6A-West picture is murky
The race for the 6A-West Conference title didn’t get any clearer Friday night. If anything, it got even muggier.
Lake Hamilton (6-0, 3-0) and Benton (5-1, 3-0), the top two teams in Class 6A, cleared major hurdles with victories over Russellville and Little Rock Parkview, respectively, and remained on a collision course for their showdown on the final Friday of October, but even that game may not decide who wins the league title, let alone takes the top seed into the postseason.
That’s because Greenwood (4-2, 2-1) hasn’t gone anywhere.
The Bulldogs, who were beaten 48-28 by Parkview two weeks ago, welcomed back their starting quarterback, Hunter Houston, and looked every bit like the team conference coaches picked to win the 6A-West in the preseason in their 54-17 whipping of Siloam Springs. Houston wasn’t perfect – he went 17 of 27 for 200 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions – but his presence under center makes Greenwood a completely different team than what it is without him.
That could make a huge difference on Oct. 22 when Benton hosts Greenwood and again on Nov. 5 in the Bulldogs’ regular-season finale at home against Lake Hamilton. Until then, Benton and Lake Hamilton are in control.
However, things may not be any more transparent from where the Panthers and Wolves are sitting.
“There’s four teams in our conference that can beat anybody on any given night if you don’t play well,” said Benton Coach Brad Harris, whose team slipped past Parkview 30-23. “You saw that [Friday]. Then you’ve got Greenwood and Lake Hamilton that’s the same way. And then you’ve got a Mountain Home and a Van Buren. If they’re hot, you’re in trouble if you don’t play well.
“So it’s not over with for us.”
The Panthers overcame a huge push by the Patriots in the second half to win their fifth consecutive game. Parkview (3-3, 1-2) wiped out an 11-point deficit in the third quarter and led 23-17 early in the fourth. But Benton scored the game’s final 13 points, with quarterback Stran Smith getting the go-ahead score with just over three minutes remaining.
Harris was adamant about his team adhering to a “one game at a time” motto, which seems like a must in the 6A-West. According to him, the Panthers can ill-afford to look to look past anyone, especially the team they’re about to face.
“We’ve got a long road trip to Mountain Home,” he explained. “I know they’re going to be loaded for us. We don’t need to have that trap game between a really good team and then a Greenwood team coming in here in two weeks.”