Hootens Arkansas Football Rankings

Class 6A, Week 14, 2023

Copyright Seventy Sevens Football Publishing, LLC

1. Greenwood (12-0)

2. LR Christian (10-2)

3. Benton (10-2)

4. Pulaski Academy (10-3)

5. Marion (8-3)

6. Greenbrier (6-6)

7. Mountain Home (6-6)

8. Van Buren (5-7)

9. West Memphis (7-4)

10. LR Catholic (7-4)

11. Searcy (6-5) 

12. El Dorado (6-5) 

13. Russellville (4-6) 

14. Lake Hamilton (3-7) 

15. Sheridan (3-7) 

16. Jacksonville (2-8) 

17. Greene County Tech (2-8) 

18. Sylvan Hills (0-10) 

19. Siloam Springs (0-10) 

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly picked 1 of 2 games (50 percent) involving Class 6A teams last week and is 99 of 117 (85 percent) on the season.

WEEK 14 PREDICTIONS (favored team in All Caps and highlighted)

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK

CLASS 6A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, 6:30 p.m. Friday, War Memorial Stadium

No. 2 (6A West 2) Little Rock Christian vs. No. 1 (6A West 1) GREENWOOD

Greenwood has won 3 of 5 in the all-time series, including a 27-6 victory in the 2007 Class 5A state championship game. Greenwood won 56-39 four weeks ago to earn the No. 1 seed out of the 6A West.

LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN began playing varsity football in 2002, and the Warriors qualified for that year's postseason, a rarity for a first-year program. The 2007 Warriors earned the school’s first conference title, highlighted by a 44-7 home victory over Greenwood in late October. The Warriors earned their first 3 playoff victories that season before Greenwood downed LRCA in the state final. The Warriors broke through in 2018, winning the 5A state title with a 52-38 victory over Pulaski Academy, which avenged a regular-season loss to the Bruins. This week's game against Greenwood is LRCA's fifth appearance in a state final, and the school's first since 2020.

This year's Warriors punched their ticket to the big game by outlasting 6A East champion Benton 42-35 a week ago at Panther Stadium. The game was tied 35-35 late in the fourth quarter, but LRCA took the lead for good when Connor Smith covered 29 yards for the eventual winning touchdown with 2:29 to play. LRCA senior quarterback Walker White completed 21 of 34 passes at Benton for 319 yards and 3 TDs, and he rushed 16 times for 70 yards and 2 more scores. White, tailbacks Smith and Jackson Ward, receivers Cade Bowman, and Tate Collins, and linemen Andrew Lord and Clay Smith combined to help the Warriors average 48 points per game this fall. LRCA defensive back Trey Howard helped preserve the victory over Benton with a game-sealing forced fumble in the final minute as Benton raced into LRCA territory. Howard, Jake Field, and Addison Valley make plays in the secondary, while linebackers Preston Davis and Cooper Jones wreak havoc, and Zach Jordan anchors the defensive line for the No. 2 scoring defense (17 PPG) in 6A.

GREENWOOD played for its first state title in 1996, losing to Watson Chapel in that season's Class 3A final. The Bulldogs returned to Little Rock in 2000, finishing the job under successful longtime Coach Ronnie Peacock. Greenwood won its last 13 games that fall, including a 30-2 rout of Hope in the 4A final. The Bulldogs have added 6 titles in Class 5A, and most recently 3 in Class 6A. This will be Greenwood's fourth straight state-title appearance, and the Bulldogs search for their first state title since 2020.

The 2023 Bulldogs have rarely been challenged, opening the season at No. 2 in the Hooten's Arkansas Football 6A rankings before taking over the top spot Week 2 and winning all 12 of their games along the way. Greenwood's latest victory came last week at home when the Bulldogs eliminated defending Class 6A state champion Pulaski Academy 56-26. Greenwood led PA 35-14 at halftime. Greenwood sophomore QB Kane Archer racked up 242 yards and 6 TDs against PA to help the Bulldogs make the final. Archer has totaled 35 TDs in his last 6 games. Archer completed 6 passes to L.J. Robins for 102 yards and 2 TDs, while Grant Karnes collected 5 balls for 28 yards and a score, and Karnes also returned an onside kick for a TD. The Greenwood defense logged 6 sacks against PA and 2 interceptions. Greenwood senior safety Brady Mackey returned an interception 87 yards for a TD to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 first-quarter lead. The Bulldogs boast Class 6A's top-scoring offense (52.3 PPG) and scoring defense (16.5 PPG). Archer has completed 73 percent of his passes this season for 2,207 yards and 31 TDs with 3 interceptions. Senior tailback Braydean Davis leads the rushing attack with 1,429 rushing yards and 22 TDs. Three Greenwood receivers have topped 533 receiving yards this season, led by Robins (72-973 receiving, 17 TDs), Karnes (68-928 receiving, 12 scores) and Isaiah Arrington (34-533 receiving, 8 TDs). Senior Ryan Shortes (53 pancake blocks), sophomore Cody Taylor (44 pancakes) and junior Ashton Stein (40 pancake blocks) anchor the Greenwood offensive line. Junior Zack Zitzmann tops the Greenwood tackle chart with 113 stops, followed by Zachary Edwards (84 tackles), Mackey (77 stops), and Cash Archer (71 tackles). Cash Archer leads the state with 18 sacks this season, while Brenden Chick has racked up 5. Braden Skaggs has intercepted a team-high 7 passes in 2023, followed by Mackey's 6 picks.

Expect many big plays in this matchup that features 2 teams that have been 1 or 2 all season. We expect a closer game than 4 weeks ago when Greenwood won by 17, but in the end, Greenwood returns to the winner's circle on the strength of its big-play defense and pass rush.