Arkansas high school football Week 2 instant analysis: 10 things to know (9/13/2024)

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 2 of the Arkansas high school football season.

1. Bryant makes claim for No. 1 in dominant win over Parkview

Bryant (3-0) entered the season at No. 3 in the SBLive/High School on SI Power 25 rankings. Class 5A two-time defending champion Little Rock Parkview was No. 1 and defending Class 7A champion Fayetteville was No. 2. However, Bryant made a statement Friday night with a dominant 30-10 win over Parkview. The Hornets never trailed in the game and scored 13 unanswered points in the second half to put the game away. Bryant snapped Parkview’s 27-game winning streak after the Patriots stopped their 54-game streak last year.

Fayetteville was idle Friday night. The Bulldogs wrap up the non-conference schedule with a game with Texarkana, Texas next week. The Power 25 rankings will be released Monday.

2. Greenwood wins 65th straight game at home

There wasn’t anything too special about Greenwood’s 56-19 win over Springdale Har-Ber, but the win did mark the Bulldogs’ 65th straight win at home. Also, with Parkview’s loss to Bryant, the Bulldogs now own the state’s longest win streak at 18 dating back to a loss to El Dorado in the Class 6A state title game. The Bulldogs have averaged more than 60 points in blowouts of three 7A-West opponents.

3. Elkins routs Warren in neutral site win

In a matchup of two of the top teams in Class 4A, Elkins surprised with a 49-14 win over No. 24 Warren at Arkansas Tech.

Elkins’ defense continued to be stingy with Connor Hamm picking off two passes and returning one for a TD. Pucci Townsend also returned an interception for a TD.  And the Elks had no problem pouring on the points. Elkins QB Ben Napier passed for 142 yards and three TDs. Landon Martin had five catches for 100 yards and three TDs. Quae Walden ran 20 times for 174 yards.  

Warren is playing without starting QB Jackson Denton, who was seriously injured last week. Cam Burks is now playing QB in place of Denton.

4. Newport finishes nonconference season undefeated

Newport has already halfway to last year’s win total. They improved to 3-0 with a 42-6 blowout of Salem. Many thought Salem was a  state championship contender in Class 3A. Salem lost at Conway’s Hendrix College last week to Prescott, 31-22, but Newport dominated them Friday.

The big difference is Division 1 running back recruit Kiandrea Barker. Barker, a Beebe transfer, ran for 172 yards and two TDs. QB Luke Rey passed for 95 yards and 2 TDs and ran for 127 yards and a TD.

5. Highland/Riverview game canceled after fatal accident

Tragedy struck the Highland School District Friday morning. A female minor student was killed in a car accident around 7 a.m. Reports indicate the vehicle she was driving lost control and was hit by an 18-wheeler. Considering the accident, Highland cancelled its Friday ngiht game with Riverview. The Hall of Fame induction scheduled for Friday night has been moved to Sept. 27.

6. Perryville snaps four-game losing streak to rival Bigelow

For the first time since 2019, Perryville beat its county rival, Bigelow. The Mustangs cruised to a 30-12-win Friday night after not winning in the series since a 35-34 win over a Panthers team, which was winless that season. Bigelow has turned its program around since then winning the Class 2A state title last season. Perryville improves to 2-1 after being upset by Atkins Week 0, 25-24. Bigelow is 1-1 and finishes its nonconference slate with winless Magazine next week.

7. Red-hot Valley View routs West Memphis in first meeting

Somehow in 19 years of playing football, Valley View High School, located in Jonesboro, had never played West Memphis, which is less than an hour away. That changed Friday night, as the Blazers slammed the Class 6A Blue Devils 35-6. The win was the latest lopsided win, as Valley View, who is Class 5A, finishes its nonconference schedule 3-0. Valley View beat Poplar Bluff, Mo., 42-14, in the opener and Searcy 49-28.

The Blazers had to replace many of its key players from last year, including three-year starting QB Carson Turley. Senior Drew Gartman, an Arkansas State baseball commit, moved from receiver to QB and has helped fuel these early blowouts.

8. Pulaski Academy outlasts north Louisiana power

It was a battle of regional powers in west Little Rock Friday night. Pulaski Academy has won 8 of the past 9 state titles. West Monroe (La.) has appeared in 16 state title games in the past 30 years.

The Bruins got the best of them Friday night. PA needed a comeback to win 67-47. PA, who moves to Class 7A this season, enters 7A-Cental play in two weeks with a 3-0 nonconference record.

9. Bismarck racking up points in three wins

Bismarck was expected to be one of the better offensive teams in Class 3A this season. They haven’t disappointed. The Lions beat upstart Mansfield 35-31 in the opener, and then blasted Mineral Springs 62-14 last week and Glen Rose 46-7 Friday night. That is a 47-point average.

10. Depleted CAC starts season 0-3

It was the start many CAC were probably fearing. After former head coach Ryan Howard resigned abruptly last January, several key players left the school by the end of the second semester. CAC hired former Malvern head coach J.D. Plumlee, who won a state title with the Leopards. However, he couldn’t convince those players to stay. Included was University of Arkansas commit Grayson Wilson, who has helped Conway to a 3-0 record while starting under center. The Mustangs are now under-manned with the defections, and without its stars has made for a rocky start. DeWitt beat CAC 31-7 in the opener, and then Stuttgart ran by them 41-7. Harding Academy took a 53-21 win Friday night in CAC’s home opener.