Sheridan’s last victory — 17-14 — occurred on Oct. 5, 2012. Sheridan has dazzled to start 2026, rolling up a 49-21 win last week at Jonesboro. Yellowjackets quarterback Easton Barksdale completed 20 of 35 passes against the Hurricane for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns; tailback Zay Stephens (16-184-4 rushing; 8-101-1 receiving) and Hunter Socia (5-127-2 receiving) each went over 100 yards in receiving against Jonesboro. Sheridan’s vastly improved defense got good play from Hayden Sublette (11 tackles), Ross Stevens (10 stops), and Laighton Tarter (8 tackles). Ross Stevens and Reid Stevens each intercepted passes against Jonesboro. Benton is 2-0 in the 6A East, beating Jonesboro and Sylvan Hills by a combined 5 points. The Panthers slipped past Sylvan Hills 44-40 a week ago after trailing by 14 points early. Panthers sophomore tailback Lamarion Bradley rushed for more than 200 yards for the second consecutive week, recording 217 yards at Sylvan Hills. The Panthers lost a fumble late in the fourth period, but forced 4 Bears incompletions on defense to close out the victory.

6A EAST

WEST MEMPHIS (1-4, 0-2) at Marion (0-5, 0-2): West Memphis leads the all-time series 17-4, but Marion has won the last 4 games, including a 28-25 decision a year ago. Marion totaled 177 yards and committed 4 turnovers in last week’s 31-7 defeat at El Dorado. Patriots senior quarterback Ben Bateman (136 passing yards) connected with senior receiver Kam Riley (6-96 receiving) for the Pats’ touchdown. Senior Colton Kimbel led the Marion defense with 9 tackles, and senior defensive tackle Gary Wilson had 6 stops. West Memphis got shut out for the second time last Friday night in a 38-point home loss to top-ranked Searcy, which led 31-0 in the first period before capping the scoring in the second half. Blue Devils QB Andrew Clay, in his third year as a starter, threatens defenses with the run and pass and does a good job identifying things before the snap. But it’s the Blue Devils defense that makes the difference in this one. 

No. 9 Jonesboro (2-3, 0-2) at No. 1 SEARCY (5-0, 2-0): Jonesboro is 16-4 all-time against Searcy, but the teams have not met since a 35-13 Jonesboro victory in 2021. Jonesboro trailed Sheridan 16-7 after a quarter last week, and 42-7 at halftime in a 49-21 defeat. The Hurricane allowed 523 total yards. K’Den Hawkins threatens defenses at tailback and receiver for Jonesboro. Searcy jumped West Memphis early last week, leading 31-0 in the first period and wrapped up its first shutout since 2018 in a 38-point win. Lions junior QB Jacob Miles completed 14 of 22 passes for 245 yards and 4 touchdowns against West Memphis; tailback Deandre Shockley ran 17 times for 111 yards and a score. Four Lions caught passes, led by Bryson Thompson (7-79 receiving) and Jackson Smith (3-72 receiving, 2 TDs). William Gaines paced the Lions’ defense with 10 tackles. Jonesboro has the tools to slow down explosive Searcy, but the Lions are firing on all cylinders right now and come up with a win this week. 

No. 2 Benton (3-2, 2-0) at No. 4 SHERIDAN (5-0, 2-0): See Game of the Week.

No. 8 El Dorado (4-1, 1-1) at No. 3 SYLVAN HILLS (3-2, 1-1): This series is tied 4-4 all time, with Sylvan Hills winning 25-10 a season ago. El Dorado outgained Marion 314-177 last week and won the turnover battle 4-1 in a 31-7 home victory. The Wildcats got 97 rushing yards and 2 touchdown runs from junior tailback Trayden Cook-King; QB Ryan Polk completed 12 of 15 passes for 147 yards and a 44-yard TD toss to Christian Williams. Bryton Welch intercepted 2 passes against Marion, returning 1 for a touchdown, and Eddie Moore also recorded an interception. Gray Singleton and Maximum Wright logged sacks for El Dorado. Sylvan Hills lost 44-40 to Benton despite QB Caden Burnett firing TD passes to Kaden Williamson, Jeremiah Carey, and Zeke Carrethers. E.J. Duckery and Preston Strong added rushing TDs for Sylvan Hills; Ryan Parham returned an interception for a score. The loser of this game faces long odds for a first-round playoff bye, but Sylvan Hills has enough at the skill spots to create big plays and pull this one out. 

6A WEST

Siloam Springs (1-4, 1-1) at FS SOUTHSIDE (0-5, 0-2): Fort Smith Southside is 2-0 all-time against Siloam Springs, including 37-31 a season ago. Siloam Springs topped Little Rock Southwest 35-24 a week ago as junior QB Cooper Hahn racked up 4 touchdowns, including 3 on the ground. Izael Beleche added a 3-yard TD run, and Emerett Patterson caught a 30-yard TD pass. FS Southside battled favored Van Buren last week before falling 31-28. Junior QB Michael Nolewajka completed 10 of 14 passes for 108 yards and 2 TDs; sophomore tailbacks Drake Morris (153 rushing yards and 2 TDs) and Terrell Warren (90 yards rushing) sparked the running game. Seven Mavericks caught passes, led by Sebastian Luht’s 5 receptions for 40 yards and a TD. Connor McDonald and Nathan Cuenca also caught TD tosses. The loser of this game will struggle to make the playoffs, and we like Southside’s emerging offense and home-field advantage to earn an important victory.

No. 6 VAN BUREN (4-1, 2-0) at No. 10 LR Catholic (1-4, 0-2): Little Rock Catholic is 6-1 all-time against Van Buren, but the schools have not met since 2015. Little Rock Catholic totaled 349 yards (204 passing and 145 rushing) in last week’s 45-7 loss to Lake Hamilton. Rockets senior QB Phillips Blair completed 8 of 15 passes for 160 yards, adding 82 rushing yards and a TD. Stratton Robinson (2-78) and C.J. Obert (4-62) led the receivers. Hunter Markham (6 tackles against Lake Hamilton), Charlie Smith (6 stops) and John Coleman (6 tackles) led the Rockets defense.  Van Buren beat Fort Smith Southside 31-28 last week, rolling up 391 yards (229 passing and 162 rushing). Senior all-conference QB Hayden Williford (21-24-229 passing, 2 TDs; 2 TD runs) and junior tailback Hayden Christenberry (28-130 rushing) led the offense.  Austin Stiles (15 tackles against FS Southside), Donovan Akins (11 stops) and T.J. Woodruff (10 tackles) led the defense. The winner takes a big step toward at least hosting a first-round playoff game, but Van Buren wins with its balanced offense.

No. 5 MOUNTAIN HOME (4-1, 2-0) at LR Southwest (0-5, 0-2): This is the first meeting of these schools. Little Rock Southwest fell 35-24 a week ago to Siloam Springs despite two TDs from QB Brady Williams and a punt-return TD.  Mountain Home outscored Russellville 17-0 in the second half last week to claim a 30-13 victory over the Cyclones. Bombers sophomore QB Conner Gentry completed 8 of 14 passes for 102 yards. Senior tailback Nazsier Johnson ran 18 times for 188 yards, a big part of the Bombers’ 235 rushing yards on 33 carries (7.1 yards per carry). Bombers defensive end and Southern Arkansas commit Ford Coleman leads a Mountain Home defense that has surrendered just 60 points (12 points per game) in 2026, leading Class 6A Football. Mountain Home keeps rolling this week in pursuit of the 6A West title.

No. 7 LAKE HAMILTON (3-2, 2-0) at Russellville (1-4, 1-1): Lake Hamilton leads the all-time series 7-4, including a 61-14 decision last fall. Russellville battled favored Mountain Home to a 13-13 halftime tie last week before falling 30-13. The Cyclones rushed for 134 yards on 31 carries, led by Sam Callahan’s 110 yards and a TD. QB Asher Swindle (6-21 passing, 65 yards; 35-yard TD pass to Madden Parker. Lake Hamilton impressed last week, amassing 510 total yards in a 45-7 win over Little Rock Catholic. Junior QB Jace Bohannan completed 15 of 25 passes for 310 yards, with TD passes to J.J. Johnson (3-120 receiving), D.J. Wilson (4-86 receiving), and Braxton Schmidt (18-104 rushing, TD). Reese Winston had 10 tackles to lead the Wolves’ defense. Lake Hamilton and Russellville have seemingly improved every week to start 2026, but the Wolves take this one with their explosive offense.