Class 7A Week 9 Rankings and Selections

7A Rankings

Week 9, 2025

RK.-PV. TEAM (RECORD) Week 8 Result)

1. ↔ 1. Bryant (8-0, 5-0; beat Cabot 49-3)
2. ↔ 2. Bentonville (8-0, 5-0; beat Rogers 31-28)
3. ↔ 3. Rogers (7-1, 4-1; lost to Bentonville 31-28)
4. ↔ 4. Conway (7-1, 5-0; beat PA 61-38)
5. ↔ 5. Bentonville West (6-2, 4-1; beat Heritage 56-28)
6. ↔ 6. LR Christian (6-2, 4-1; beat LR Southwest 45-8)
7. ↔ 7. Fayetteville (4-4, 2-3; beat Springdale 52-28)
8. ↔ 8. North LR (3-5, 3-2); beat Central 49-3)
9.  ↑  NR. Springdale (3-5, 2-3; lost to Fayetteville 52-28)
10.  ↓ 10. Cabot (2-6, 2-3; lost to Bryant 49-3)

NOT RANKED
7A Central: Pulaski Academy (2-6; 2-3), LR Southwest (0-8, 0-5), LR Central (2-6, 0-5)
7A West: Rogers Heritage (1-7, 1-4), FS Northside (0-8, 0-5), Springdale Har-Ber (3-5, 2-3), Springdale (3-5, 2-3)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 6 Little Rock Christian (6-2, 4-1)  at No. 4 CONWAY (7-1, 5-0)

What’s at stake in Conway on a Halloween Friday night? The winner is likely to receive a first-round playoff bye and a home quarterfinal matchup. A loss brings Springdale or Springdale Har-Ber to central Arkansas for an intriguing first-round matchup.

Little Rock Christian, led by Jackson Ward (13-133 rushing, TD), knocked off LR Southwest 45-8 last week. Blake Haughaboo (11 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks) and Nick Harp (11 tackles, 3 TFLs, 3 sacks) led a defense that sacked Gryphons QBs 8 times. The Warriors have won 3 in a row since dropping the conference opener to Bryant, averaging 41 points per game. 

Conway trailed early against Pulaski Academy but went on to win by 23 points. Conway has been dominant outside of its early loss to No. 2 Bentonville. Multiple quarterbacks have highlighted the Wampus Cats’ offensive flexibility, and the defense has held opponents to a touchdown or less 3 times. 

This week, the Wampus Cats offense will be too much for the Warriors, setting up a Week 10 showdown with undefeated Bryant for the top seed from the 7A Central.

WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS  (favored team in ALL CAPS and highlighted)

7A CENTRAL

No. 1 BRYANT (8-0, 5-0) at No. 8 North Little Rock (3-5, 2-3): Bryant’s defense is allowing 9.3 points per game, with most of those points coming against the reserves. Cabot led Bryant  3-0 in the second quarter last week, but the Hornets ripped it open with a 35-point second quarter as senior RB Kollin Robinson scored on runs of 5 and 49 yards. North Little Rock dominated Little Rock Central 49-3 a week ago, putting the game away with back-to-back third-quarter scores — a TD run by Ezekulun Lewis and Carlos Zamora’s 54-yard interception return for a TD. NLR is headed in the right direction, but Bryant will show why it’s one of the top high school teams in the country. 

No. 10 CABOT (2-6, 2-3) at LR Central (2-6, 0-5): Cabot struggled to move the football a week ago against Bryant, but so has every Bryant opponent. The Panthers can clinch a playoff spot with a road win at Quigley Stadium. Look for Maddox McCrory and the Panthers’ offense to bounce back. Little Rock Central had everyone’s attention when it started nonconference play at 2-1. The Tigers have lost 5 in a row, but don’t count out Coach Anthony Robinson’s team. Ray Stewart brings it every week and can score from anywhere, opening up last week’s game with a 94-yard TD run in the first quarter. Central needs to win Friday and next week against LR Southwest to stay in the playoff chase. Cabot’s balanced offense helps the Panthers survive and advance.

LR Southwest (0-8, 0-5) at PULASKI ACADEMY (2-6, 2-3): LR Southwest comes in 0-8, and the Gryphons have struggled to find the end zone since scoring 3 TDs in the conference opener against Conway. They are yielding 47 points per game. PA clinches a playoff spot with a win. The Bruins have scored plenty in 7A Central play, but they need to tighten up defensively with playoffs looming.

 7A WEST

No. 7 FAYETTEVILLE (4-4, 2-3) at Rogers Heritage (1-7, 1-4): Fayetteville trailed early, but rebounded quickly to beat Springdale 52-28. QB Hank Hendrix (273 passing yards, 4 TDs) threw 3 first-half TD passes to Kinyun Johnson. Heritage came out swinging a week ago at West, as Braedon Carroll gave the War Eagles an early lead with a TD. The War Eagles struggled on defense, yielding 4 passing TDs. Fayetteville can even its conference record and clinch a playoff spot with a win.

No. 5 BENTONVILLE WEST (6-2, 4-1) at Fort Smith Northside (0-8, 0-5): Bentonville West QB Trey Thompson accounted for 5 TDs — 1 rushing TD to go with 283 yards passing yards and 4 TDs. The Wolverines were close to 400 yards in total offense. Jackson Lane (6-115 receiving, 2 TDs) was the top target. Northside turned it over 3 times in a 43-10 loss to Har-Ber last week. Warren Bijou rushed for 157 yards. West keeps hopes alive for a home playoff game with a win.

No. 3 ROGERS (7-1, 4-1) at Springdale Har-Ber (3-5, 2-3): Rogers lost a 31-28 heartbreaker to Bentonville for its first loss. The Mounties had a chance to score a TD and win as time expired. The Mounties gained 452 yards of offense, with QB Jeff Regan accounting for 228 yards and 3 TDs;  Braxton Lindsey caught 10 passes for 157 yards. Har-Ber remained in the playoff race with a 43-10 win over Northside last week as Reed McAllister led Har-Ber with 189 rushing yards and 2 TDs. Even with a loss, Har-Ber is still positioned for postseason play, but next week’s 7A West games will clear up that picture. QB Brice Owens continues to be a dual-threat playmaker with 2 rushing TDs.

No. 9 Springdale (3-5, 2-3) at No. 2 BENTONVILLE (8-0, 5-0): The Bulldogs still have playoff hopes, but must patch holes defensively after giving up 559 yards and 52 points to Fayetteville a week ago. Rancel Orellana led the Springdale offense with 3 TDs. Bentonville broke up Rogers’ final pass as time expired to escape with a 3-point win, which has the Tigers standing alone atop the 7A West. QB Cole Slepcki passed for 270 yards and 3 TDs, all 3 TDs going to Connor Schmitz. The Tigers will ride RB Chris Ficklin to victory this week.