With the high school football regular season coming to a close in the state of Arkansas, we have selected eight individuals who have stood out this season. These players have showcased great individual success as well as helping guide their team successfully throughout the season. We ask you, the fans, to vote on who you think has been the Arkansas High School Football Player of the Year for the high school football season this year.
High School on SI voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You can vote as often as you wish and are encouraged to share our polls with others. The use of voting bots and other forms of automated voting are not allowed. Individuals will be removed from the poll if any form of automated voting can be verified. – SBLive Sports
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are the nominees:
Cobb has the Bruins playing some of the best football in the state leading them to a 6-2 record so far this season. He has completed 230 passes on 368 attempts for 2,720 yards and 34 touchdowns. He can also make plays with his feet when the play breaks down. Cobb has rushed the ball 96 times this season for 538 yards and six touchdowns.
Through eight games, Ohman has helped led the Rams to a 7-1 record this season with his play from the running back position. He has 1,428 yards and 20 touchdowns on 167 carries. Ohman is averaging 178.5 yards per game and over eight yards per rush. His rushing ability should help the Rams potentially make a deep playoff run this season.
Archer has put together one of the more impressive seasons in terms of efficiency in the entire country this season. He is completing just shy of 80 percent of his passes with only one interception. On the year, he is 150/189 with 2,340 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also has 400 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 40 carries this season.
Sanderson has shown that he is one of the top defensive linemen in the entire state this season. He has recorded 31 solo tackles, 43 total tackles and 13 tackles for a loss. He has been vital as a pass rusher too. Sanderson has 12 sacks and nine quarterback hurries this season. Look for him to continue to create havoc at the line of scrimmage the rest of the season.
Assan is another running back who has shown elite playmaking skills from the running back position this season. He has rushed for 1,530 yards and 18 touchdowns on 177 carries this season. He is difficult to tackle as he is averaging almost nine yards per rush.
Like Assan and Ohman, Holmes is another fantastic running back from the state of Arkansas this season. He has rushed for 985 yards with a staggering 27 touchdowns on 131 attempts this year. Holmes is averaging 7.5 yards per rush, and he has five, 100-yard plus games this season.
Cooley has been one of the best receivers in the state so far this season. He has 55 receptions on the season for 866 yards and nine touchdowns. Cooley has big play potential which he has shown averaging almost 16 yards per reception while averaging 108 yards per game. His longest reception is 81-yards which came in a loss versus Greenbrier. He has six games where his longest reception was at least 39-yards, and Cooley has three games where his longest reception went over 70-yards.
In six games this season, McLaughlin has rushed for at least 100-yards in each of the six games. He has 164 carries for 1,288 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. He is averaging 7.9 yards per rush with his best average coming in at 24.2 yards per rush in the win over Cave City. He has shown to be reliable out of the backfield too catching the football. In three games, he has six receptions for 106 yards and three touchdowns. As Southside prepares for the playoffs, you can expect McLaughlin to step up for his team with his rushing attack.
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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