CLASS 7A
Russellville at Springdale Har-Ber
Wildcat Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Russellville 0-1; Har-Ber 0-1
ON THE AIR The game is live-streamed on the Wildcat Sports Network at wildcatsportsnetwork.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES Both teams come into the game after season-opening losses. Russellville fell to Morrilton 33-17, while Har-Ber lost a wild 84-68 game to Pulaski Academy ... The Cyclones struggled offensively in their opener, accounting for less than 100 yards of offense and only 6 yards rushing. Russellville scored two first-quarter touchdowns for a 14-0 lead, but Morrilton scored three times in the second quarter and rolled from there. ... Offense was not an issue for Har-Ber in its opener. The Wildcats put up over 600 yards of total offense. Defense was a different issue as Har-Ber gave up 1,025 yards of offense including 838 passing. ... Har-Ber quarterback Blaise Wittschen was 26-of-33 for 328 yards and 5 TDs. Three different receivers caught at least 7 passes. ... Wildcats' running back Jay Burns had 29 carries for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns. ... Senior wide receiver Micah Seawood did not play in the opener with a hamstring injury. He is expected to be on the field tonight.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Russellville -- QB Braden Whitford (Jr., 5-9, 200), RB Kobe Robinson (Jr., 5-8, 150), WR Brady Burnett (Jr., 5-9, 150), LB Cole Hathcote (Sr., 6-0, 180), CB Caleb Gray (Jr., 5-9, 155). Har-Ber -- QB Blaise Wittschen (Sr., 6-0, 170), RB Jay Burns (Sr., 5-10, 180), WR Hunter Wood (Sr., 6-1, 180), WR Micah Seawood (Sr., 6-1, 165)
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Russellville is No. 7 in Class 6A; Har-Ber is No. 8 in Class 7A.
HOOTEN'S LINE Har-Ber by 15
OUR TAKE Har-Ber 54, Russellville 21
-- Chip Souza • @nwachip
Van Buren at FS Northside
Mayo-Thompson Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Van Buren 2-0; FS Northside 1-1
ON THE AIR The game is live-streamed on both schools' websites: thenorthsidegrizzlies.com and vanburenathletics.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES In the past seven seasons, the most games the Pointers have won in a season has been four. They are already halfway to that in the first two games. ... Van Buren throttled Alma last week 53-21, while Northside was thumped 38-10 by Greenwood. ... The Pointers have plenty of playmakers starting with quarterback Gary Phillips, who ran and passed for 5 touchdowns and 456 rushing and passing yards against Alma. ... A win tonight would give Van Buren its best start to a season since 2011. ... Northside routed Van Buren 46-21 last season. ... The Grizzlies passed for just 31 yards in the loss to Greenwood.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Van Buren -- QB Gary Phillips (Sr., 6-0, 180), ATH Jaiden Henry (Jr., 5-10, 155), RB Brayden Rivas (Sr., 5-6, 170), WR Jude Bartholomew (Sr., 6-1, 200), WR Maury Newton (Sr., 6-1, 185). Northside -- QB Dreyden Norwood (Jr., 6-1, 180), RB Jackson King (Sr., 5-9, 180), WR Tyheen Procise (Jr., 5-9, 150)
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Van Buren is No. 13 in Class 7A; FS Northside is No. 7.
HOOTEN'S LINE FS Northside by 13
OUR TAKE Van Buren 27, FS Northside 21
-- Chip Souza • @nwachip
Springdale High at Alma
Airedales Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Springdale 1-1; Alma 0-1
ON THE AIR The game will be live-streamed at springdaleathletics.com and on radio at KAKS-FM 99.5.
BETWEEN THE LINES The Bulldogs come into the game riding the momentum of a come-from-behind 24-21 win over Little Rock Parkview, scoring two touchdowns in the final three-plus minutes. ... Alma was hammered 53-21 last week by Van Buren. ... Springdale wide receiver Ladarius Wonsley has 24 catches already in two games with 4 touchdowns. Wonsley caught 15 passes last week against Parkview. ... Bulldog senior quarterback Conner Hutchins is 34-of-75 for 364 yards. ... Springdale running back Gilberto Dominguez was huge in the win over Parkview with more than 100 yards running. ... Alma running back Ben Henley had 108 yards on 12 carries last week including a 56-yard touchdown run. ... Airedales senior quarterback Landon Blair was 11-of-18 for 96 yards with 1 touchdown. Blair also rushed for a touchdown.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Springdale -- QB Conner Hutchins (Sr., 5-11, 150), WR Ladarius Wonsley (Jr., 6-0, 155), RB Gilberto Dominguez (Jr., 5-10, 160), RB Darrell Parchman (Sr., 5-9, 180). Alma -- QB Landon Blair (Sr., 6-1, 250), RB Ben Henley (Sr., 6-0, 200), WR Grayson Bailey (Sr., 6-2, 160), LB Game Jensen (Sr., 6-3, 230)
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Springdale is No. 14 in Class 7A; Alma is No. 17 in Class 5A.
HOOTEN'S LINE Springdale by 3
OUR TAKE Springdale 24, Alma 20
-- Chip Souza • @nwachip
Bentonville at Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington
S.E. Williams Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Bentonville 2-0; Tulsa Washington 1-1
ON THE AIR The game is live-streamed at bentonvillesportsnetwork.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES The Tigers held off Conway 17-10 a week ago, getting a big fourth-and-1 conversion late on a run by Preston Crawford, who rushed for 78 yards and a TD. ... QB Ben Pankau threw for 207 yards but suffered a finger injury in the second half while playing defense against the Wampus Cats. ... Washington quarterback Gentry Williams threw for 344 yards and 4 TDs in the Hornets' 33-14 win over Bishop Kelley last week. ... Williams also ran for a touchdown in that game. ... The Hornets were also blanked 19-0 by North Little Rock in a game played in Bentonville's Tiger Stadium.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Bentonville High -- QB Ben Pankau (Sr., 6-1, 180), RB Preston Crawford (Sr., 5-11, 190), WR Trenton Kolb (Sr., 5-11, 170), LB Cole Joyce (Jr., 6-0, 215), RB Colby Reid (Sr., 5-11, 160), DB Levi Bennett (Sr., 5-10, 170). Tulsa Washington -- QB Gentry Williams (Soph., 6-0, 155), WR J.J. Hester (Sr., 6-4, 185), OL Desmond Cockerell (Sr., 6-2, 270), LB/TE Krishawn Brown (Sr., 6-2 210), DB Keuan Parker (Jr., 5-11 165)
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Bentonville is ranked No. 4 in Class 7A.
HOOTEN'S LINE Tulsa Washington by 8
OUR TAKE Tulsa Washington 24, Bentonville 17
-- Paul Boyd • @nwapaulb
Bentonville West at Bryant
Tiger Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Bentonville West 1-1; Bryant 1-0
ON THE AIR The game is live-streamed at bentonvillesportsnetwork.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES The Wolverines jumped to a 31-0 halftime lead and cruised to the win over Fort Smith Southside last week. ... QB Dalton McDonald threw for 3 touchdowns and ran for another to help West cruise to the win. ... The Hornets were off last week after rolling over rival Benton 42-14 in the Salt Bowl. ... Running back Ahmad Adams rushed for three first-half touchdowns and rushed for 85 yards on just 13 carries in the win. ... Hornets quarterback Austine Ledbetter also three for 309 yards and 3 TDs against Benton.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Bentonville West -- LB/RB Jonas Higson (Sr., 6-3, 220), Nick Whitlatch (Sr., 6-0, 185), QB Dalton McDonald (Jr., 6-0, 165), WR Stephen Dyson (Jr., 5-10, 160), WR A.J. Moss (Jr., 5-10, 165). Bryant -- QB Austin Ledbetter (Jr., 6-1 190, WR Jake Meaders (Sr., 5-10 175)
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS West is ranked No. 6 in Class 7A; Bryant is No. 1.
HOOTEN'S LINE Bryant by 25
OUR TAKE Bryant 42, Bentonville West 14
-- Paul Boyd • @nwapaulb
Little Rock Central at Rogers High
Whitey Smith Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Little Rock Central 2-0; Rogers High 0-1
ON THE AIR Games are live-streamed at www.gomounties.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES Tigers running back Samuel Franklin ran wild in last week's 62-0 win over Rogers Heritage, rushing for 128 yards and 3 TDs. ... Franklin also added a receiving touchdown. ... Central opened the season with a win over West Memphis. ... The Mounties dropped a crazy 66-58 game to Pulaski Robinson last week, rallying from deficits of 20-0 and 42-21 to take a brief 58-54 lead. .... But the Senators broke a long run and regained the lead for good just 23 seconds later. ... Senior QB Hunter Loyd threw for 371 yards and 7 TDS in the loss. ... RB Sammy Zamarron rolled up more than 200 yards of total offense in just a half before suffering a knee injury last week. He's likely sidelined this week. ... Receiver Mason Ross finished with nine receptions for 169 yards and 3 TDs for Rogers.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Little Rock Central -- QB Lawson Gunn (Sr., 6-0 165), RB Samuel Franklin (Jr., 5-11 180), WR Antoine Westbrook (Jr., 5-10, 160).Rogers High -- QB Hunter Loyd (Sr., 6-4, 200), OL R.J. Long (Sr., 6-3, 290), RB Sammy Zamarron (Sr., 5-7, 172), WR Mason Ross (Sr., 5-9, 174), OL Carter Cox (Jr., 6-3, 290), OL Aaron Salinas (Sr., 6-3 280), WR/DB Chris Francisco (Jr., 5-7, 140), OL Jack Gilbreath (Sr., 6-3 285), DL Brian Wade (Jr., 6-0 220)
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Little Rock Central is ranked No. 9 in Class 7A. Rogers is No. 11.
HOOTEN'S LINE Central by 4
OUR TAKE Rogers 38, Little Rock Central 35
-- Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB
Fort Smith Southside at Greenwood
Smith-Robinson Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Fort Smith Southside 0-1; Greenwood 1-0
ON THE AIR The game is live-streamed at greenwooddogpound.com. and southsidemavericks.com.
BETWEEN THE LINES Greenwood QB Jace Presley enjoyed a great varsity debut throwing for four touchdowns in the Bulldogs' win over Fort Smith Northside. ... The Bulldogs defense forced three turnovers and pitched a shutout in the second half, pulling away from a 13-10 halftime lead for the 37-10 win. ... Southside fell into a 31-0 first-half hole against Bentonville West and never recovered. ... Mavericks QB Parker Wehunt threw a pair of second-half touchdowns.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Fort Smith Southside -- QB Parker Wehunt (Jr., 5-11, 190), RB Johntarrius Washington (Jr., 5-11, 150), OL Marlon Briggs (Sr., 5-11, 320), DT Shawn Rogers (Jr., 6-2, 265), Eli Lyles (Jr., 5-7, 140)Greenwood -- QB Jace Presley (Sr., 6-3, 182), RB Hunter Wilkinson (Jr., 5-10, 190), WR Treyton Dawson (Sr., 6-0, 178), OL Nathan Nethers (Sr., 6-1, 217), OL Kevin Douglas (Sr., 6-2, 271), OL Halen Carter (Sr., 6-0, 218), OL Michael Emberson (Sr., 5-8, 264), OL Traven Nichols (5-10, 271), DT Aniken Lewis (Sr., 5-8, 249), LB Eli Martin (Sr., 5-11, 192) S Logan Workman (Sr., 5-7, 140)
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Southside is ranked No. 12 in Class 7A. Greenwood is No. 1 in Class 6A.
HOOTEN'S LINE Greenwood by 31
OUR TAKE Greenwood 42, Fort Smith Southside 14
-- Paul Boyd • @NWAPaulB
CLASS 6A
Siloam Springs at Harrison
F.S. Garrison Stadium, Harrison
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Siloam Springs 1-1; Harrison 2-0
ON THE AIR The game will be live-streamed on Siloam Springs Athletics on YouTube.
BETWEEN THE LINES Siloam Springs and Harrison meet for the sixth straight season after renewing their rivalry in 2014. ... Siloam Springs won the first two meetings in 2014 (47-35) and 2015 (16-0). Harrison has won the last three in 2016 (39-19), in 2017 (48-12) and last season's 42-7 win at Panther Stadium. ... Siloam Springs is coming off a 38-13 win over Pryor, Okla., last week at Panther Stadium. . ... The Panthers totaled 445 yards of total offense, 261 yards in the running game and 184 passing. ... Senior Jackson Norberg rushed 16 times for 85 yards and caught two passes for 38 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown pass. ... Junior Cam Collins, in his first game of the year, rushed nine times for 57 yards and two touchdowns. ... Siloam Springs quarterback Taylor Pool rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown and completed 14 of 24 passes for 184 yards. Defensively Siloam Springs only allowed 249 yards of offense to Pryor, and one of the Tigers' touchdowns came on a blocked punt. ... Harrison blitzed Pea Ridge (42-7) and Mountain Home (42-10) to open the season with back-to-back road victories. ... Senior running back Gabe Huskey -- the 2018 NWADG Player of the Year -- has already rushed for 231 yards on 18 carries with three touchdowns. ... Goblins senior QB Ben Johnson has completed 10 of 14 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Cole Keylon has completed 10 of 11 passes for 154 yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Siloam Springs -- QB Taylor Pool (Sr., 5-11, 179), WR Gage Weaver (Sr., 5-9, 169), DT Mariano Dominguez (Sr., 6-0, 255), TE/DE Kolby Fesler (Sr., 6-3, 254), RB/S Jackson Norberg (Sr., 6-1, 173), RB/LB Cam Collins (Jr., 6-2, 185). Harrison -- QB Ben Johnson (Sr. 6-0, 170), RB Gabe Huskey (Sr., 5-11, 170), MLB Brooks Both (Sr., 6-0, 228), LB Bryant Ulrich (Sr., 5-11, 190), OL Trey Stith (Sr. 5-11, 230).
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Siloam Springs is No. 9 in Class 6A. Harrison is No. 2 in Class 5A
HOOTEN'S LINE Harrison by 10
OUR TAKE Harrison 35, Siloam Springs 24
-- Graham Thomas • @NWAGraham
CLASS 5A
Farmington at Gravette
Lions Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Farmington 1-0. Gravette 0-1.
ON THE AIR www.farmcards.org
BETWEEN THE LINES Farmington hits the road after beating rival Prairie Grove 27-7 in the first game played at the new Farmington Sports Complex. .... Farmington shut down Prairie Grove after allowing a long scoring drive on the game's first possession and the Cardinals showed a good run-pass mix on offense. .... Drew Sturgeon scored two touchdowns and former receiver Marqwaveon completed 9-of-11 passes for 85 yards in his first start at quarterback. .... Josh Stettmeier scored his first career touchdown on a 25-yard run in the fourth quarter. ... Gravette was off last week after losing 38-6 to Tulsa (Okla.) Cascia Hall 38-6. ... Gravette scored its only touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Cy Hilger to Ian Drake. ... Farmington beat Gravette 49-2 last season when the Lions finished 1-9. ... Gravette is picked to finish fifth in a preseason poll of the 4A-1 Conference coaches.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Farmington -- WR Drew Sturgeon (Sr., 6-1, 165), QB MarQuaveon Watson (Sr., 5-7, 150), LB Colton Kilgore (Sr., 6-1, 210), LB Hayden Cox (Jr., 5-11, 190), FB/LB Josh Stettmeier (Sr., 6-2, 225), RB Jaden Schader (Sr., 6-1, 205), RB DeCory Thomas (Jr., 5-11, 145), OG Hayden Grantham (Sr., 5-10, 275). Gravette -- QB Cy Hilger (Sr., 6-1, 155), WR/DB Mason Dagley (Sr., 5-9, 170), RB/LB Isaac Dann (Jr., 5-8, 190), OL/DL Dathan Bosley (Sr., 5-10, 230), OL Keegan Addison (Jr. 6-0, 175)
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Farmington is No. 21 in Class 5A. Gravette is No. 48 in Class 4A.
HOOTEN'S LINE Farmington by 21
OUR TAKE Farmington 45, Gravette 6
-- Rick Fires • @NWARick
CLASS 3A
Mountainburg at Greenland
Greenland Stadium
KICKOFF 7 p.m.
RECORDS Greenland 1-0; Mountainburg 1-1
BETWEEN THE LINES Greenland opened the season with a 31-20 victory over Elkins. ... Quarterback Gabe Wilson accounted for five touchdowns, one passing and four rushing. ... Jett Dennis added 146 yards on the ground and Zeylan Bryant caught seven passes for 87 yards. ... Mountainburg lost 48-0 against Cedarville after opening the season with a 35-0 victory over Lavaca. .... Ethan Gregory and Malachi West each scored two touchdowns in the win over Lavaca. ... Greenland won last year's game in a shootout, 55-39 over the Dragons.
PLAYERS TO WATCH Mountainburg -- RB Malachi West (Sr., 6-3, 250), OL Damien Kissler (Sr., 6-1, 220), OL Ridge Bonewell (Sr., 6-6, 250), DL Billy Jones (Sr., 6-2, 220). Greenland -- QB Gabe Wilson (Jr., 6-2, 195), RB Jett Dennis (Jr., 5-9, 160), WR Zeylan Bryant (Sr., 5-10, 160), OL Luke Osburn (Sr., 6-1, 220), NG Dylan Reed (Jr., 5-10, 210)
HOOTEN'S RANKINGS Greenland is No. 27 in Class 3A. Mountainburg is No. 15 in Class 2A.
HOOTEN'S LINE Greenland by 17
OUR TAKE Greenland 42, Mountainburg 12
-- Rick Fires • @NWARick
Sports on 09/13/2019