TODAY'S MATCHUPS
Class 7A
Fayetteville at Springdale Har-Ber
Wildcat Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Fayetteville 6-1, 3-1; Har-Ber 6-1, 4-0
ON THE AIR Springdale Public Schools livestream
BETWEEN THE LINES Barring an upset in the final two weeks of the regular season, tonight's matchup will decide the winner of the 7A-West. The Wildcats can earn an outright league title with a win, and Fayetteville can gain a co-conference title. ... Fayetteville's offense vs. Har-Ber's defense is the matchup to watch. The Purple'Dogs average 426 yards per game, led by Wake Forest commit Taylor Powell's 21 TD passes, while Har-Ber allows just 206 yards to opponents per game. ... The game features the league's top quarterback and three of the 7A-West's top six receivers and rushers in terms of yardage.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Fayetteville, QB Taylor Powell (Sr., 6-2, 210), RB Terrance Rock (Sr., 6-0, 185), WR Barrett Banister (Sr., 6-2, 195), WR Brennon Lewis (Sr., 6-3, 195), DL Akial Byers (Sr., 6-5, 265), LB Nick Scalise (Sr., 6-2, 200). Har-Ber, QB Payton Copher (Jr., 6-0, 180), RB Logan Collins (Jr., 5-10, 185), WR Trey Smith (Sr., 5-9, 175), DL Alejandro Ramirez (Jr., 6-2, 280), LB Oliver Nasilai (Jr., 6-2, 236), DB Tevin Eckwood (Jr., 6-0, 180).
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Fayetteville is No 4 in 7A. Har-Ber is No. 2.
HOOTEN'S LINE Har-Ber by 7.
OUR TAKE Har-Ber 28, Fayetteville 21.
-- Scottie Bordelon • @NWAScottie
Bentonville West at Rogers Heritage
David Gates Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Bentonville West 2-5, 2-2; Rogers Heritage 0-7, 0-4
ON THE AIR Bentonville West -- KAMO-FM 94.3; Rogers Heritage KHEL-FM 97.3;
BETWEEN THE LINES West was held to 128 yards total offense in a loss to Springdale Har-Ber, and the Wolverines hurt their cause with five turnovers -- two of which were returned for scores. ... West remains in the hunt for a postseason appearance in its inaugural season, and two wins in its next three games could make a good case for a first-round playoff game at home. ... West sophomore WR Jaden Jackson leads 7A-West receivers with 44 catches and 635 yards. ... The War Eagles managed just 78 yards rushing in last week's lost at Fayetteville. ... Heritage's leading rusher Dylan Qualls finished with 61 yards on the ground, but sat out the second half with an ankle sprain. ... Heritage has now lost 18 consecutive games. ... Qualls is among the top rushers in the 7A-West with 707 yards on the ground on 139 carries. ... Kamryn Dickerson leads the War Eagles' defense with 57 tackles (40 solos).
PLAYERS TO WATCH West, QB Will Jarrett (So., 5-10, 150), WR Jaden Jackson (So., 5-10, 165), OL Anthony Boettner (Jr., 6-2, 240) OL Michael Toney (Jr., 6-2, 305) DB Jason Gloeckler (Jr., 5-11, 150). Heritage, QB Trey Kitterman (Jr., 6-1, 226), DB Tae Dixon (Sr., 5-10, 160), OL Jerry Pollock (Sr., 6-1, 274), RB Dylan Qualls (Jr., 6-0, 191), WR Roberto Palacios (Sr., 6-0, 187);
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Bentonville West is No. 11 in Class 7A; Rogers Heritage is No. 16.
HOOTEN'S LINE West by 9.
OUR TAKE Bentonville West 31, Rogers Heritage 21.
-- PAUL BOYD • @NWApaulb
Rogers High at Bentonville High
Tiger Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Rogers 5-2, 2-2; Bentonville 5-2, 3-1.
ON THE AIR Rogers -- KURM-AM 790; Bentonville -- KFMD-FM 101.5.
BETWEEN THE LINES This marks the 114th annual meeting between the two Benton County rivals. ... Rogers currently holds a 70-37-6 series lead, but Bentonville has won the last nine meetings. ... The Mounties' defense showed up strong in the second half, pitching a shutout and allowing just three first downs in the final two quarters in last week's 26-7 win over Van Buren. ... Rogers took advantage of four Van Buren miscues to score 17 points. ... Jeb Brain remains among the top rushers in the 7A-West with 714 yards on the season, after going for 166 yards and two touchdowns last week. ... Bentonville struggled early against Springdale and led just 10-0 at halftime before it found an offensive spark. ...
PLAYERS TO WATCH Rogers, RB/DB Jeb Brain (Sr., 5-11, 173), QB Max Horton (Sr., 6-2, 208), RB/WR Grayson Lee (Sr., 5-11, 192), DL Phillip Necessary (Sr., 6-0, 215), LB Aron Jones (Jr., 6-1, 222), WR Jake Benninghoff (Sr., 6-3, 190). Bentonville, QB Canaan Ross (Sr., 6-1, 210), WR Kam'Ron Mays-Hunt (Jr., 6-1, 170), RB Jacob Clark (Sr., 5-11, 195), LB Destyn Adkins (Sr., 6-1, 190) DB Aaron Estrada (Sr., 5-10, 175).
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Rogers is No. 10 in Class 7A. Bentonville is No. 3.
HOOTEN'S LINE Bentonville by 10.
OUR TAKE Bentonville 34, Rogers 21
-- Henry Apple • @NWAHenry
Springdale High at Van Buren
Citizens Bank Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Springdale 3-4, 1-3; Van Buren 2-5, 1-3
ON THE AIR Springdale Public Schools livestream
BETWEEN THE LINES Springdale will look to regain traction in conference play on the road against Van Buren's triple-option offense. ... The Red'Dogs fell 38-0 to Bentonville last week while the Pointers fumbled its way to a 26-7 loss to Rogers. ... Springdale will be challenged to slow down Van Buren leading rusher Walter Green (624 yards, 6 TD), and the Red'Dogs will need a solid outing from QB Layne Hutchins (1,480 yards, 13 TD) after a two-interception night against Bentonville.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Springdale, QB Layne Hutchins (Jr., 6-0, 180), RB Garrett Vaughan (So., 5-9, 160), WR Alex Thompson (Jr., 5-9, 170), WR/DB Jayden Minchew (Sr., 6-1, 175), LB Mason Hutchins (Jr., 6-0, 215), DL Isaiah Nichols (Jr., 6-4, 270). Van Buren, QB Caleb Salisbury, RB/DL Josh Aden (Sr., 6-2, 220), WR/CB Kameron Collins (Sr., 5-9, 175), SS Greg Gladden (Sr., 5-10, 170), DL Alex Espinosa (Sr., 5-10, 260).
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Springdale is No. 12 in 7A. Van Buren is No. 15.
HOOTEN'S LINE Springdale by 3.
OUR TAKE Springdale 31, Van Buren 21.
-- Scottie Bordelon • @NWAScottie
Class 4A
Prairie Grove at Gentry
Pioneers Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Prairie Grove 7-0, 4-0; Gentry 2-5, 0-4
ON THE AIR Livestreamed at pgtigersonline.com
BETWEEN THE LINES Prairie Grove rolled through the toughest part of its schedule unscathed and should lock down the No. 1 seed from the 4A-1 Conference, which means a first-round playoff bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. ... The Tigers led just 21-14 at halftime last week against Pea Ridge, then took control in the second half. ... Prairie Grove DB Isaac Disney returned two interceptions for touchdowns last week and also blocked a punt. ... Tiger junior RB Anthony Johnson is putting together a solid season with 784 yards on 89 carries and 7 TDs. ... The Tigers have been a force defensively, allowing just 76 points in seven games. ... Gentry junior QB Jon Faulkenberry is one of the elite athletes in the 4A-1, and leads Northwest Arkansas in rushing with 1,004 yards on 116 carries and 12 touchdowns.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Prairie Grove, QB Zeke Laird (Sr., 5-11, 180), WR/DB Isaac Disney (Sr., 6-0, 150), RB Anthony Johnson (Jr., 5-9, 180), DE Jack Stone (Sr., 6-5, 230), LR Reed Orr (Sr., 5-10, 205), RB Kyle Sam (Sr., 5-9, 180). Gentry, QB John Faulkenberry (Jr., 6-1, 200), RB Myles McFerron (Jr., 5-9, 200), WR Cole Cripps (Sr., 5-10, 170), DT Shawn Pierce (Sr., 6-2, 215).
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Prairie Grove is No. 3 in Class 4A; Gentry is No. 42.
HOOTEN'S LINE Prairie Grove by 24.
OUR TAKE Prairie Grove 45, Gentry 14
-- CHIP SOUZA • @NWAChip
Huntsville at Gravette
Lions Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS: Huntsville 3-4, 2-2; Gravette 4-3, 2-2
ON THE AIR Livestreamed at lionlettermen.com
BETWEEN THE LINES The Eagles bring a two-game winning streak into the game and are in the mix for a playoff berth after starting the season 1-4 under first-year head coach Randy Barnhill. ... Sophomore QB Sean McCone has shown steady improvement week-to-week. ... Senior RB Jaron Evans leads the team in rushing and also stars at linebacker. ... Gravette picked up a big win last week against Berryville after two straight lopsided losses to Prairie Grove and Pea Ridge. ... Junior RB Austin O'Brien leads the Lions offensively as the top rusher and receiver out of the backfield. ... Senior QB Kilby Roberts is 72 of 128 passing for 795 yards and 9 TDs. ... The Lions have four players with 50 or more tackles, led by junior MLB Kenton Tajchman, who has 57 stops. ... Senior DE Drew Hendren has 2.0 sacks, 5.0 tackles for loss and 51 total tackles.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Huntsville, QB Sean McCone (So., 5-9, 155), RB/LB Jaron Evans (Sr., 5-11, 170), OL Brannon Smith (Sr., 6-2, 285). Gravette, RB Austin O'Brien Jr., 5-10, 170), WR Brady Moorman (Jr., 5-6, 140), DE Drew Hendren (Sr., 6-2, 200), LB Bailey Soule' (Jr., 5-11, 243), LB Gunner Berger (Jr., 5-10, 160).
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Huntsville is No. 35 in Class 4A; Gravette is No. 18.
HOOTEN'S LINE Gravette by 12.
OUR TAKE Gravette 28, Huntsville 7.
CHIP SOUZA • @NWAChip
Shiloh Christian at Lincoln
Wolfpack Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Shiloh Christian 5-1, 2-1. Lincoln 2-5, 1-3.
ON THE AIR Live streaming at shilohsaintsfootball.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES Last week, Shiloh Christian defeated Gentry 36-7 at Champions Stadium. Lincoln lost 36-34 at Huntsville after the Eagles rallied from an early 14-0 deficit. ... Don Harrison is in his second season as Lincoln's head coach after guiding the Wolves to the playoffs last season. ... Lincoln senior Harrison Swayne was 16-of-27 passing for 223 yards and two touchdown while rushing for 59 yards and another touchdown against Huntsville. Swayne threw for five touchdowns and ran for another in the Wolves' 41-13 win against Berryville in Week 6. ... Braden Umberson caught nine passes for 152 yards against Huntsville. ... Saints senior Connor Reece's 1,841 passing yards is second in Northwest Arkansas behind Fayetteville's Taylor Powell (1,963). ... Four Shiloh Christian players have more than 300 yards receiving. They are Brennan Fulgham (364), Jake Nelson (334), Broc Berus (324) and Blake Thomson (302).
PLAYERS TO WATCH Lincoln, QB Harrison Swayne (Sr., 6-3, 195), RB/LB Caleb Lloyd (So., 5-11, 205), WR Braden Umberson (Jr., 6-1, 185), OL/DL Zach Duncan (Jr., 6-2, 245), TE/DE Dalton Lee (Sr., 6-3, 190). Shiloh Christian, QB Connor Reece (Sr., 5-10, 180), RB/LB Broc Berus (Sr., 6-1, 210), WR Jake Nelson (Jr., 6-0, 180), LB Andrew Osbourne (Jr., 5-10, 175), WR/RB Jaret Russ (So., 5-9, 170).
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Lincoln is No. 38 in 4A. Shiloh Christian is No. 8.
HOOTEN'S LINE Shiloh Christian by 24.
OUR TAKE Shiloh Christian 42, Lincoln 7.
-- Mike Capshaw • @NWACappy
Sports on 10/21/2016