There were a lot off really good games last night, and this morning I share my thoughts on some of last night's scores.
7A THOUGHTS
Bryant had an impressive win over Van Buren. The Hornets have been doing well this season, and could be a sleeper team come playoff time.
After struggling some this season, Bentonville got a big win over Rogers last night. Fayetteville appears to be the team to beat in the 7A West, but don't ever count out the Tigers come playoff time.
Conway and Little Rock Catholic played a close game, but don't let the score throw you off. This is a rivalry game and you can throw all of the records, stats, etc. out of the window when games like this happen. Conway is going to be a team to watch once the playoffs roll around.
Little Rock Central was impressive in a win over West Memphis last night as well.
6A THOUGHTS
In the game I covered, Pine Bluff defeated El Dorado 38-19. Both teams had mistakes, but Pine Bluff was able to capitalize on several made by the Wildcats, and had a big second quarter to help them earn the win. This Pine Bluff team is one to watch without a doubt. It will not surprise me to see them in War Memorial come December.
A lot of people have been asking me about Benton. They are having a great season this year, and they earned a nice win over Lake Hamilton last night. Nothing against Benton, they may be the real deal, but I'm still waiting to see how they do against El Dorado and Pine Bluff in the next two weeks before reserving judgement. They had a 3-0 lead over Lake Hamilton last night before the Wolves had six turnovers late in the game. Benton capitalized on all of them the way a good team should, but I still want to see how the next two weeks go before calling them world beaters.
5A THOUGHTS
I can't lie. I've been disappointed in Hope this year. They have a lot of talent on that team, but they just aren't producing on the field. Camden-Fairview took it to them last night, and it wasn't even close.
I've got to give props to Watson Chapel. They won a hard-fought defensive battle with Magnolia last night in a triple overtime thriller. I wasn't too sure how the Wildcats would do this year, but here they are knocking on the door of a conference championship. First year head coach Jared Dutton is doing a really good job with his team.
Hot Springs Lakeside has been impressive also. They got a nice win over DeQueen last night. The Rams have been an impressive team under the leadership of head coach Jared McBride, and he once again has them poised for a playoff run.
Sylvan Hills earned yet another nice victory over McClellan, and a Week 10 match up against Pulaski Academy is going to be a good one.
4A THOUGHTS
I am still impressed with the way that Dardanelle is playing this year. They are going to be a legitimate contended for the Class 4A title. They had a very impressive win over Pulaski Robinson last night, and they don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Star City earned themselves a nice win over Dollarway last night. I've had several emails and facebook messages about this game with people asking about player ejections, bad sportsmanship shown, and alleged phantom penalty calls. I can't speak on any of those because I wasn't there, but at the end of the day, Star City had the most points on the board at the final whistle and earned themselves a quality win.
I have to give a shout out to coach Matt Richardson and Ashdown for their impressive win over Arkadelphia last night. Coach Richardson has done a fine job at Ashdown, and the hard work of both his team and his coaching staff paid off last night for them in a two overtime thriller.
One final shout out for Class 4A goes to the Shiloh Christian Saints. The Saints have looked impressive in conference play under new head coach Jeff Conaway. He has his team poised for a shot at the conference title and a run in the playoffs this year.
3A THOUGHTS
Well, the big one is coming up this week when Charleston and Booneville play each other. It's almost a shame that the number one and number two ranked teams in the state are in the same conference, but at the same time, this should make for a solid conference match up. Charleston rolled over Lavaca last night while Booneville handled Mansfield. Friday night's game is without a doubt the 3A game of the week, and could potentially be the game of the week for the entire state.
Other impressive wins last night include Harding Academy over Rose Bud, Hoxie over Corning, Osceoloa over Melbourne, Smackover over Camden Harmony Grove, Prescott over Benton Harmony Grove, and McGehee over Lake Village Lakeside.
2A THOUGHTS
I know I said it last week, but I'll say it again; Class 2A belongs to Junction City. I just don't believe there is any team in 2A who can hang with the Dragons. After last night's win over Strong, they have now outscored their opponents 393-41 this year.
Rison earned a nice victory over Bearden. The Bears have had the Wildcats number in recent years, and this one came down to the wire with Rison scoring late to earn the win.
Hazen was impressive over Des Arc last night. Many feel Hazen may have something for Junction City, but I'm still not sold on it. However, that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see the game happen.
Cross County had another big win last night. Don't look now, but the Thunderbirds look like a legitimate playoff contender.
The East Poinsett County vs. Earle game didn't disappoint last night either. Earle gave EPC all they wanted and then some, with EPC earning a two point victory.
BIG GAMES FOR WEEK 9
Jonesboro at Cabot
North Little Rock at West Memphis
LR Catholic at Greenwood
El Dorado at Benton
Beebe at Sylvan Hills
Forrest City at Wynne
Camden Fairview at Hot Springs
White Hall at Hope
Hot Springs Lakeside at Watson Chapel
Morrilton at Little Rock Christian
CAC at Newport
Lonoke at Stuttgart
Brookland at Harrisburg
Jonesboro Westside at Gosnell
Clinton at Subiaco Academy
Pulaski Robinson at Pottsville
Mena at Fountain Lake
Malvern at Nashville
Hamburg at Warren
Booneville at Charleston
Episcopal Collegiate at Benton Harmony Grove
Smackover at McGehee
Magnet Cove at Conway Christian
Clarendon at Carlisle
Joining the ArkansasVarsity.com Community is FREE! If you are not registered, you can do so by CLICKING HERE. If you already have a Rivals.com log in, you can use it to post as well.
[/B]
7A THOUGHTS
Bryant had an impressive win over Van Buren. The Hornets have been doing well this season, and could be a sleeper team come playoff time.
After struggling some this season, Bentonville got a big win over Rogers last night. Fayetteville appears to be the team to beat in the 7A West, but don't ever count out the Tigers come playoff time.
Conway and Little Rock Catholic played a close game, but don't let the score throw you off. This is a rivalry game and you can throw all of the records, stats, etc. out of the window when games like this happen. Conway is going to be a team to watch once the playoffs roll around.
Little Rock Central was impressive in a win over West Memphis last night as well.
6A THOUGHTS
In the game I covered, Pine Bluff defeated El Dorado 38-19. Both teams had mistakes, but Pine Bluff was able to capitalize on several made by the Wildcats, and had a big second quarter to help them earn the win. This Pine Bluff team is one to watch without a doubt. It will not surprise me to see them in War Memorial come December.
A lot of people have been asking me about Benton. They are having a great season this year, and they earned a nice win over Lake Hamilton last night. Nothing against Benton, they may be the real deal, but I'm still waiting to see how they do against El Dorado and Pine Bluff in the next two weeks before reserving judgement. They had a 3-0 lead over Lake Hamilton last night before the Wolves had six turnovers late in the game. Benton capitalized on all of them the way a good team should, but I still want to see how the next two weeks go before calling them world beaters.
5A THOUGHTS
I can't lie. I've been disappointed in Hope this year. They have a lot of talent on that team, but they just aren't producing on the field. Camden-Fairview took it to them last night, and it wasn't even close.
I've got to give props to Watson Chapel. They won a hard-fought defensive battle with Magnolia last night in a triple overtime thriller. I wasn't too sure how the Wildcats would do this year, but here they are knocking on the door of a conference championship. First year head coach Jared Dutton is doing a really good job with his team.
Hot Springs Lakeside has been impressive also. They got a nice win over DeQueen last night. The Rams have been an impressive team under the leadership of head coach Jared McBride, and he once again has them poised for a playoff run.
Sylvan Hills earned yet another nice victory over McClellan, and a Week 10 match up against Pulaski Academy is going to be a good one.
4A THOUGHTS
I am still impressed with the way that Dardanelle is playing this year. They are going to be a legitimate contended for the Class 4A title. They had a very impressive win over Pulaski Robinson last night, and they don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Star City earned themselves a nice win over Dollarway last night. I've had several emails and facebook messages about this game with people asking about player ejections, bad sportsmanship shown, and alleged phantom penalty calls. I can't speak on any of those because I wasn't there, but at the end of the day, Star City had the most points on the board at the final whistle and earned themselves a quality win.
I have to give a shout out to coach Matt Richardson and Ashdown for their impressive win over Arkadelphia last night. Coach Richardson has done a fine job at Ashdown, and the hard work of both his team and his coaching staff paid off last night for them in a two overtime thriller.
One final shout out for Class 4A goes to the Shiloh Christian Saints. The Saints have looked impressive in conference play under new head coach Jeff Conaway. He has his team poised for a shot at the conference title and a run in the playoffs this year.
3A THOUGHTS
Well, the big one is coming up this week when Charleston and Booneville play each other. It's almost a shame that the number one and number two ranked teams in the state are in the same conference, but at the same time, this should make for a solid conference match up. Charleston rolled over Lavaca last night while Booneville handled Mansfield. Friday night's game is without a doubt the 3A game of the week, and could potentially be the game of the week for the entire state.
Other impressive wins last night include Harding Academy over Rose Bud, Hoxie over Corning, Osceoloa over Melbourne, Smackover over Camden Harmony Grove, Prescott over Benton Harmony Grove, and McGehee over Lake Village Lakeside.
2A THOUGHTS
I know I said it last week, but I'll say it again; Class 2A belongs to Junction City. I just don't believe there is any team in 2A who can hang with the Dragons. After last night's win over Strong, they have now outscored their opponents 393-41 this year.
Rison earned a nice victory over Bearden. The Bears have had the Wildcats number in recent years, and this one came down to the wire with Rison scoring late to earn the win.
Hazen was impressive over Des Arc last night. Many feel Hazen may have something for Junction City, but I'm still not sold on it. However, that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see the game happen.
Cross County had another big win last night. Don't look now, but the Thunderbirds look like a legitimate playoff contender.
The East Poinsett County vs. Earle game didn't disappoint last night either. Earle gave EPC all they wanted and then some, with EPC earning a two point victory.
BIG GAMES FOR WEEK 9
Jonesboro at Cabot
North Little Rock at West Memphis
LR Catholic at Greenwood
El Dorado at Benton
Beebe at Sylvan Hills
Forrest City at Wynne
Camden Fairview at Hot Springs
White Hall at Hope
Hot Springs Lakeside at Watson Chapel
Morrilton at Little Rock Christian
CAC at Newport
Lonoke at Stuttgart
Brookland at Harrisburg
Jonesboro Westside at Gosnell
Clinton at Subiaco Academy
Pulaski Robinson at Pottsville
Mena at Fountain Lake
Malvern at Nashville
Hamburg at Warren
Booneville at Charleston
Episcopal Collegiate at Benton Harmony Grove
Smackover at McGehee
Magnet Cove at Conway Christian
Clarendon at Carlisle
Joining the ArkansasVarsity.com Community is FREE! If you are not registered, you can do so by CLICKING HERE. If you already have a Rivals.com log in, you can use it to post as well.
[/B]
