Things have gone topsy turvy in the first 3 weeks of conference play.
Greenbrier undefeated in conference and putting up 40 points per game…. Pulaski Academy got the Sportsmanship Rule enacted on them… Mountain Home has the top QB in the conference… wait wait wait. Oh, there it is, Greenwood and Little Rock Christian are at the top, everything is where it should be.
This has been a very interesting year for High School Football in Arkansas. Mountain Home came out firing and has one of the top offenses in the 6A, granted they did not gain much against Greenwood’s defense, but they did take Lake Hamilton and Russellville to the wire. Things are moving along nicely for the Bombers. This week the Bombers welcome Little Rock Christian to North Central Arkansas and their Auburn commit QB Walker White. Which is a perfect segue into, Little Rock Christian did something that has not happened in quite some time. Mercy ruled Pulaski Academy last week in a 55-13 win. It for sure overshadows the 43-22 loss they experienced at the hands of 5A West competitor Shiloh Christian. The Warriors sit at 4-1 going into tonight’s matchup against Mountain Home.
Speaking of Pulaski Academy, they are still the Bruins that we know. One bad night will for sure grab the headlines but let’s look at what has affected them. The would be returning Senior duo Kel Busby and Kenny Jordan did not happen. Kel Busby was injured in the spring and Kenny Jordan moved to Tennessee. For what it is worth, I believed Kenny Jordan was a very underrated running back in the 6A last year. He was going up against Arkansas Commit Braylen Russell out of Benton and the talented upstart Ronny Anokye from Little Rock Christian. Back to Pulaski, Quarterback Brandon Cobb has done a masterful job stepping up in that roll passing for 964 yards and 9 TD’s. I feel this is a blip on the PA record and it will come down to the last two weeks when Greenwood has to face Pulaski Academy and Little Rock Christian in consecutive games.
Greenwood, the defense is as advertised at the beginning of the season, and they have been taking care of business every week since the season started. Sure, there have been some injuries, but it is interesting to look at the stats for the Quarterbacks and if they combined all the stats Greenwood would have the top QB in yardage. Let’s not let that stuff overshadow what Brayedan Davis has done in the backfield for the Bulldogs. 83 carries for 664 yards and 13 Touchdowns, 8 of which came in the last two weeks. Defensively between the 11 interceptions and the QB sacks opposing teams have found it tough to gain yards. Greenwood has 17 sacks on the season with 11 of those coming from Junior Cash Archer.
Greenwood’s opponent this week Greenbrier is sitting at 3-1 overall averaging 44 points a game. For a team that went 2-8 last year and was picked 5th in conference by Hooten’s things are on the upswing for the Panthers. Statistically they are looking extremely well with 1157 yards through the air and 742 yards on the ground. Sophomore Running Back Enoch Assan is the rushing leader with 276 yards on the season. After Greenwood, the Panthers face Lake Hamilton, Russellville, Pulaski Academy, Little Rock Christian, and then Mountain Home. If they drop Greenwood and the two Private School teams, then win the others they could very well be sitting in the 4th seed spot for the playoffs after finishing 8th last year.
Lake Hamilton has had some close games this season and are 3-2 overall and 2-1 in conference heading into this week against Van Buren. After going 8-2 in the regular season in 2022 and predicted to finish 4th in the 6A West, the Wolves are looking at continuing to show they are force to be reckoned with. Games against Greenbrier, Greenwood, and Pulaski Academy loom on the horizon and could surprise any three of those teams. Van Buren came out hot against Alma putting up 51 points in the Battle of the Bone, ever since? Well, it’s the other teams putting up 50 points. Senior QB Bryce Perkins has thrown for 950 yards on 151 attempts with 86 completions and 10 Touchdowns. If Van Buren is to have a shot at post season play it has to start this Friday with a win.
Rounding out the conference is Siloam Springs and Russellville. after watching Siloam Springs play at Greenwood on Sept 15th, they showed they could run the ball efficiently. It looks like the ball has not bounced their way this season. This Friday they face Russellville at Russellville. Last year Russellville lost three straight then went on a four-game win streak, had Greenwood’s number for a half before Greenwood pulled away. This year the Cyclones have dropped four in a row. They had Pulaski down for a bit as well. Could they win the next three and give Greenwood heck again, I guess we will see.
