Instant analysis: 10 takeaways from Week 3 of Arkansas high school football

Inexperienced QBs shine in Benton/LR Catholic showdown

Here are 10 nuggets (in no particular order) that stuck out from Week 3 of the Arkansas high school football season. 

1. Inexperienced QBs shine in Benton/LR Catholic ‘instant classic’ 

It was just a year ago that Drew Davis was playing ninth grade football. Friday night, he was helping lead Benton to a huge 6A-East Conference win over Little Rock Catholic. 

The sophomore started his first game of the season after sharing snaps with senior Cline Hooten the first two games. Davis completed 21 of 33 passes for 334 yards and 4 TDs, and he rushed 7 times for 60 yards in the Panthers’ 49-42 win over the Rockets, who drubbed the Panthers last season on their way to a league crown. Senior receiver Maddox Davis caught 12 passes for 149 yards and 4 touchdowns. 

On the other side, Catholic junior Jaxon England was 22 of 37 for 437 yards and 6 touchdowns, while rushing for 24 yards. He made his varsity debut this season after departed Sam Sanders starred for Catholic last season. Senior receiver Brooks Ward, an Air Force baseball commit, caught 8 passes for 179 yards and 3 TDs. Classmate Thomas Duch caught 5 passes for 100 yards and 2 TDs. 

2. Third-team QB leads Greenwood to blowout win

Being the backup quarterback at Greenwood is a tough gig. Being the third-teamer? Even worse.

But Friday night, junior Scott Holland found himself leading the offense in a 55-14 home win over Siloam Springs. Holland, who practiced with the varsity squad for only four days, completed 7 of 13 passes for 78 yards and 3 TDs.

Holland’s surprising playing time was a result of blue-chip sophomore Kane Archer’s wrist injury that sent him to the bench in last week’s road win against Mountain Home. Sophomore Cooper Goodwin was slated to start but injured his hip in practice. He tried to play Friday night but lasted just one series.

Senior running back Brayedan Davis made sure his inexperienced QBs didn’t have to do too much. He ran for 245 yards and 4 touchdowns, and he caught a screen pass for another score.

Archer, who is one of the top recruits in the country in the 2026 class, is expected to return next week with a cast on his injured non-throwing wrist. 

3. Out-of-state-teams dominate

After having good success against neighboring states earlier this season, Arkansas teams were only 1-6 Friday night against out-of-state foes.

Conway blasted Ouachita (La.) Parish 49-14 in Monroe, La., for the only win Friday night. Maybe the toughest loss of the night was Rockhurst (Mo.) hitting a game-winning field goal as time ran out to beat homestanding Bentonville. The Tigers had won three straight over the Kanas City, Mo., power. 

4. Sportsmanship prevails at Bauxite

When Bauxite junior Carson Cortes was wheeled off the field on a stretcher at The Pit Friday night, it wasn’t just his Miners teammates who were concerned.

Once it was apparent Cortes was very seriously injured, Lamar players and staff also showed their support. A Bauxite football social media post shows a picture of both teams lined on both sides of Cortes as he was loaded in the ambulance.

The Miners won the hotly contested 4-4A tilt, 34-33.

A post by Cortes’ parents confirmed he didn’t have a serious neck injury but did briefly lose consciousness. His status for the rest of the season is unknown.

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5. Yellville-Summit pulls off comeback with improbable defensive play

Yellville-Summit looked like it was about to be down two scores in the fourth quarter on Mountainburg’s home field Friday night.

The final quarter began with Mountainburg leading 35-28. A few minutes later, they had the ball on the Panthers’ 5-yard line.

However, Y-S senior defensive back Adam Stewart intercepted a pass and returned it 101 yards for a TD with 8:49 to play. Classmate Laden Keiter ran in the two-point conversion to give the Panthers a 36-35 lead. 

Keiter had a standout night with 24 rushes for 182 yards and 2 TDs.

6. Lake Hamilton receiver makes acrobatic TD catch when it counts

Lake Hamilton’s David Felan dropped a pass in the fourth quarter in a tight 6A-West home game with Mountain Home, but he more than made up for it. 

With the Wolves trailing 38-36 after a safety with 1:21 to play, they faced a fourth-and-10-play from the Bombers’ 38-yard line. Senior quarterback Easton Hurley hit Felan, who juggled the pass and ultimately hauled it in. A two-point conversion run by Hayden Burton made the final score 44-38.

The win was key because both of the teams could be fighting for the fourth playoff spot. Lake Hamilton now has the leg up at 1-1 with the Bombers now 0-2 in the conference.

7. Clay Totty earns first win at Wynne

It took him three games, but legendary Arkansas prep coach Clay Totty got his first win in his new position. The Yellowjackets walloped Magnolia 35-0 Friday night. Wynne lost to 6A Marion 27-7 and 7A Fort Smith Southside 35-0.

Totty, a Fordyce alum, took over at rival Rison in 1998. He became the state’s winningest active coach last fall with a career record of 242-65-1, one ahead of former Wynne head coach Van Paschal’s 241 victories. Totty is tied for 11th in state history wins with the late George Burke.

He took the Wynne job just before a large tornado hit the northeast Arkansas town. The natural disaster, along with transfers of players, has made the transition challenging.

8. Charleston falls to 0-3

Charleston, the defending Class 3A state champion, is 0-3. All three of the losses came against Class 4A programs. The latest was a 26-21 loss at Nashville. The Tigers lost to Elkins 49-13 to start the season and fell 28-7 to rival Ozark.

Charleston, which plays several sophomores, begins conference play next week by hosting Greenland.

9. Undefeated Warren racking up points

Warren is racking up wins and lighting up the scoreboard. In three nonconference wins, the Lumberjacks have a low score of 34.

The Lumberjacks opened the season with a 44-7 win over Stuttgart and had to outscore 5A White Hall, 34-27, and then opened conference play with a 42-7 thrashing of Stuttgart on Friday night.

Warren, a perennial Class 4A state-title contender, is again a favorite to advance to Little Rock. Next week’s league game with McGehee might be the Lumberjacks' toughest game on their way to a league title. 

10. White Hall RB’s big night pushes Bulldogs to perfect conference mark

White Hall senior running back Jayden Smith had a big night Friday against Beebe, and the Bulldogs needed him.

Smith ran 23 times for 250 yards and three TDs in a slim 28-21 5A-Central win.

The Bulldogs should have won by more. Smith’s 60-yard TD pass was called back because of pass interference, and Kyen Weston’s pick-six was also called back.

White Hall has a big league game at Mills University Studies this week in Little Rock. The Comets are one of the top teams in the state regardless of class and have won their two conference games by a combined 76-8.