Copyright Arkansas Online
The regular season has all built to this. Ten weeks of games, hundreds of teams battling for a finite number of trophies. Over two days this week, a majority of the 24 conferences in 11-man high school football will have their conference champions decided. Even better, some will be determined in head-to-head matchups. At Conway, Lonoke and Hamburg, the winner won't need any help to secure a trophy. Other sites, like Bentonville West, Mountain Home, Joe T. Robinson, Hot Springs and Little Rock Parkview, have conference championship impact. Plenty of other locations will be elimination games. Here's a look at this week's top matchups: Predicted winner in ALL CAPS BRYANT (9-0, 6-0 7A-Central) at Conway (8-1, 6-0) For the fourth season in five years, the 7A-Central comes down to one game. Bryant is looking to win its seventh consecutive conference title, while Conway is looking to topple a giant. The Wampus Cats have not beaten the Hornets since 2014, two seasons before their current coach, Buck James, became coach at Bryant. Despite the 12-game run by Bryant, last season's meeting was unusually lopsided -- the 49-14 win was the largest margin of victory since 2020. The Hornets have one of the state's stingiest defenses, holding conference opponents to 8.5 points per game. Conway leads the 7A-Central with 52.2 points per game. BENTONVILLE (9-0, 6-0 7A-West) at Bentonville West (7-2, 5-1) Not since the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the second and third in Bentonville West's history, has it gotten this close to a conference title. The Wolverines can only either finish first or third in the 7A-West due to their loss to Rogers, so a win here is especially crucial as it would come with a first-round bye. Bentonville has never lost to its nearby rival with a 10-0 all-time record. The teams faced twice last season with the Tigers winning by a combined 95-41. Bentonville has allowed the second-fewest points in Class 7A this season, including a total of 56 surrendered to six conference opponents. Pulaski Academy (3-6, 3-3 7A-Central) at LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN (6-3, 4-2) Over the years, this game included title implications and made for a must-see event. Despite that not being at play Friday night, key playoff positioning is at stake. The Warriors are banged up right now, missing starting quarterback Kemp Keller, but sophomore Elijah Robertson performed valiantly against Conway. The Bruins also feature a sophomore quarterback in Aron Orgil, but their main concern lies in a defense that is allowing 43.1 points per game. Pulaski Academy has won six of the past seven games against Little Rock Christian, including a 40-8 victory last season. GREENWOOD (9-0, 6-0 6A-West) at Mountain Home (8-1, 5-1) Even though this Greenwood squad hasn't been the unstoppable force it was the previous two seasons, it has remained a level above the rest of Class 6A this fall. The Bulldogs have outscored their conference opponents 281-71, scoring 42 or more in all but one game. The Bombers are 0-11 all-time against the Bulldogs, falling to them twice last season by the same score, 42-0. Mountain Home will need a turnover-free game to rely on its 6A-leading rushing attack. Maumelle (6-3, 5-1 5A-Central) at JOE T. ROBINSON (9-0, 6-0) This isn't an outright conference title game, as Maumelle would need help to win its first title since 2014, but it is the most consequential matchup in the 5A-Central. Robinson is looking to make it eight conference titles in nine years. The Senators last lost a conference game on Nov. 3, 2023. HOT SPRINGS LAKESIDE (7-2, 5-1 5A-South) at Hot Springs (8-1, 6-0) Few iterations, if any, of this matchup have had the stakes that Friday's. Hot Springs can win its first conference title since 2014 with a win, while Lakeside needs a win and some help to claim its first since 2020. The Rams have won eight of the past nine meetings, but they've never seen an offense this potent from the Trojans. Camden Fairview (5-4, 4-2 5A-South) at LITTLE ROCK PARKVIEW (6-3, 5-1) With Parkview's upset win over Lakeside a week ago, this game suddenly has conference title implications. The Patriots will need some help from the team they beat last week, but they should handle business in this one. Parkview has won each of the previous four meetings with Camden Fairview. MILLS (8-1, 5-1 4A-2) at Lonoke (7-2, 6-0) Mills' slip-up against Heber Springs threatened its chances of repeating as the 4A-2 Conference champion. The Comets have dominated most of their opponents since, setting up this title clash. Lonoke, in its second year under Coach Clay Bemberg, have won seven straight games, five by 21 points or more. If the Comets play up to their potential, they'll win the program's fourth-ever conference crown. Stuttgart (9-0, 6-0 4A-8) at HAMBURG (8-1, 6-0) Warren has won all but three 4A-8 titles since its creation in 2006. The winner of this game will become the fourth to do so and the first team in that respective program's history as neither have won it before. This is a matchup of the state's leading rusher (Hamburg RB Ni'Kel Lewis) and one of its top passers (Stuttgart QB Cain Price). Hamburg won last season's meeting 49-35. Expect a similar score.
