Class 6A Week 7 Rankings and Selections

 RK.— PV. TEAM (RECORD, WEEK 6 RESULT)

1. ↔ 1. Searcy (6-0; beat Jonesboro 52-27)
2.  ↑  4. Sheridan (6-0; beat Benton 59-49) 
3. ↔ 3. Sylvan Hills (4-2; beat El Dorado 41-21)
4. ↑   5. Mountain Home (5-1; beat LR Southwest 35-7)
5. ↓  2. Benton (3-3; lost to Sheridan 59-49)
6. ↔ 6. Van Buren (5-1; beat LR Catholic 25-19)
7. ↔ 7. Lake Hamilton (4-2; beat Russellville 63-50)
8. ↔ 8. El Dorado (4-2; lost to Sylvan Hills 41-21)
9. ↔ 9. Jonesboro (2-4; lost to Searcy 52-27) 
10. ↔ 10. LR Catholic (1-5; lost to Van Buren 25-19)

NOT RANKED

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

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

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly picked 7 of 8 games (88 percent) last week involving Class 6A teams and has picked 51 of 70 games (73 percent) for the season.

WEEK 7 PREDICTIONS (Favored team in ALL CAPS and HIGHLIGHTED IN ORANGE) 

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 1 Searcy (6-0, 3-0) at No. 2 SHERIDAN (6-0, 3-0):

Searcy leads the all-time series 5-1, but the schools have not met since the Lions topped the Yellowjackets 49-40 in 2023. Sheridan leads Class 6A in scoring offense (57.3 points per game), with Searcy just behind at 49 points per game. Searcy gives up 19.8 points per game; Sheridan yields 21.3 points per game. 

Top-ranked Searcy led Jonesboro 10-6 after a quarter last week, 31-13 at halftime, and 31-20 after 3 quarters, then won 52-27. Lions quarterback Jacob Miles (12-18-274 passing, 2 TDs) threw TD passes to Jackson Smith (5-158-1 receiving) and Will Manning (5-91-1). Senior tailback Deandre Shockley ran for 137 yards and 4 TDs on 16 carries. Cason Campbell, Kayden Hickman, and Will Gaines each racked up 10 or more tackles. 

Sheridan (612 total yards) earned a big win last week, besting Benton 59-49, the Yellowjackets’ first win over the Panthers since 2014. Sheridan junior quarterback Easton Barksdale (32-45-388 passing, 7 TDs, 1 INT); 2-time all-state tailback and North Carolina commit Zay Stephens ran 25 times for 197 yards and 2 scores. Yellowjackets receivers Hunter Socia (11-154-4), Dylan Smith (7-122-2), and Wylie Depriest combined to catch the 7 TDs. Mason Morris, Ross Stevens and Reid Stevens led the defense. Another week, another big contest in the 6A, but Sheridan takes this one at home in pursuit of the 6A East crown and the No. 1 playoff seed. 

6A EAST

No. 8 El Dorado (4-2, 1-2) at No. 5 BENTON (3-3, 2-1): Benton leads the all-time series with El Dorado 14-12, including the last 6 in a row. El Dorado led Sylvan Hills 14-7 in the first half last week before not scoring on its final 6 drives of the first half en route to a 41-21 defeat. Jaylon Dunn (15-yard TD run) and Christian Williams (85-yard kickoff return TD; 13-yard TD pass from quarterback Ryan Polk accounted for the scoring. Brison Davis and Eddie Moore intercepted passes. Benton battled Sheridan last week before falling 59-49. Chase Cobb rushed for 2 TDs and threw 2 TD passes to Austin Phillips-Lewis; Trevon Stewart also scored 2 TDs. Benton led 35-26 before the Yellowjackets rallied. This is a big one for playoff positioning, with a home playoff game on the line, and we think Benton will outscore El Dorado with the home-field advantage this week. 

No. 1 Searcy (6-0, 3-0) at No. 2 SHERIDAN (6-0, 3-0): See Game of the Week.

NR  Marion (1-5, 1-2) at No. 9 JONESBORO (2-4, 0-3): Jonesboro leads the all-time series 11-7, but the Patriots have won 5 of the last 7 meetings. Jonesboro beat Marion 21-6 in 2025. Marion beat West Memphis 42-21 a week ago, its sixth consecutive on-field win in the series. The Patriots outgained the Blue Devils 438-265, with 247 passing yards and 191 on the ground. Marion led 6-0 at halftime and 20-14 after 3 quarters before outscoring West Memphis 22-7 in the fourth quarter. Patriots senior tailback Kam Riley scored on 31- and 40-yard runs, and Dadrien Love scored from 22 yards; QB Ben Bateman completed TD passes to Jaylon Ford (80 yards) and Chase Davis (65 yards). Kole Clay intercepted a pass for the second consecutive week. Jonesboro battled top-ranked Searcy a week ago, but surrendered 466 yards in a 52-27 defeat. The Hurricane gets good play weekly from QB C.J. Lovelace, tailback K’Den Hawkins, and big-play receiver Kam Davis.  The loser here faces long odds to be 1 of the 6 playoff teams from the 6A East. We expect a tight game, but we think Jonesboro pulls out a win with its diverse offense and stingy defense. 

No. 3 SYLVAN HILLS (4-2, 2-1) at NR W. Memphis (1-5, 0-3): West Memphis, entering off a 42-21 loss to Crittenden County rival Marion, leads the all-time series with Sylvan Hills 8-5, but the Bears won 55-12 last year.  The Blue Devils special teams performed well at Marion, blocking 2 punts, with Ashton Clark returning 1 for a TD; junior QB Keaton Troxler tossed TD passes to Darvell Gatewood and Micah Ingle. The Sylvan Hills defense helped the Bears turn a 14-7 deficit into a 41-21 victory by keeping El Dorado from scoring on 10 consecutive possessions. Caden Burnett opened the Sylvan Hills scoring with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Ezekiel Carrethers (7-182-4 receiving) and hit Jeremiah Carey (7-119-2 receiving) for a 12-yard scoring strike. Burnett hit Carrethers for a 26-yard score that gave the Bears the lead for good with 2:48 left in the first half and threw a 35-yard TD pass to Carrethers late in the second quarter and for a 56-yard score in the third period. Burnett found Carey 1 more time for a 35-yard scoring toss. Sylvan Hill rolled up 511 yards, including Burnett’s 23-of-42 passing for 370 yards.. Sylvan Hills is clicking on all cylinders offensively with a vastly improved defense; the Bears should take care of business this week. 

6A WEST

No. 10 LR CATHOLIC (1-5, 0-3) at NR FS Southside (1-5, 1-2): Fort Smith Southside has won 7 of the 10 meetings with Little Rock Catholic since 2008. FS Southside pulled away from Siloam Springs last week en route to a 49-28 home victory. Mavericks QB Michael Nolewajka (10-12-111 passing, 2 TDs) connected with Drale Morris (3-47-1) and Hudson Morehead (2-25-1). Southside rushed 43 times for 436 yards, led by Morris (21-270 rushing, 5 TDs). Seniors Alexander Garcia and Dallas DuBose led the defense with 10 tackles each. Little Rock Catholic trailed Van Buren 18-0 at halftime last week, but the Rockets outscored the Pointers 19-7 in the second half in a narrow 25-19 defeat. Phillips Blair gives the Rockets a dual-threat at QB; Luke Burdine stands out at tailback and linebacker. Hunter Markham provides the Rockets a big-play threat at receiver. This is a massive game for playoff positioning, and the Rockets pull it out with a stout defensive effort. 

NR LR Southwest (0-6, 0-3) at No. 7 LAKE HAMILTON (4-2, 3-0): Lake Hamilton is 2-0 all time against Little Rock Southwest, including 42-0 last season. Little Rock Southwest produced one of its better halves of football this season last week, trailing favored Mountain Home 14-7 at halftime after embarking on a 99-yard touchdown drive and forcing 3 turnovers in the first 2 quarters. Gryphons QB Brady Williams completed 11 of 21 passes for 100 yards. Lake Hamilton outlasted Russellville last week in a wild 63-50 road win. The Wolves led 21-14 after a quarter, 42-28 at halftime, and 49-35 after 3 quarters. Lake Hamilton amassed more than 600 yards, led by Jace Bohannan (16-21-380 passing, 5 TDs; 8-83 rushing, 2 TDs). Seniors Braxton Schmidt (23-259 rushing, 2 TDs) and D.J. Wilson (7-233 receiving, 5 TDs). Little Rock Southwest needs a couple of wins to make this year’s Class 6A playoffs, but outscoring Lake Hamilton this week feels like too much to ask. 

No. 4 MOUNTAIN HOME (5-1, 3-0) at NR Siloam Springs (1-5, 1-2): Mountain Home is 6-0 all-time against Siloam Springs, with every meeting coming since 2020. Siloam Springs lost to Fort Smith Southside 49-28 a week ago, but the Panthers got a big game from junior QB Cooper Hahn (7-17-99 passing, 2 TDs; 9-41 rushing). Jayden Coleman caught a 10-yard TD pass; Averi Ratliff caught a 40-yard scoring pass. Sophomore Taylor Bailey forced 2 fumbles for the Siloam Springs defense. Mountain Home won 35-7 last week at Little Rock Southwest, rushing 53 times for 295 yards. Sophomore Easton Shrable (38-215 rushing) and sophomore QB Connor Gentry (6-11 passing, 95 yards; 15-80 rushing). Kanye Worman, Shrable, and Grady Sheehan each caught 2 passes for the Bombers. The Mountain Home defense allowed 69 yards, including minus-31 yards rushing. Mountain Home’s defense has been opening eyes in conference play, and that trend continues this week. 

NR Russellville (1-5, 1-2) at No. 6 VAN BUREN (5-1, 3-0): Russellville has won 9 of the 16 meetings between these schools since 2002, but the Pointers won 49-42 a season ago. Russellville is coming off a 63-50 loss to Lake Hamilton, but Cyclones tailback Sam Callahan (46-420 rushing, 5 TDs) set the school’s single-game rushing record. Russellville rolled up 595 yards against Lake Hamilton; QB Asher Swindle (7-14-124 passing) threw a TD pass to Jett Fisher. Van Buren got a test last week before outlasting Little Rock Catholic 25-19. The Pointers got production from all-conference QB Hayden Williford (14-26-155 passing, TD) and junior tailback Hayden Christenberry (12-47 rushing). Senior Abe Cone caught 2 passes for 43 yards, and he returned 1 of his 2  interceptions about 50 yards for a TD. Austin Stiles, T.J. Woodruff, and Jaxson Silvers all recorded at least 10 tackles. Kyle Organ also intercepted a pass for Van Buren. Russellville’s offense has been emerging over the last month or so, but Van Buren has too many options.