Arkansas high school football playoffs: Class 6A outlook
Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of stories previewing the Arkansas high school football playoffs from Class 2A-7A.
While it looks like No. 1 seeds Greenwood and Benton are on a collision course to meet in the title game, the Class 6A high school football playoff field is balanced.
Greenwood has made the biggest splash as it is 10-0 and rather easily dispatched central Arkansas private school powers Pulaski Academy and Little Rock Christian in back-to-back weeks to end the regular season and secure the 6A-West Conference title.
Benton may not have had as much competition at the top of the 6A-East, but its explosive offense put the entire class on notice. Their only loss was to 7A-Central champion Bryant in the Salt Bowl in the season opener.
The questions that loom as the playoffs begin are: Can PA, a No. 3 seed, somehow catch fire and defend its championship? Will anyone out of the East be a factor other than Benton?
Click here to see all the matchups and follow the action throughout the playoffs.
FAVORITES
BENTON
Sophomore Drew Davis took over the QB duties early in the season and since then, the Panthers' offense has hummed along. Maddox Davis has become his go-to receiver, but Elias Payne is also dynamic on the outside.
Senior running back Braylen Russell, a University of Arkansas commit, is one of the top running backs in the country and has remained healthy which was a problem a year ago.
The Panthers’ front 7 on defense is nasty with senior end Peyton McNeely and junior linebacker Walter Hicks anchoring that group.
GREENWOOD
The Bulldogs have been the most dominant team in the class from beginning to end. They routed defending Oklahoma 6A state champion Stillwater 49-21 in the opener and Class 7A Fort Smith Northside 49-0. PA only trailed Greenwood by three points early in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs won 58-33, and then hammered LRCA 56-39.
Sophomore quarterback Kane Archer is one of the more highly recruited QBs in the country in his class. He benefits from a talented receiving corps in senior LJ Robins and juniors Grant Karnes and Isaiah Arrington, who has really made his presence felt. Senior running back Brayden Davis is also a force after moving over from defense last season.
Defensively, junior Cash Archer (Kane’s older brother) was recently named 6A-West Defensive Player of the Year and has wreaked havoc on the edge.
Greenwood currently rides a 61-game home winning streak and has a direct path to Little Rock where they lost to PA in the title game a year ago.
LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN
The Warriors were in a position to win the 6A-West with a win at Greenwood in the regular-season finale but couldn’t contain the explosive Bulldogs offense. The main reason the Warriors could make a run to the title game is four-star quarterback Walker White. White, an Auburn commit, is a dual threat, and he and the receiving corps have meshed, and the offense has erupted despite losing star running back Ronny Anokye early in the season.
A hard-nosed defense led by linebacker Preston Davis, a college recruit, has been dominant at times alongside fellow senior linebacker and Ouachita Baptist commit Cooper Jones.
DARK HORSE
PULASKI ACADEMY
The Bruins’ have won two straight championships (one was Class 5A) under third-year head coach Anthony Lucas, but this team’s adversity is well-documented with losing key players to transfer and injury, and it has put a damper on the season.
However, the No. 3-seeded Bruins will be heavily favored to beat El Dorado Friday night and then would most likely travel to Marion. Win that one and wind up playing at Greenwood for a trip to the finals. Greenwood only led PA by three points early in the third quarter a few weeks ago. Getting back to Little Rock is an improbable, uphill climb, but it’s hard to count out a program with this high-level pedigree.
BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME
EL DORADO AT PULASKI ACADEMY
Veteran, first-year Wildcats head coach Chris Hill was known for his ground-and-pound running game over the past three seasons at Sylvan Hills, but has gone back to his former ways of spreading the ball around. On the other side, PA runs a well-known up-tempo, high-flying offense and often will onside kick and not punt, although Bruins head coach Anthony Lucas has been more conservative at times this season.
El Dorado has improved under Hill as the season has progressed as winners of its previous four games, while PA struggled a bit last week with a beleaguered Lake Hamilton’s run-oriented offense.
BEST POTENTIAL MATCHUP
GREENWOOD VS. BENTON
Greenwood has an easier road to Little Rock. Benton could have its hands full with Little Rock Christian in the semifinals at home Thanksgiving weekend, but it appears the cream will rise to the top in December, and we will see the state’s two most dominating offenses clash. This game will also feature two sensational sophomore quarterbacks in Greenwood’s Kane Archer and Benton’s Drew Davis. That would be a fun story line. Both of these defenses have been dominant, but the opposition’s offense would be one of the bigger challenges each corps has seen. If this happens it could be one of the better final games of the entire slate.
--Nate Olson I nate@scorebooklive.com I @ndosports
