Arkansas high school football Week 0 instant analysis: 10 things to know

10 takeaways from this week in Arkansas high school football

Photo by Tommy Land.

Here are 10 nuggets (in no particular order) that stuck out from Week 0 of the Arkansas high school football season.

1. Kevin Kelley wins in his debut at Sheridan

Sheridan head coach Kevin Kelley admitted he may be so nervous he might be sick Friday night in his debut against White Hall and new coach Daryl Patton, who won four state titles at Fayettevile. He didn’t have too much to be nervous about, though, as the Yellowjackets stormed to a 42-7 lead and won 42-20.

The win gives Sheridan the Highway 270 Classic Trophy that has been at White Hall for the past four seasons.

Sheridan secured three onside kicks in the first half of the game to fuel the blowout. Not punting and onside kicks became Kelley’s trademark at PA where he won nine championships in 18 seasons.

2. Greenwood explodes past Bentonville West

Greenwood’s offense, with its glut of Division I prospects, enjoyed a lot of hype this summer. Apparently, it was well-deserved as the 6A Bulldogs rolled past 7A Bentonville West, 70-35. Four-star junior QB recruit Kane Archer led the way completing 25-of-29 passes for 287 yards and 3 TDs. He also ran 11 times for 113 yards and a TD. Senior receiver Isaiah Arrington, who received a scholarship offer to Southeast Missouri State this summer, caught 9 passes for 142 yards and a TD. Junior running back Wesley Raggio ran 9 times for 142 yards and three scores.

Greenwood could win even bigger the next two week as they play lower-tier 7A-Wesat teams in Fotr Smith Northside and Springdale Har-Ber, respectively. Bentonville West was ranked 10th in the preseason SBLive/High School on SI Power 25.

3. Benton puts a scare in Bryant

Bryant hasn’t lost to Benton since 2005, but the Panthers made things interesting Friday night. Benton led 28-24 at the end of the quarter. The Hornets took the lead back for good with just five seconds gone in the final quarter. Bryant senior QB Jordan Walker passed for three touchdowns in the quarter, and the Hornets t took advantage of a Benton fumble, one of seven turnovers on the night, to aid the scoring drive. The Hornets outscored the Panthers 21-14 in the fourth quarter, and Benton’s last TD came when the game wasn’t in doubt and no time was left. The short-lived third-quarter lead was the latest Benton has led Bryant since the 2018 game. The Panthers have led in the fourth quarrter just a handful of times since winning in 2005.

4. Arkansas commit Grayson Wilson shines in Conway’s win over Jonesboro

Senior Conway transfer Grayson Wilson had a solid showing in Conway’s win at Jonesboro. Wilson, a 247Sports four-star composite recruit was 9 of 13 passing for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wilson transferred to Conway from CAC in May in the wake of several CAC transferring after former CAC coach Ryan Howard resigned abruptly in January. Wilson will be tested more next week when the Wampus Cats play Bentonville.

5. Harmony Grove OC continues dominance over Junction City

Harmony Grove Ouachita County won its sixth straight game over Junction City Friday night. The Class 3A Hornets took a 30-20 win over the Dragons, who are atrendy pick to win Class 2A this season. Junction City was 9-3 last season and lost the in Class 3A quarterfinals. Last year, Harmony Grove escaped with a 34-28 win.

6. Las Vegas transfer Odom torches Cabot

The only thing that could slow Fayetteville down Friday night was the weather. A severe thunderstorm stopped the Bulldogs’ game with Cabot. However, when play resumed Fayetteville rolled to a 48-13 win over the Panthers.

Senior QB Garyt Odom, a Las Vegas Lutheran transfer and the son of UNLV head coach Barry Odom, passed for 364 yards and 3 TDs while running for another. The younger Odom is a UNLV commit.

7. Lakeside beats rival Lake Hamilton again

Hot Springs Lakeside beat Lake Hamilton for the second straight season, 29-24. Last year’s win was the first since the school’s renewed their rivalry in 2018. The win is second-year head coach Garren Rockwell’s second straight win over the Wolves.

8. Shiloh Christian uses big night from running back to get revenge on Farmington

Last season, Farmington upset Shiloh Christian 31-28 to end Shiloh Christian’s 40-game conference winning streak. The Saints, who bounced back and finished runner-up in the Class 5A state finals, got a measure of revenge last night by rolling past the Cardinals 47-6. Shiloh has moved to Class 6A this season while Farmington was many pundit’s favorites to win the 5A-West. The road loss ruins legendary coach Tommy Tice’s Farmington debut. The 72-year-old coach came out of retirement in May to lead the Cards.

Saints junior running back Griffin Mason fueled the win with four rushing TDs. Shiloh travels to Little Rock Christian next week.

9. Kiandrea Barker shares carries in Newport’s dominant win over Marked Tree

Newport senior running back Kiandrea Barker made headlines a few times in the offseason. First, it was him leaving The Woodlands, Texas, where he wasn’t eligible last year to play at Beebe where he started his career. Then in June, he transferred to Newport where he grew up. In July, he announced he had decommitted from Penn State, where he committed in April of 2023. On Friday night, he was on a football field for the first time since his sophomore season, and he led the Greyhounds to a 48-30 win at Marked Tree. The senior ran 15 times for 93 yards and two TDs. But Barker had help as Luke Reynolds carried 14 times for 81 yards and Tonio Phillips totaled 50 yards on only five carries.

10. Kicking game hurts Forrest City in loss at Southside (Batesville)

The good news for first-year Forrest City head coach Reggie Swinton is his team went toe-to-toe with a highly regarded Southside (Batesville) team on the road. The bad news is the Mustangs, who only won one game last season, lost 33-32. Swinton, a former standout at Murray State and a veteran NFL receiver/return man, said on social media that with the six touchdowns, his squad should have scored 42 points but with their inability to kick or eventually score on two-point conversions, they were a combined 0-for-6 after TDs.  

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