It’s that time of the year, everyone. High school football games kicked off throughout the state of Arkansas Oct. 31-Nov. 2 and there was plenty of great action taking place.
The No. 1 team in the Natural State remains Bryant then followed by Conway followed by Greenwood and Little Rock Parkview.
Here’s the complete breakdown of Arkansas’ elite high school football teams, heading into Week 9 of the 2024 season, as we see it.
Senior quarterback Jordan Walker has been arguably the state’s top passer all season long, completing 83-of-136 passes for 1,682 yards, 28 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Move over, the Wampus Cats are the state’s second ranked team as they have yet to drop a game this season. Up next is a tilt against is a showdown with No. 1 Bryant. Get your popcorn ready.
Nobody has played better under center in the state of Arkansas than Kane Archer of Greenwood. The quarterback has thrown for 2,708 yards, 43 touchdowns and one interception.
Parkview’s lone loss of the season is a 30-10 decision to No. 1 team in Bryant. The Patriots finishes up the season with Camden Fairview.
This Pulaski Academy team’s only two losses have come against Bryant and Conway. Both of those clubs are ranked 1-2 in these rankings.
The Panthers are averaging a cool 51.4 points per game through nine games played this season. Now Benton will gear up for a road date versus Marion.
Since a Sep. 20th loss to Lee’s Summit North, Bentonville has won six straight games.
We know the Warriors have three losses, but all of them have come up against teams ahead of them in these rankings I.E. Bryant, Conway and Shiloh Christian.
The Bombers ever since losing 37-13 to Shiloh Christian have responded with a four-game winning streak. Wins have come over Russellville, Siloam Springs, Lake Hamilton and Van Buren.
The Rockets suffered their first loss of the season against a very good Benton team, 42-0. Catholic bounced back last week against Marion with a 23-14 victory.
Tyson Bradden has done a nice job taking care of the football and producing plenty of points. The senior has thrown for over 1,300 yards and 19 touchdown passes this season.
Marion drops down a few spots after falling to Little Rock Catholic, 23-14. They’ll look to bounce back this week against No. 6 Benton.
Drew Gartman has been the team’s workhorse out of the backfield, scoring a team-high 19 rushing touchdowns along with 1,085 yards.
Another week and another Elks’ win to remain undefeated. Elkins rolled to a 35-21 victory over Gravette last week.
The Bulldogs made it two wins in a row with a 42-0 trouncing of Rogers Heritage.
We leave Hot Springs Lakeside right where they’re at after a 28-12 loss to Parkview. The Rams will finish the regular season with Hot Springs.
Rogers bounced back from a loss to Fayetteville with a 70-42 defeat of Har-Ber last week.
Back to back losses to Greenwood and Mountain Home had us dropping Lake Hamilton down the ranks a bit. Lake Hamilton came up with a big win over Shiloh Christian last week.
The Bulldogs dropped their third game of the year in a loss to Bentonville. Springdale is another team we won’t drop as they faced one of the state’s top tier clubs.
Griffin Mason has proven himself as one of the state’s top running backs this season, carrying the rock 213 times for 1,356 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns.
In one of the wildest games of the season the Cardinals pulled off a thrilling 78-75 victory over Morrilton a couple weeks ago.
The Comets just keep winning and their latest victory was a 49-7 throttling of Central Arkansas Christian last week.
The Badgers make their way back into the rankings after winning six straight games, including two shutouts. Only two losses have come to Camden Fairview and Lake Hamilton.
The Lions pulling off a 33-29 upset win over Prescott last week vaults them into our rankings last week. Can Bismarck finish the season at 10-0?
With the Sand Lizards only loss of the season coming against No. 14-ranked Elkins, Dardanelle makes its debut in this week’s rankings.
Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.
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— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveark
Today at 3:00 p.m.
AL TOPICH SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Al Topich)
Even though the film festival season in Arkansas is over until next year, there are still plenty of film-related events. Last week, there were two such events, one in Northwest Arkansas at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the other taking place outdoors at a flower farm outside…
After three weeks standing on the verge of bowl eligibility, Arkansas football has its best opportunity to secure a spot in college football’s postseason this weekend against Louisiana Tech.
The Razorbacks (5-5) will host the Bulldogs (4-6) on Saturday (3 p.m., SECN+). Twenty players are projected to take part in Senior Day festivities as Arkansas closes out its home schedule in 2024.
The Hogs are coming off back-to-back losses inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium, most recently falling to Texas 20-10. Arkansas’ offense couldn’t muster enough production across the first two quarters as a comeback bid fell short against the Longhorns.
Louisiana Tech, meanwhile, is coming off its biggest win of the season. The Bulldogs beat conference rival Western Kentucky 12-7, knocking the Hilltoppers out of first place in Conference USA.
Here are four things to watch and a score prediction for Saturday’s contest between Arkansas and Louisiana Tech.
The best way to prevent an upset is to eliminate any hope. Arkansas didn’t do that against UAB in September, and the Razorbacks came out of the gates slow last year in this same spot against FIU. They eventually won both games, but the final scores were closer than desired.
“We’re trying to live up to the Arkansas standard, and that results in executing on the field. And if we don’t live up to that, then we’re going to see a similar slow start,” Arkansas offensive lineman Josh Braun said. “So that’s what we’re focused on this week, just starting fast and playing our brand of football.”
This is arguably the biggest key for Arkansas every weekend. The Razorbacks are 0-5 when they lose the turnover battle this season, and two costly giveaways spoiled any chance at an upset last week against Texas.
Fortunately for Arkansas, Louisiana Tech ranks 111th in the country in turnover margin. The Bulldogs are averaging nearly two turnovers a game, so this might be an opportune matchup for the Hogs’ defense.
The Bulldogs have struggled on the ground all season, and they’ve won both games in which they rushed for more than 150 yards. By contrast, they are 2-6 when held under that mark.
Arkansas’ running defense has been strong throughout the year. Only two opponents have averaged more than 4 yards per carry, and the Razorbacks should be able to keep Louisiana Tech running backs Omiri Wiggins and Amani Givens in check.
On the flip side, Arkansas needs to commit to running the football early and stay vigilant with Ja’Quinden Jackson. Relying on the pass too heavily proved a mistake in the first half against Texas, and look for Bobby Petrino to adjust.
Edwards, a senior wide receiver, is by far Louisiana Tech’s most dangerous weapon. He has four games this season with more than 100 yards receiving and leads the team with six touchdowns.
He’s a big-play threat who will require the full focus of the Arkansas defense. The Razorbacks’ secondary will try to maintain its momentum after holding Quinn Ewers and Isaiah Bond in check last week.
Louisiana Tech is better than its record indicates, but there is still a gulf in talent between the two rosters. If Arkansas handles its own business and avoids sloppy turnovers, it should have no problem securing bowl eligibility Saturday. An upset loss would be unacceptable. Arkansas 38, Louisiana Tech 13.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A lot has been made of the poor a attendance at Arkansas Razorbacks basketball games this season.
However, while it’s been somewhat embarrassing at times, it’s not entirely on Razorbacks fans. It’s not anyone’s fault technically. It’s more of a case of a schedule having to be made hastily before there was an opportunity to get to know the nuances of The Natural State.
One thing that is hard for the people of Arkansas to realize without moving away for some extended period of time is how unique the especially close relationship with the local church and the commitment this state’s citizens have to it actually is.
Scheduling the rest of life around church as a non-negotiable is expected. Playing organized sports on Sundays is still still frowned upon in much of the state, as are hunting and fishing in some cases.
Church comes first, whether it be Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night or revival week. Youth league coaches can find themselves pariahs for scheduling practices on Wednesday nights for this very reason.
That’s why excessively low attendance for Wednesday night games shouldn’t be as shocking to those who live here as opposed to people looking from the outside in.
See, one of the biggest adjustments to living outside of Arkansas is the extreme lack of Wednesday night church services. Same goes for revivals.
They’re just not a thing throughout much of the rest of the country, even in states that claim to really be into God. It’s even hard to find legitimate Sunday night services.
At best, there will be a youth program parents use as an excuse for a quick date night. So, that’s why it’s not surprising a coaching staff that didn’t grow up here might think nothing of lining up games on Wednesday nights expecting to get decent weeknight crowds.
However, what happens instead is much smaller crowds that make Hogs fans look disinterested at best. That’s just not likely the case.
They’re interested. Just not until the devotional has been read, the sermon has been preached and the invitation has been sung.
As soon as they get in the parking lot, the first thing they do is turn on the radio and try to catch up with what they have missed. It might seem strange to those from other states, but the priorities are right.
It may look bad on TV, but God, family and then the Razorbacks is the correct order
It’s a minor mistake in scheduling that is easily forgiven and eventually rectified. After all, the seats are still sold out and there are more important things involved in life.
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