Arkansas
Arkansas high school football: Class 4A predicted order of finish
With the Arkansas high school football season about a month away, the SBLive staff is looking at each class’s conferences. We will predict the order of finish in each league. In this installment, we predict Class 4A.
4A-1
1. Elkins
2. Prairie Grove
3. Gentry
4. Gravette
5. Lincoln
6. Green Forest
7. Berryville
8. Huntsville
Why Elkins?
Elks head coach Zach Watson has his program rolling and came within a game of a state championship a year ago. He must reload on offense with star quarterback Dizzy Dean and running back Da’Shawn Chairs graduated, but having nine returning defensive starters ensures another conference title and a deep playoff run again.
4A-2
1. Mills
2. Heber Springs
3. Forrest City
4. Lonoke
5. CAC
6. Bald Knob
7. Hall
8. Riverview
Why Mills?
Mills had success under head coach Cortez Lee in Class 5A and now moves down to 4A but still has an abundance of talented players. The Comets return only eight total starters but still have more talent and depth than most 4A schools, which will mean a conference title and a possible push to Little Rock.
4A-3
1. Southside
2. Highland
3. Gosnell
4. Pocahontas
5. Blytheville
6. Trumann
7. Cave City
8. Westside
Why Southside?
The Southerners went 10-2 in Class 5A a season ago, and while they lost several key players on offense, they will be stout on defense with eight veterans. After battling in the ultra-competitive 5A-East, Southside shouldn’t have a problem rolling through the league.
4A-4
1. Ozark
2. Dardanelle
3. Clinton
4. Pottsville
5. Lamar
6. Mena
7. Waldron
8. Dover
Why Ozark?
Senior quarterback Koby Wilbanks might be one of the best football players, regardless class, in the state. The dynamic Wilbanks is one of just eight returning starters, but his presence is enough to lead the Hillbillies to a league title after winning 10 games and advancing to the Class 4A quarterfinals last year.
4A-7
1. Arkadelphia
2. Bauxite
3. Malvern
4. Nashville
5. Ashdown
6. Harmony Grove
7. Fountain Lake
8. Genoa Central
Why Arkadelphia?
The Badgers have made a habit of deep playoff runs, and after losing their first three games last year, they rattled off seven consecutive wins before losing to Rivercrest. A core group returns for Badgers head coach Tre Schucker’s team. The game with Bauxite could decide the league title, and Arkadelphia has the advantage of playing at home.
4A-8
1. Warren
2. DeWitt
3. Stuttgart
4. Hamburg
5. Monticello
6. Crossett
7. Star City
8. Mena
Why Warren?
The Lumberjacks just missed another state final berth last fall, losing at Rivercrest in the Class 4A state semifinals. A loaded, veteran team is a favorite among the pundits to not only win another league title but a state championship. Sophomore quarterback Jackson Denton returns with a stable of weapons, including senior receiver Antonio Jordan, a University of Arkansas commit. The Lumberjacks lost just one game last season. They might not lose one this year.
–Nate Olson | nate@scorebooklive.com | @ndosports
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Rex Nelson
Rex Nelson has been senior editor and columnist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 2017, and he has a biweekly podcast called “Southern Fried.”
After graduating from Ouachita Baptist University in 1981, he was a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat for a year before becoming editor of Arkadelphia’s Daily Siftings Herald. He was the youngest editor of a daily in Arkansas at age 23. Rex was then news and sports director at KVRC-KDEL from 1983-1985.
He returned to the Democrat as assistant sports editor in 1985. From 1986-1989, he was its Washington correspondent. He left to be Jackson T. Stephens’ consultant.
Rex became the Democrat-Gazette’s first political editor in 1992, but left in 1996 to join then-Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office. He also served from 2005-09 in the administration of President George W. Bush.
From 2009-2018, he worked stints at the Communications Group, Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, and Simmons First National Corp.
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Dylan Sherman is a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He is based in Northwest Arkansas and focuses on Tyson Foods Inc. and the transportation industry. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he has been with the newspaper since 2023.
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