Greenwood dodged a bullet Friday night.
Camden Fairview did not.
The Bulldogs kicked a field goal with two seconds remaining to keep their winning streak (46 games) alive with a 45-42 victory over Fort Smith Southside.
We’ll keep Greenwood ranked No. 2 overall and No. 1 in Class 6A. A tough road test comes Friday when the Bulldogs visit Conway. This promises to be the game of the week in high school football. We have Conway ranked No. 6 overall. The Wampus Cats are 7-1, having lost only to No. 3 Cabot.
Central Arkansas is making a better showing in the rankings this year with Cabot, Conway and North Little Rock all capable of getting hot in the playoffs and winning a Class 7A state championship (though my money is still on either Fayetteville or Bentonville).
In Class 5A, the defending state champion from Camden Fairview proved mortal as the Cardinals lost to Hope, 17-12. We’ll keep Fairview at No. 2 in Class 5A, though, just behind Pulaski Academy.
Hope’s victory ended Fairview’s winning streak at 21 games. Its conference winning streak had been 30 games.
That Interstate 30 corridor is strong this year (at least until you get to Texarkana, where the Razorbacks are weak). Consider the towns as you head toward the southwest — Bryant, Benton, Glen Rose, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Gurdon, Prescott and Hope all have good to excellent teams. Maybe we should call it the Football Corridor.
Speaking of Arkadelphia, its 49-7 victory Friday over an Ashdown team that had come into the game with a 6-1 record may just have been the most impressive performance of the evening. Even the Class 7A-centric Democrat-Gazette has now conceded that this is one Class 4A team that belongs in the overall Top 10. A Week 10 showdown at home against Malvern looms. That should be the game of the year in Class 4A. Malvern is 7-1, having only lost by six points at Hot Springs Lakeside. Malvern faces 5-3 Nashville this week. Arkadelphia travels to 1-7 Bauxite.
Let’s get to the rankings following eight weeks of the regular season:
Overall
1. Fayetteville
2. Greenwood
3. Cabot
4. Pulaski Academy
5. Bentonville
6. Conway
7. North Little Rock
8. Arkadelphia
9. Camden Fairview
10. Fort Smith Southside
Class 7A
1. Fayetteville
2. Cabot
3. Bentonville
4. Conway
5. North Little Rock
Class 6A
1. Greenwood
2. Jonesboro
3. Lake Hamilton
4. El Dorado
5. Russellville
Class 5A
1. Pulaski Academy
2. Camden Fairview
3. White Hall
4. Batesville
5. Morrilton
Class 4A
1. Arkadelphia
2. Booneville
3. Pine Bluff Dollarway
4. Valley View
5. Malvern
Class 3A
1. Charleston
2. Harding Academy
3. Little Rock Episcopal
4. Glen Rose
5. Smackover
Class 2A
1. Junction City
2. Carlisle
3. Bearden
4. East Poinsett County
5. Dierks
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