Arkansas high school football: 10 games to watch in Week Zero

This week’s top Arkansas high school football games

The annual Salt Bowl is one of this week's Top 10 games to watch. / Photo by Tommy Land

Arkansas high school football is back, and the opening week starts with a bang.

Week Zero features some rivalry games, some out-of-state classics and some games that will have a playoff flair to them. Below are 10 of this week’s top games.

Benton vs.  Bryant (Salt Bowl at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock)

The annual Saline County rivalry game celebrates 50 years, and the 25th anniversary of the Salt Bowl game. The game has become a spectacle that has benefitted each school and the community and routinely draws 20,000-plus fans.

What the game hasn’t featured is close affairs or Benton victories, at least lately. Benton hasn’t beaten Bryant since 2005. Even though the Panthers have been unsuccessful against the Hornets, they have been successful in Class 6A. Last season, they fell 35-6 in the Salt Bowl but advanced all the way to the Class 6A semifinals. Benton again has a strong team that features junior quarterback Drew Davis. The defense is stingy with linebacker Walter Hicks, who is one of the top linebackers, regardless of class, in the state.

Bryant returns a core nucleus from last year’s semifinal team. Three-year starting quarterback Jordan Walker, a Ouachita Baptist commit, leads an offense that features a backfield with two college prospects, including Daniel Anderson (Notre Dame commit) and receiver Karter Ratliff, who was offered by OBU over the summer. The front seven for Bryant is unmatched and defensive end Eli Hill is a problem for opposing offensive coordinators.

Conway at Jonesboro

Jonesboro is glad to be out of Class 7A, but they maintain a series with an old 7A-Central conference foe in Conway. The Wampus Cats are state title contenders mainly because of the transfer of senior QB Grayson Wilson. Wilson is a 247 Sports four-star composite recruit, who transferred from Central Arkansas Christian. He fills a big void left by three-year starter Donovyn Omolo, who is now at Central Missouri.

The Hurricanes will benefit from some key move-ins as well, including junior T.J. Brown, who ran for more than 1,000 yards at cross-town 5A program Nettleton.

Farmington at Shiloh Christian

The two have been 5A-West foes but Shiloh jumps to 6A this fall. They meet on the heels of  Farmington’s 31-28 upset win last year. The Saints rallied after that Week 8 loss to orchestrate a playoff run that ended in Little Rock with a loss to Little Rock Parkview in the Class 5A state title game. Sophomore quarterback Cole Creighton was the starter last season but missed a good chunk of the year with an injury. Creighton, a college prospect, is healthy this season and leads a Saints offense with six returning starters.

Farmington head coach Tom Tice makes his debut after coming out of retirement to take the Cardinals job in May. He inherits a team that includes eight returning starters that many think will win the 5A-West Conference.

Greenwood at Bentonville West

The defending 6A-West champions invade Benton County with arguably the most explosive offense in Arkansas prep football. Four-star junior QB Kane Archer has three receivers at his disposal that all have Division I offers and will all have a chance to go over 1,000 receiving yards this fall. The Bulldogs’ offense is also stout up front with junior tackle Cody Taylor, a Division I prospect, leading the charge. Defensively, Greenwood doesn’t have many returners but Cash Archer, Kane’s older brother, is a D-I prospect that racked up 20 sacks on the edge last year. He moves to linebacker for his senior campaign.

West, which opened its doors in 2016, hasn’t had a losing season since that inaugural year. Head coach Bryan Pratt has fielded competitive teams since and is looking for that breakthrough season. Beating the Bulldogs, who are No. 4 in the SBLive/High School on SI Power 25 rankings would be a step in the right direction. The Wolverines boast 13 returning starters, including all-state receiver Harris Vinson, who has an offer from Arkansas State among others.

Hazen at Conway Christian

One of Class 2A’s traditional powers in Hazen playing at an upstart program that has state-title aspirations. The Eagles only won five combined games from 2019-21, but coach Justin Kramer has rallied his troops to two back-to-back decent seasons with a nine-win campaign last fall. With 19 returning starters, CC has the recipe of talent and experience that could fuel a deep playoff run. Senior QB Jeryn Thomas returns to start at QB after missing time due to injury in 2023. Hazen returns 13 starters from a team that lost in the first round of the playoffs. Hazen looks to fill several key holes on offense. Look for junior J.J. Pinkney shine at QB as a running threat with 4.6 speed.

Joe T. Robinson at Pulaski Academy 

PA has run past Robinson the past four meetings with the closest game coming in 2020 when the Bruins won 48-35.

Robinson hopes it can be within striking distance Friday night with a team that includes an influx of talent. University of Arkansas recruit Quinten Murphy transferred out of the program in January, but North Little Rock QB Tyson Braddon came in from North Little Rock, and the Senators coaches are impressed with his maturity and ability to soak up the playbook. He passed for more than 2,000 yards and 21 TDs a year ago.

PA moves to the rugged 7A-Central this fall and wants to get some early momentum. They are loaded with 16 returning starters, including senior QB Brandon Cobb, who passed for more than 4,000 yards and 39 TDS last fall, playing most of the season with a cast on his non-throwing hand. PA also features blue-chip junior offensive lineman Evan Goodwin, who had 15 college offers going into the summer and picked up even more on the camp circuit in June and July.

Little Rock Parkview at Melissa (Texas) (Saturday)

The Patriots open the 2024 season with a loaded, experienced team and ranked No. 1 in the SBLive/High School on SI rankings. The Patriots have at least seven Division I players on the squad that is riding a 25-game winning streak. Parkview heads to Texas to take on a Cardinals team that is among the tops in Class 5A Division II in Texas and calls a multi-million-dollar stadium, which seats 14,000, home.

The Cardinals have a handful of Division I recruits, including mammoth offensive lineman Owen Hollenbeck, an Oklahoma recruit. Melissa, like Parkview will be breaking in a transfer QB. Noah Schuback comes to the Cardinals from perennial power Hoover (Ala.) High School where he started for two seasons. The senior has offers from Ole Miss, Texas Tech and more. 

Mansfield at Bismarck

This game will have a playoff feel to it on the first night of the season and could be the most exciting game of the week. Two of 3A’s top QBs match up here. All-stater Ben Keithley, the son of head coach D.J. Keithley, passed for nearly 2,000 yards and 23 TDs last fall. The Tigers counter with all-stater Jeremy Strozler. Mansfield is also dangerous on the ground with senior all-state running back Daniel Burton, who ran for 1,603 yards. The Lions return 10 offensive starters and a good portion of its defense but must fill some holes at linebacker. Mansfield has eight returning starters on offense and defense, respectively.

Poteau (Okla.) at Booneville 

This game took a sudden turn when legendary Poteau Hall of Fame coach Greg Werner resigned suddenly Monday. Werner, who guided, the Pirates to the Oklahoma Class 4A state title in 2019 was in his second stint at the school completing his fifth year in 2023. Longtime Pirates assistant Mike Odom, who has served as the defensive coordinator the past eight years, is now the interim head coach. Poteau was 12-1 last season and earned an undefeated conference championship.

Booneville begins its season on a quest to repeat as Class 3A state campions. The Bearcats return 14 starters from a club that 13-2 a season ago. Senior QB Jace Washburn looks to have an expanded role this fall as star running back Dax Goff is now at Harding University.

White Hall at Sheridan

The Highway 270 Classic rivalry gets a little spicier this year as two legendary head coaches are added.

Sheridan hired Kevin Kelley, the ultra-successful former Pulaski Academy coach in early December and a few weeks later White Hall hired Daryl Patton, who made a name for himself winning four state titles at Fayetteville while then taking over at Bauxite and most recently start-up Little Rock Southwest.

Kelley, who won nine state titles in 18 seasons at the west Little Rock private school and is known nationally for his unconventional style of no punting and onside kicks, is optimistic about the Sheridan program which isn’t known for wining or playoff appearances. The 2024 club has six returning starters. Kelley revealed at a press conference Tuesday, that he moved returning starting senior QB Brady Dillon to defense a month ago and will start junior QB Dax McMellon. Dillon will also line up under center in certain situations the coach said.

Patton said White Hall has had up to several injuries in fall camp but hopes to have most of the players available by Friday night.

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