Stone Cold Lock Of The Week: Week 8

The week a lot of us have been waiting for. Week 8. Now that the ho-hum part of the schedule is out of the way for several schools, no we get into the nitty gritty of playoff seeding. Teams with nothing to lose and could very well shake up the playoff picture. There are great matchups this week and they definitely make a case for the Stone Cold Lock of The Week. Bentonville hosts Rogers in what will be for the 7A West Championship, but that did not make the cut on our ten games to see.

Then there is the 3A-1 Conference. In the top spot sits Mansfield, the Tigers devouring teams in their path to prove they are not just Bonneville’s Little Brother or a carbon copy of Booneville. Charleston, with only one loss to Mansfield, has been that reliable car in the garage. A QB here, a blue-collar defense there and they are just as good as your grandpa’s old Chevy or Ford pickup. They start; they go and do not stop until they reach the Playoffs. Then there is Booneville. Big, brash, and unforgiving like a factory, a football factory. Sure, that annoying neighbor down the road gets the headlines for being Title Town, but for the Bearcat faithful they will let you know they have state championship rings and trophies they polish as well.

Some say… the kids in this three-way battle were born under the Friday night lights, that they could read a defense before they were in pre-school or Kindergarten.

All we know is… the next two weeks decide everything in the 3A-1 conference.

Stone Cold Lock Of The Week

Mansfield vs Booneville

So how big is this game? The surging Mansfield Tigers beat Booneville last year in Mansfield for the first time since 1980. One thing that has not happened since 1949 was a Mansfield Tiger win in Booneville, according to records on ghsfha.org. If Van Buren thought they had tall task going to Greenwood Thursday night, Mansfield traveling to Booneville to not only win but get back-to-back victories is Mt. Everest. Now, records and semantics aside, Mansfield is extremely good this season. They have been able to open the offense more with passing and their offensive and defensive lines are stout. But so are Booneville’s twin college-bound bulldozers Sam Hicks and Jeremiah Shaw. Who have been giving defensive lines fits. With the forecasted rain and both programs with excellent running games, this will be closer to a defensive battle and who can manage the clock better. Turnovers were an issue for Booneville earlier in the season and I am sure Doc Crowley hopes that issue stays in the past.

The Rest

Van Buren vs Greenwood

As mentioned above there are some tall tasks in local high school football. Van Buren is on a run that has not happened since their State Championship in 1996. The Pointers are very improved on the year and roll into Greenwood 4-0 in conference, but those wins have come against the bottom half of the 6A West. They have the top half of the conference left starting with Greenwood, then Mountain Home, and finishing with Shiloh Christian. This is a Pointer team that could make it tough for those three teams. The worst-case scenario is they finish 4^th in conference and still host a home play-off game. Greenwood returned Senior receiver Champ Davis to the line-up last week where he caught one of five touchdowns form Kane Archer in a win against Lake Hamilton.

Charleston vs Cedarville

Charleston scores as many points as they want in this game. Next week they could be going for 1^st through 3^rd in conference depending on the outcome of Mansfield vs Booneville.

Lavaca vs Hackett

This is battle for the fourth seed in the conference. Hackett went through the top three gauntlet, while Lavaca went through two out of three with Booneville in Week 10 remaining. A Hackett puts both teams with identical records, with West Fork and Cedarville left on the schedule.

West Fork vs Greenland

QB Cooper Ridenoure and Shawn Swinson face their former team.

Conway Christian vs Magazine

Announced this week that Conway Christian Head Coach Justin Kramer would be stepping down from his Head Coach position at seasons end. The Eagles will be spirited going into Magazine to win it all again for their coach. Magazine sits 5^th in conference but has pulled out a surprising run this year.

Paris vs Magnet Cove

The 6-1 Eagles are rolling with an undefeated conference record with game against 3A-4 front runner Glen Rose next week.

Waldron vs Clinton

Clinton is third in the 4A-4 with a game against second place Ozark in Week 10. Ozark has Dardanelle this week in what will decide the conference champion.

Bismarck vs Prescott

The Bismarck Lions only blemish on their record came from Mansfield in Week 0. Both teams sport similar records with Prescott’s only loss coming at the hands of Salem in Week 1. The 3A-7 is in the same boat as their 3A counterpart the 3A-1 conference. This week’s game decides the top spot, but a motivated Smackover in Week 9 could push the Curley Wolves to 3^rd place in conference.

Russellville vs Southside

Southside is in bounce back mode after a close loss to Van Buren last week, where turnovers were costly. Russellville is a team with nothing to lose, 0-7 on the season and 0-4 in conference. If they wanted to sneak into the playoffs, they just have to win the last three games against Southside, Siloam Springs, and Lake Hamilton.