Everyone thinks that their team is the best. That’s just natural fandom. However, some take it a step further by claiming that their entire conference is superior to all the rest. Take the SEC versus BIG10 in college football or the AFC versus the NFC in the NFL. That mindset has slowly but surely made its way into the 3A State Playoff picture as programs vie for a shot at program supremacy, and perhaps, conference supremacy.
The 3A-1 has hoisted up the most overall State Championships in the 3A over the past 20 years, with Charleston going 6-1 at War Memorial and Booneville winning in two of their three trips to the State Championship. The pair of programs even faced off against each other for the 3A State Championship in 2022. That brings up a lot of “conference” bragging rights, but there’s not a team one in the 2025 Playoffs that suits up for their conference. They suit up for their teammates, their coaches, and their town. Even with that though, the fandom cannot be denied. That being the case, let’s break down the 3A-1 teams and their opponents in Round2 of the State Playoffs.
With the only bye week in the 3A-1, the Mansfield Tigers will strap up after a long week off. The Tigers are one of the favorites in the state to make it to Little Rock as they pack a 10-0 record, the 3A-1 Conference Championship, and home field advantage all through the Playoffs into their first game in Round2. Mansfield has knocked off teams such as Bismarck, Charleston, and Booneville to earn a little respect from the fans and media polls. The good news is, bye weeks can be great for a team to heal up and rest. The bad news is that a bye week can also create a rusty trap for some teams. Mansfield hasn’t taken the time of their bye week to allow rust to develop though as they continued to keep their standard regimen intact through the so called downtime. The first 2025 State Playoffs opponents will be a big task due to some BIG players.
Mansfield will host the Walnut Ridge Bobcats in Round2 of the State Playoffs on Friday, November 21st. Walnut Ridge may hold an 8-3 overall record, but don’t let that stat alone fool you. The Bobcats have hung up 494 total points which is the fourth best in the state, best in the 3A-3, and more than any team in the 3A-1. Walnut Ridge’s game plan is similar to Mansfield’s as they lean heavily on their run game and boy do they have some big’uns on the roster for that purpose. The Bobcats racked up a total of 2,806 yards on the ground in the regular season and “ground up” Dumas in Round1 of the Playoffs by rushing for 496 yards. As impressive as that sounds, the Tigers have 4,218 tards on the ground in their ten-game regular season slate, so they know a thing or two about run games.
Even though the Bobcats and Tigers have similar offensive tactics, Mansfeld will likely have the explosive play advantage in this matchup as well as a defensive edge. Walnut Ridge’s defense can be gashed on both sides of the ball with speed and that’s something the Tigers definitely have in their arsenal. The Bobcats have allowed 263 points in their eleven games so far this season and most of those points have been to teams who can burn rubber in the open field. If you enjoy a good old school ground and pound man’s man football game, then get your tickets online now and plan to be at the Jungle Friday night.
The Charleston Tigers took it to the limit in last week’s 71-48 win over the legendary Barton Bears. Even though the Tigers defense allowed 48 points in the Round1 game, it’s hard to lose when you put up 71 points. That was a home game against a now 5-6 team in the 3A-8 that barely made it into the playoffs though. This week’s task will not be near as statistically easy as Charleston will make a 197-mile trip south to Redbug Country to face off against another historic program at Fordyce.
It’s hard enough to find Paul “Bear” Bryant Stadium to start with, but to beat the Redbugs on their own grass is even harder. Fordyce prides itself on being a rough and tumble team on both sides of the ball and have the talent on their roster to make opponents look downright foolish at times. The Redbugs’ defense has only allowed a total of 72 points in their eleven games this season. That’s only one point more allowed than Charleston scored last Friday in their 71-48 victory over Barton.
Fordyce has won back-to-back 3A-1 Championships and has been in the Top3 of most of the media polls all year. They have tradition, they have history, they have State Championships…but Charleston does too. The last time Fordyce won a State Championship was in 2019 and 2020 in the 2A. You’d have to go back to 1991 to find their next trophy. The Tigers, on the other hand, have cased up six 3A Championships since 2005. This matchup could be the sling shot that sends one of the programs to Little Rock, but it won’t be easy. The two teams are polar opposites in their strengths and weaknesses so whichever team’s weakness steps up the most will likely be the winner. With a combined 14 State Championships between the two programs, it’s easy to say this will be a big-time small-town showdown in Round2.
Bonneville and Rivercrest. Two teams that have bounced around with success in both the 3A and 4A for decades. Oddly enough though, the last time these two crossed paths was…(fourth wall break)…this writer’s senior year. But here we are in 2025 and the Colts and Cats are ready for a long-awaited battle. Rivercrest had a first-round bye as the 3A-3 Champions, while Booneville whipped up on Quitman in Round1. Offensively, both teams can score and score a lot. Rivercrest has scored an average of 43 points in their ten games while Booneville’s season average sits at 36 points per game. It’s their method of putting up points that clashes though. The Colts utilize a speedy air raid offense while Booneville runs a head-smashing ground game. Rivercrest can score fast while the Bearcats’ goal is to wear down both their opponents and the clock with a repetitive playbook of three yards and a cloud of dust.
Just like the Charleston and Fordyce game though, this game will be won by the teams whose weakest link steps up the most. Booneville has been plagued by turnovers all season and if that trend continues, Rivercrest has the capabilities to run away with the game. The Bearcats’ defense has seen it all with Charleston’s spread offense and Mansfield’s head on collision run game tactics. In both of those narrow losses, it was the offensive turnovers in enemy territory that put their defense in a pickle. Even being put in a tight spot, Booneville’s defense was still able to hold those two teams to their lowest points of the year. The Colts have scored 437 points in their ten games season so far, but they’ve yet to face a defense like Booneville’s who has only allowed an average of 17 points per game. If the Bearcats offense can bear hug the ball and eat away at the time of possession, their defense should be able to out physical Rivercrest en route to a long, drawn-out victory.
Throw out all of the conference talk because we still have three teams in the hunt and these three games are the ones that a lot of fans statewide are circling like buzzards that haven’t eaten since Labor Day. There will be clashes in styles, clashes tradition, and even better, clashes on the field itself. So come Friday night, put on those school colors. So go ahead and grab that red, black or purple shirt you wore back in the day (even if it’s three sizes too small and smells like concession stand nachos). Then load up and head to Fordyce, Rivercrest, or Mansfield and yell for your team like your voice has a replacement warranty!
