SBLive Arkansas Top 25 boys soccer rankings (May 22)

6A state champion Conway finishes No. 1 in inaugural soccer rankings

By George Mitchell | Photo by Abigail Weihe 

The Wampus Cats retained the No. 1 spot as they won the Class 6A title. 

Russellville finished at No. 2, and Springdale moved up to round out the Top 3. Har-Ber also finished in the Top 5. 

Lakeside made the most significant move from 17th to 9th, while Dardanelle, Berryville and Green Forest debuted for the season's final list. 

1. Conway (20-3)

The Wampus Cats won back-to-back state titles with a hat trick from Will Childers to beat Springdale 3-2. Conway won the 6A-Central and defeated Rogers and Har-Ber in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. 

2. Russellville (22-2-2)

The Cyclones won their seventh state title since 2012 and have won back-to-back state titles three times during that span. Jett Bull scored early in the first half, enough for Russellville to beat Lakeside 1-0. The Cyclones beat Batesville, Lake Hamilton, and Hot Springs in the tournament.

3. Springdale (12-3-3)

The Bulldogs came into the 6A state tournament hot and kept going to the finals. Springdale pushed Conway to a 2-2 game until a late kick put the Wampus Cats ahead. The Bulldogs began the 6A-West season 1-2-2 before winning four consecutive games to get the No. 3 seed for the tournament.

4. Fayetteville (13-4-3)

The Bulldogs had a first-round bye and defeated Cabot 3-1 in the quarterfinals before meeting Springdale in the semis. Fayetteville and Springdale had tied their only conference game earlier in the season, and Fayetteville finished with the 6A-West title.

5. Springdale Har-Ber (5-5-3)

Har-Ber pulled a couple of upsets by knocking off No. 3-seeded Bryant in the first round and No. 2-seeded Bentonville in the second round. The Wildcats got close to another upset in the semifinals in the 1-0 loss to Conway.

6. Bentonville (12-5-1)

The Tigers couldn’t find any momentum and fell to Har-Ber in the quarterfinals. The squad had a first-round bye for the tournament and finished second in the 6A-West.

7. Rogers (9-6-4)

The Mounties finished fourth in the 6A-West and defeated Little Rock Southwest in the tournament's first round, and Rogers pushed Conway to a 4-3 contest in the quarterfinals.

8. De Queen (19-2)

The Leopards defeated Dardanelle 5-2 in the finals with a hat trick from senior Edwin Baltazar. De Queen defeated Lisa Academy, Farmington, and Berryville to reach the finals. It was the Leopards’ seventh state soccer title and the first since 2015.

9. Lakeside (18-3-2)

The Rams continued to roll past Maumelle and Valley View in the first two rounds of the 5A state tournament and battled Van Buren to a 2-1 win in the semifinals. Lakeside won the 5A-South this season.

10. LR Catholic (12-5-4)

The Rockets had a first-round bye but lost its first tournament game to Springdale 2-1. Catholic finished second in the 6A-Central and had won five of its last seven games.

11. Fort Smith Southside (7-7-3)

The Mavericks’ improbable late run ended with a 1-0 loss to Cabot in the tournament's first round. In the final four games of the regular season, Southside had two wins and two ties.

12. Fort Smith Northside (7-7-1)

The Grizzlies finished ninth overall in the 6A-West and missed the state tournament after competing for a state title last season.

13. Van Buren (14-6-3)

After reaching the state-title game for two consecutive seasons, the Pointers missed out with a 2-1 loss to Lakeside in the semifinals. Van Buren finished runner-up in the 5A-West with a tie and a loss to state champion Russellville.

14. Rogers Heritage (7-5-1)

The War Eagles finished seventh overall in the 6A-West and missed the state tournament.

15. Pulaski Academy (15-1-2)

The Bruins defeated Benton 3-0 in the first round but fell to Van Buren 2-1 in the semifinals. It was Pulaski Academy’s only loss of the season. PA won the 5A-Central title.

16. Lake Hamilton (13-5-4)

After dispatching LR Christian in the first round, the Wolves’ season ended with a 6-2 loss to Russellville in the quarterfinals.

17. LR Christian Academy (13-4-2)

The Warriors were upset by No. 3-seeded Lake Hamilton in the first round. LRCA finished the season second in the 5A-Central.

18. Bentonville West (9-8-4)

The Wolverines missed the state tournament this season.

19. Hot Springs (14-4-4)

The Trojans took advantage of its No. 2 seeding, defeated Vilonia in the first round, and knocked off Mountain Home in the quarterfinals 3-2. Hot Springs’ season ended with a 2-0 loss to Russellville in the semifinals.

20. Dardanelle (14-5-1)

The Sand Lizards did the improbable. After three losses to Clarksville this season, Dardanelle found a way to beat the Panthers and reached the Class 4A state finals. The Sand Lizards beat Warren and Harding Academy in the first two rounds.

21. Clarksville (15-3-1)

The Panthers did reach the semifinals, where they ran into Dardanelle. Clarksville beat Crossett 8-1 in the first round and held off LR Robinson 2-1 in the quarterfinals. The Panthers won the 4A-West and were in the state championship last season.

22. Berryville (8-5-1)

The Bobcats defeated Brookland 4-2 in PKs and reached the Class 4A semifinals. Berryville finished second behind Clarksville in the 4A-West, and three teams from the West reached the semifinals.

23. Brookland (18-3-1)

Both of the Bearcats’ playoff games went to PKs. Brookland defeated Nashville 3-2 in the first round before falling to Berryville. Brookland won the 4A-North.

24. Joe T. Robinson (14-2-4)

Robinson did see Clarksville in the second round but lost that game 2-1. The Senators were runner-up in the 4A-North.

25. Green Forest (15-3-2)

The Tigers had a great run this season. The team had tied or lost its previous games to Haas Hall Bentonville during the regular season but won the match that mattered: the Class 3A state title. Green Forest defeated Hermitage, Mountain View, and Central Arkansas Christian to reach the finals. The Tigers also tied Class 6A Northside earlier in the season.

On the outside: Searcy, Bryant, Harding Academy