We survived the first week of Arkansas high school football season. There were lighting delays, cancellations, surprises and thrillers. We got a little bit of everything in Week Zero. Eight of the teams in the Top 10 won last week. Five other ranked teams lost, but three of the four were either to ranked teams or teams that were in a higher classification.
Below is this week’s SBLive/High School on SI Arkansas Top 25.
The Patriots represented Arkansas well in defeating Melissa High School, one of Texas’s top Class 5A Division II teams on their home field.
Senior running back Monterrio Elston scored two rushing touchdowns to fuel the 27-20 Saturday night.
Elston, a Kansas State commit, rushed for a game-high 158 yards on 13 carries and scored on runs of 68 and 61 yards.
Parkview will be a favorite in every game they play the rest of the season, including next week’s home opener against Class 5A upstart Maumelle and the week after at home against 7A power Bryant.
The Bulldogs had little problem with Cabot, running past the Panthers 48-13. Senior transfer QB Garyt Odom passed for more than 300 yards in the road win. Fayetteville hits the road one more time this nonconference season to play Broken Arrow, Okla. in the Tulsa area this week.
Three Jordan Walker touchdown passes in the fourth quarter saved the Hornets in a 52-42 win vs. Saline County rival Beton in the Salt Bowl. Despite forcing seven turnovers, Bryant trailed 28-24 to start the fourth quarter, but Walker promptly connected with Kamauri Austin, on the first of two TD strikes, and Bryant never trailed again. The Hornets make the long trip to St. Louis this week to face Christian Brothers College. CBC, who played for a state title last fall, rolled past Sacred Heart-Griffin 45-0 last week.
4. Greenwood (1-0)
The Bulldogs flexed their offensive muscle in a 70-35 win at Bentonville West. Four-star junior QB recruit Kane Archer led the way completing 25-of-29 passes for 287 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran 11 times for 113 yards and a TD. Senior receiver Isaiah Arrington, who received a scholarship offer to Southeast Missouri State this summer, caught 9 passes for 142 yards and a TD. Junior running back Wesley Raggio ran 9 times for 142 yards and three scores.
Greenwood travels to River Valley Rival Fort Smith Northside Friday night where they will be the heavy favorite.
The Wampus Cats officially welcomed senior transfer QB Grayson Wilson to the lineup with a 42-20 win at Jonesboro. Wilson, a University of Arkansas commit, was 9 of 13 passing for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns. The win was a nice tune-up for a big early showdown against No. 6 Bentonville at home this week.
The inexperienced Tigers showed some resolve falling behind Oklahoma large-school power Union last week and eventually dropping a 42-35 overtime decision. We give Bentonville the grace of playing a tough out-of-state opponent and leave them at No. 6.
The Tigers don’t have time to hang their heads, as they travel to central Arkansas to play No. 5 Conway Friday night.
PA continued its dominance of Joe T. Robinson in a 35-21 season-opening win. It gets a bit tougher this week as the Bruins travel to Mississippi to face Magnolia State private-school power Madison-Ridgeland. PA knocked MRA off 45-43 with a last-second field goal last season. MRA is already 3-0 on the season with an early start to the season on Aug. 15.
When the Panthers took a 28-24 lead on Bryant in the Salt Bowl game, things were promising. However, Benton, who coughed up seven turnovers, allowed Bryant to complete three TD passes and take control of the game. Benton made the final score 52-42 with a TD with no time left, but Bryant had control of the game after taking the lead. Benton has this week off and faces a struggling North Little Rock team in its home opener Sept. 13.
The Saints smoked Farmington 42-6 to avenge last season’s 31-28 loss which ended a 40-game conference winning streak. Shiloh travels to west Little Rock for the second time in as many years to face Little Rock Christian Friday night.
The Wildcats were idle last week. They kick off the 2024 season at Class 6A Marion, who barely hung on to beat Wynne in its opener.
LRCA moves up a spot after edging El Dorado, 21-14 in the opener. The Warriors will have to play better to beat Shiloh Christian next week. The Saints invaded west Little Rock last year and won 43-22.
The Wolverines drop two notches after the lopsided loss to Greenwood. The Wolverines hope to rebound this week against Cabot, who took it on the chin to Fayetteville last week.
The Mavericks came from behind to beat rival Northside, 34-27. Southside should remain undefeated aft this week as they play host to hapless Little Rock Central.
Class 5A Wynne proved it was improved after leading the Patriots 14-0 early and 20-14 at halftime. Marion did rally to win 34-28. They will have to play better to beat Harding Academy at home on Friday night.
A lighting delay and blowout made Cabot’s home opener unpleasant. They head Northwest Arkansas to play Bentonville West, who is also licking its wounds. This will be a welcome victory for whoever can secure it.
The Bombers started the season with a 43-21 drubbing of West Plains, Mo. The schedule gets a bit more difficult this week playing at rival Harrison, whose game with Branson, Mo. was canceled due to lightning after the Goblins took an early 7-3 lead.
For the second straight season, Hot Springs Lakeside stung their city rivals. This time, the Wolves fell 34-29. Lake Hamilton entertains struggling Little Rock Southwest this week hoping to even its record.
There is no shame in losing to Conway and JHS hung in for a while. The Hurricane welcome another ranked team to Cooksey-Johns Stadium. This week it is Joe T. Robinson.
The Rockets came from behind to beat Class 5A Arkansas High 20-15 last week. They are off this week and host Nolan Catholic (Texas) High School at 2 p.m. Saturday Sept. 14.
The Hornets looked strong blanking Sylvan Hills 36-0. They face a stiff test this week hosting Little Rock Parkview. This game will be a good barometer of how much improved they are from last season.
The Senators fought hard in a loss at PA. They face another challenge playing up in class on the road against Jonesboro. These nonconference games will only make Robinson better in the 5A-Central Conference.
The Blazers scored on two turnovers and set up another TD with a turnover in a dominant 42-14 blowout of Poplar Bluff, Mo. The Blazers return home to face Searcy. The Lions routed Batesville 42-18.
The Zebras lost a neutral site game to Millwood (Oklahoma City, Okla.), 14-0, at DeSoto, Texas. Pine Bluff hosts Kibmall (Dallas) Saturday.
The Lumberjacks lost a hard-fought game to Class 5A Greenbriar, 41-34. Warren plays host to White Hall, who lost at Sheridan last week, Friday night.
The Curley Wolves rolled over Crossett, 53-10. They play Salem in a 3A showdown Thursday night at Hendrix College at Conway.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Arkansas law enforcement agencies are hosting their 16th-annual Drug Take Back Day this month.
The event is designed so that Arkansans can safely and anonymously dispose of any expired, unused or unwanted medications. Officials say they want to prevent opioid misuse, reduce accidental poisonings, protect waterways from contamination and keep communities safe.
Its set to take place on Saturday, April 25.
“Arkansas Drug Take Back Day continues to bring communities together in the fight against substance misuse, and we’re proud to play such a vital part in it,” said Kirk Lane, director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP). “We invite Arkansans to take a few minutes to clean out their medicine cabinets, drop off unneeded prescriptions and protect their families and neighbors.”
Arkansans destroyed 26,500 pounds of medication during the fall 2025 Drug Take Back Day. Since 2010, over 342 tons have been destroyed.
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With the transfer portal reshaping rosters overnight and elite freshmen arriving every summer, projecting the next college basketball season has become an exercise in controlled chaos.
Still, a handful of programs have positioned themselves early as national title contenders through roster continuity, program consistency and coaching stability.
Arkansas will once again be in the mix, but its true preseason forecast will come once the portal is mostly wrapped up. Coach John Calipari knows what type of player he needs to add for his team to advance past the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and probably won’t sleep a whole lot until he signs at least one major contributor in the paint.
No. 1 seed Michigan had a stellar run in its second season under coach Dusty May, who competes for a national championship against No. 2 seed UConn Monday night. He goes up against two-time championship coach Dan Hurley, who is looking to join elite company by winning his third trophy with the Huskies.
Which teams are best equipped already for next season? Here’s an early look at who can make a run in 2026-27.
The Wolverines absolutely make sense regardless of if they win a national title Monday night. May added a commitment from 5-star guard Brandon McCoy Saturday who projects to be a lead guard at the next level.
Key big man Yaxel Lendeborg will be a huge loss after being a critical piece to Michigan’s championship game run. Power forward Morez Johnson should return after averaging over 13 points and seven rebounds per game.
Another likely returnee is Trey McKenney, who played well as a freshman averaging 11 points and 44% shooting in the month of March.
Whether Hurley’s bid for a third title falls short, his brilliant coaching in the NCAA Tournament is worth keeping the Huskies near the top of all college basketball rankings.
Veterans such as Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed are seeing their eligibility expire while freshman Braylon Mullins could opt to enter the NBA Draft.
Veteran guard Silas Demary has been a nice addition from Georgia out of the portal this season and will likely return as the Huskies’ starting point guard.
The Blue Devils are set to lose the Boozer twins, but have signed capable replacements in true freshmen Cameron Williams and Deron Rippey, Jr.
Coach Jon Scheyer’s group will continue to run the ACC until anyone else decides to be up for the challenge. If he can find a way to keep Patrick Ngongba around for next season as his key big man, then there’s no reason to count out Duke as national title favorites once again.
No one will ever doubt coach Tom Izzo’s ability to assemble a championship contender and he did just that with Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears and company this season.
With a top high school recruiting class and a couple of key portal additions on the perimeter, the Spartans will be Big Ten title contenders and earn a Top 4 NCAA Tournament seed.
Coach Brad Underwood has made the Fightin’ Illini a raging success and nearly led his team to the promised land this season.
He discovered freshman wing Keaton Wagler before anyone else, and became a household name and potential lottery pick after arriving to school as aTop 150 prospect.
Lightning might not strike twice next year, but he’ll probably have another solid team built for a deep NCAA Tournament run. Sharpshooter Andrej Stojakovic and forward David Mirkovic are both expected to return after playing key roles in Illinois’ first Final Four run in two decades.
The Wildcats were no match for Michigan in the Final Four and are likely going to lose key freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries to the NBA Draft. Keeping veteran big man Mo Krivas and key wing Ivan Kharchenkov in the rotation is key.
Adding McDonald’s All-American MVP Caleb Holt won’t hurt either as the next great freshman for the Wildcats.
Coach John Calipari knows his biggest assignment will be adding a big man or two to round out his rotation. He has a three 5-star freshmen in Jordan Smith, Jr. (No. 2 ranked prospect, JJ Andrews and Abdou Toure coming in with potential key returnee Billy Richmond to potentially lockdown the perimeter.
Arkansas fans are hungry to see their team get back to the Final Four and have been inching closer each of the previous five seasons.
The Boilermakers are set to lose All-American guard Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn which will be hard to come back from for any team.
However, Matt Painter continues to reload with guys who often fly under the radar or lesser known on the recruiting trail out of high school. His next team may not be as talented, or veteran laden but should be fixtures in the Big Ten no matter what the offseason brings.
The Red Storm will find it tough to replace versatile big man Zury Ejifor, but if anyone can do so it’s hall of fame coach Rick Pitino. His team has been close to breaking into national title contention over the previous two seasons.
Pitino’s combination of Ian Jackson, Dylan Darling and Ruben Prey can give St. John’s a boost next season.
Nate Oats has the Crimson Tide at a level never before seen in Tuscaloosa with at least a Sweet 16 or better finish in each of the previous four seasons.
Star guard Labaron Philon is probably headed to the league as a mid-first round prospect which leaves a gaping hole in Alabama’s rotation for next season.
Top 20 freshman guard Qadyden Samuels is potentially a solid replacement with a complete offensive skillset as a three-level scorer. If his length translates well to college, he can be an exceptional perimeter defender.
Oats will need to find a way to keep key big men such as Amari Allen and Aiden Sherrell around or pick up a couple out of the transfer portal to stay near the top of the SEC.
The Cyclones were on the verge of a breakthrough before falling short in the Sweet 16. Losing All-American Joshua Jefferson early in the tournament sidelined any hopes of coach T.J. Otzelberger leading his team to its first Final Four since 1944.
Iowa State will probably make a strong run in the portal to replace other key contributors. But one thing is sure that this program has staying power on the national scene.
Each passing year it seems that the biggest question is whether or not coach Bill Self will return for another year.
He is, at least this year, but even with his exceptional recruiting skills and a deep portal budget, it seems like a slight nosedive has taken place since winning the national title in 2022.
Star freshman Darryn Peterson’s one-and-done stay in Lawrence certainly didn’t live up to the hype. Big man Flory Bidunga is currently evaluating his options, which shouldn’t give anyone a reason to rank the Jayhawks higher.
13. Iowa Hawkeyes
14. Gonzaga Bulldogs
15. Florida Gators
16. North Carolina Tar Heels
17. Louisville Cardinals
18. Wisconsin Badgers
19. Nebraska Cornhuskers
20. Houston Cougars
21. Providence Friars
22. St. Louis Billekins
23. Texas Longhorns
24. Auburn Tigers
25. LSU Tigers
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