11 Arkansas high school football teams that could surprise in 2024

From Cross County to Wynne, look for these teams to surpass expectations this fall

Lake Hamilton head coach Tommy Gilleran / Photo by Tommy Land

Every year there are Arkansas high school football teams that overachieve. Somehow during all of the prognostication, they are left underrated.

The list below examines 11 teams that could surprise pundits and fans this season. Some will make the playoffs despite not being picked and others may make state championship runs. All will have a chance to beat preseason expectations.  

Cross County

If first-year head coach Van Paschal can survive the toughest conference in Class 2A football, the Thunderbirds could make a playoff run. After leaving Wynne after a long tenure, Paschal landed at Heber Springs and engineered a surprising second-place finish in the 2-4A.

Paschal will have a tougher time cracking the top of the 2-2A Conference with Marked Tree, Des Arc and East Poinsett County all tough. But if Paschal’s run-oriented offense takes hold, maybe Cross County, who was 6-4 last year, slips into the third spot in front of the defending Class 2A runner-up EPC, who is hoping to reload. Cross County is huge in the trenches with 6-foot-4, 330-pound junior Danny Beale leading the way. A big, physical line will only fuel Paschal’s patented attack.

Forrest City

One of the feel-good stories of the year could come from The Delta. Former NFL player with no high school head coaching experience takes over downtrodden team and breathes life into the program with success on and off the field.

That is what Little Rock native Reggie Swinton is aiming for. The former Little Rock Central and Murray State star, who carved a niche as a free-agent NFL wide receiver/return man, finally got a high school head coaching job after trying several times unsuccessfully. Swinton turned the Arkansas Lions into a premier youth football program while also coaching middle school football and volunteering at the small-college level.

Forrest City did what a couple of Little Rock School District programs wouldn’t – take a chance on Swinton. All he’s done since May is bring organization and enthusiasm to program and documented most of it on video, which has been noticed by many on social media. The Mustangs have talent and dropping to Class 4A will help them not to mention that Swinton’s leadership along with his coaching staff that includes several former college players, including legendary Arkansas linebacker and defensive coordinator Sam Olajubutu. Jackson State took a chance on Deion Sanders and look how that turned out. This gamble could pay dividends immediately with a playoff berth after just two wins the past two years.

Hot Springs

Darrell Burnett has trended upward since he took over the Trojans. The longtime Buck James assistant looked to have the team he needed last year to make a deep playoff jaunt, but a 31-27 loss to city rival Hot Springs Lakeside in the finale cost the Trojans a home playoff game and instead shipped them to Northwest Arkansas where they lost 58-22 to eventual 5A state championship runner-up Shiloh Christian. A stroke of bad luck.

Most are thinking the Trojans missed their shot and won’t have a chance to challenge for the No. 2 spot behind Little Rock Parkview this fall. Not so fast. Hot Springs did endure some big losses including records-setting QB Matt Contreras, but they do boast 14 returning starters with eight on defense. Burnett has instilled some winning ways so seeing them at the top of the league and making a playoff run is not stretch.

Jonesboro

After two years of surviving the toughest conference in 7A, the Hurricanes return to 6A where they could make an immediate impact. Even though wins were hard to come by in the 7A-Central, the competition and road trips sharpened the JHS troops. No opponent they face in 6A, expect potentially Greenwood, is better than what Tyler George’s team faced the past two seasons while winning a combined eight games.

Jonesboro’s final three seasons in 6A produced 21 wins with a high of 8. Look for that high number again with some key players returning, including junior QB Asa Myers.

JHS got an unexpected shot in the arm when three Nettleton players transferred across town. The biggest was junior running back T.J. Brown, who ran for more than 1,500 yards a year ago. Fellow juniors Nigel Bell (WR/DB) and Que Hollis (TE/DE) also adds to the Jonesboro talent pool.

Lake Hamilton

If you thought a 3-7 record last fall was a trend, guess again. Injuries plagued the Wolves last year causing a five-game losing streak and left them at home during the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Wolves veteran head coach Tommy Gilleran put his team through the paces in the offseason, and now a veteran team with 16 total returning starters seeks redemption. Senior quarterback Landon West gained experience last fall when he subbed in due to injury and is ready to lead the Wolves offense. The 6A-West is rugged with defending state champion Greenwood leading the pack and Shiloh Christian being added to the mix, but Lake Hamilton’s schedule sets up early for them to make a big run before they must play at Greenwood and Shiloh Christian in the final four games.

Greenwood is the hands-on favorite, but LH could finish second in the league if they can win at Shiloh and would join a team such as potentially Benton that could be on the other side of that bracket that could challenge for a state-title berth. After all, Lake Hamilton has won 9 or more games four of the past five years.

Maumelle

In an offseason that included a glut of transfers, the Hornets were a beneficiary. Adding players such as junior receiver Division I recruit Josiah Warrior-Benton, will only aid coach Brian Maupin’s resurgence. The Hornets won just two games in his first season but increased that win total to seven this season.

With Maupin’s youthful enthusiasm coupled with an influx of talent and returning improving junior QB Andrew Bjork, Maumelle could not only challenge for a conference title but make a deep playoff run.

A home game the second week of the season with two-time Class 5A state champion Parkview will be a good barometer, and the final game, a home tilt with Joe T. Robinson – where Maupin played and was on staff – could decide the conference crown. Discipline will be big for the Hornets, especially in those key matchups, but they have the talent to take 5A by storm.

Newport

One player can’t always make a difference, but when that player is a major college recruit in Class 3A, he can. Senior running back Kiandrea Barker returns to his hometown after starting his prep career at Beebe and taking a detour to the Woodlands (Texas) High School last season. Another stint at Beebe in the spring turned into a permanent stop in Newport and June.

The Greyhounds are glad to have the star running back and Penn State commit.

Not only does Newport have a new big-time playmaker, but they also return most starters on both sides of the ball. It will hurt losing talented receiver Aamonii Wren, who transferred to Greenwood, but with Barker leading the way, and possibly playing some defense, Newport, who was 6-5 last season, is not only a threat to win the 3-3A Conference, but also to make a deep run in Class 3A.

Pulaski Academy

Bruins head coach Anthony Lucas is a “glass half-full” guy, and while he’s optimistic about Pulaski Academy’s chances in Class 7A, he understands is team is way undermanned which is a concern.

The west Little Rock private school was forced to move to Class 7A because of the Arkansas Activities Association Competitive Equity Factor affecting private schools after winning the Class 6A state championship in 2022.

The Bruins are only 55 strong, and their depth will not compare with most teams they play. However, the tradition that runs through the school with 9 championships during an 18-year span, and the two Lucas-coached teams have won in his three-year tenure make it hard to bet against them. It’s very conceivable with the 16 starters they return, that they can earn a 3 seed from the 7A-Central. Then, you never know what might happen in the playoffs. They’re starting 11, including blue-chip junior offensive line recruit Evan Goodwin, can match up with other players in the class, but lack of depth will hurt them in some league games. Injuries and the fatigue of the season will be something to keep an eye on as the season wears on.

Sheridan

It’s hard to bet against Kevin Kelley, even when the trends don’t look good. It’s a new day in Sheridan as one of the more successful coaches in the nation brings his unorthodox methods to a program, which hasn’t won big in nearly 25 years. That’s where Kelley fits in. His teams won nine state championships in 18 years using a no-punting and onside-kick philosophy. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Yellowjackets will win a title this season, but they could make the playoffs. That would be a step in the right direction for a program which has won five games or less the past five years. But there is hope besides Kelley’s credentials. Sheridan lost four games by nine points or fewer in 2023, they have a mammoth offensive line and sophomore running back Zay Stephens played half the season as a ninth grader last year and has already received Division I offers.

Sheridan has plenty of potential synergy with Kelley’s leadership and 11 total returning starters. The progress may not be quick, but by October the Yellowjackets could be humming and primed to make a stretch run.

Smackover

New head coach Don Harrison was looking for someone to run his high-octane offense. That player fell in his lap this summer when El Dorado junior standout Mitchell Polk decided to transfer to the area school. Polk shined for the Wildcats last fall passing for more than 1,600 yards with 18 TDs while running for 5 more. Harrison, who was the offensive coordinator in Russellville, brings his receiver son, Peyton. He was the Cyclones’ leading receiver last year. With a new offense and a potential potent duo on offense, the Buckaroos could be in business. The schedule isn’t easy, and the 7-3A is rugged, but Smackover could be a playoff team again with just nine returning starters from a team that went 5-6 a year ago.

Wynne

Clay Totty has never been one to back down from adversity. From battling an eye condition since he was a boy to playing high school and college football with that handicap and graduating honors and becoming one of the great head coaches in Arkansas high school history, Totty has now righted a tumultuous ship at Wynne.

The Wynne situation was tenuous before a tornado ripped through the small, rural town in March of 2023. The administration had decided to move on from legendary coach Van Paschal, and Totty took a leap of faith leaving southeast Arkansas after more than two decades.

With some players transferring, Totty’s first season was rough, but the Yellowjackets won three of their final four games to earn a playoff berth. They also gave Mills a run in a 35-21 playoff loss.

With a full off-season and rebuilt facilities and a full roster with 17 returning starters, the Totty Era really begins this year at Wynne. Look for the Yellowjackets to contend for a spot in the upper echelon of the rugged 5A-East.

--Nate Olson I nate@scorebooklive.com I @ndosports