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.

It has been since 2019 when the last H.B. Stewart Classic was played in the Arena that carries the same namesake. Through the runs of the Girls Basketball in the State Championship that included a 3-Peat, and a Boys basketball team on the rebound, one thing was missing, a tournament that is held in Greenwood, Arkansas.

In the absence of a hometown tournament, either squad picked up tournaments in Missouri, Oklahoma, and within Arkansas and won those tournaments.  Now it is a new chapter in Greenwood Basketball. Hooping in the Wood, comes to the H.B. Stewart Arena December 12^th and December 13^th. Birthed out of necessity as the two tournaments the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs were slated to participate in dissolved (Fayetteville – Lady Bulldogs) or changed dates (Lake Hamilton – Bulldogs).

The two squads now will play host to Arkansas and Oklahoma teams. Girls Basketball sees, Fayetteville, Tulsa Union, Springdale Har-Ber, Charleston, and Hugo, OK. On the boys’ side it is Searcy, Paris, and Hugo, OK.

The idea started two years ago in a conversation between Boys Head Basketball Coach B.J. Ross and Assistant Dexter Pearcy. Coach Ross’ longtime friend and Girls Head Basketball Coach Ryan Casalman were on board from the get-go as well.

“We got a 2-day, classic coming up. Trying to bring back something to Greenwood. You know where our fans and people can just come out and watch a lot of basketball in two days, December 12^th, and 13^th.” Head Coach B.J. Ross said.

“We’ve been working on it you know. Coach [Dexter] Pearcy talked about back when he played here. He played in the H.B. Stewart Classic. Something that me and him, the last couple years have been trying to talk about and it just kind of worked out.” Coach Ross said. “A Classic in Fayetteville kind of dissolved and we inherited some of those teams. And we got Hugo, Oklahoma and Tulsa Union coming, Searcy, and we got some teams from all over Oklahoma and here. It’s kind of something that we’ve, Coach Casalman, myself, and Coach Pearcy, and we’ve worked really hard to get it together.”

When hosting a tournament, there is always extra pressure and pride from the host teams to do well. For Greenwood that is no different.

“I think it’s a big deal, we get to play teams, we’re going to play Searcy and Hugo, going to play two really good teams. And our young kids get to see that. They get to see the importance of playing at H.B. Stewart Arena and protecting your home and doing things like that. So, we’re pretty excited about that.” Coach Ross said.

First game is at 5:00 p.m. December 12^th when Fayetteville girls go against Tulsa Union. Check with Greenwood Athletics on Facebook and the new Greenwood Athletics app on Apple and Google IOS for more information.