Bulldogs, Trojans favored

HOOTENS.COM GAME OF THE WEEK No. 10 Danville at No. 17 Mountainburg

This matchup could decide the 4-2A title after Mountainburg's run-heavy offense piled up more than 300 rushing yards last week in a mild (33-30) upset of Hackett.

Mountainburg defeated Hackett for the first time in the past five meetings. Senior end Jackson Cowan paces Mountainburg this fall with 20 tackles.

Danville junior tackle Doug Harper (6-4, 270) returned from an injury last week.

Danville passed for 141 yards, rushed for 277 yards and held Lavaca to 70 yards.

LAST WEEK

Hootens.com correctly picked 26 of 32 games (81 percent) involving Class 2A teams. For the year, hootens.com is 54-18 (75 percent). WEEK 3 PREDICTIONS (favored team in CAPS followed by point spread)

3-2A

SOUTHSIDE BATESVILLE (21) at Cross County: Cross County allowed 670 yards last week to visiting (Class 3A) Barton in a 40-point loss. Class 4A Southside Batesville junior safety Caden Huskey (127 tackles, seven INTs last year) made 12 tackles and broke up two passes vs. Class 3A Bald Knob.

Midland at CEDAR RIDGE (19): Twenty crooked miles separate these young programs in what could blossom into a rivalry.

Midland (located at Pleasant Plains) ended a 13-game losing streak, posted its first shutout and made its first goal line stand in school history last week in a 20-0 triumph over Quitman.

Midland senior slotback and team captain Tristan May carried 10 times for 150 yards and two TDs.

Senior LB Levi Irvin

paced a swarming defense in tackles. Cedar Ridge senior RB Daylon Gant (1,067 yards in 2016) rushed for 84 yards, caught four passes for 79 yards and two TDs and returned an interception 56 yards for a TD last week in a 18-point loss to Earle.

Mountain View at EARLE (21): In limited snaps last week, Earle senior Gerry Bohannon completed two of six passes and ran two times for 76 yards and a TD.

Bohannon's passing mechanics are dramatically improved this fall after training this summer with former Arkansas Razorback QB Clint Stoerner. JONESBORO WESTSIDE (18) at Marked Tree: Class 4A JW's running attack should roll again, averaging 300 rushing yards and 36 ppg.

Marked Tree allowed 264 yards last year in a 14-point loss to Class 4A Harrisburg.

Corning at E. POINSETT COUNTY (12): Unbeaten EPC held Class 3A Walnut Ridge to 169 yards and six points last week.

Corning has lost 10 straight non-conference games, three of those to EPC by an average of 25 points.

Salem at MELBOURNE (6): Two unbeatens collide after Salem rallied last week past Class 3A Yellville-Summit 22-18. Class 3A Melbourne (first varsity season in 2012) is 14-3 all-time in non-conference games and 2-1 vs. Salem.

PIGGOTT (24) at Rector: Class 3A Piggott head coach Michael Harrell goes 3-0 against his former boss, Rector HC Dave Hendrix (and the Cougars), who were idle last week. Piggott has won this Clay County clash the past two years by a combined 79 points.

4-2A DANVILLE (2) at Mountainburg: See Game of the Week.

5-2A

Rose Bud at CONWAY CHRISTIAN (26): Rose Bud piled up 480 yards last week in a 16-point win over Marshall.

CC rushed for 288 of its 370 yards in a 14-point win over Class 3A Mountain View.

Senior RB Luke Gates paced CC with 132 yards, while sophomore Clay Hammett recorded a team-high 10 stops.

BISMARCK (3) at Cutter M Star: Cutter M. Star has won three of the past five in the series.

This will be Bismarck's first 3-0 start since 2009.

Quitman at MARSHALL (2): Rose Bud and Midland ended 10- and 13-game losing streaks, respectively, in wins over Quitman.

Rose Bud defeated Quitman 42-26 and Marshall 44-28.

Bigelow at MAYFLOWER (24): Mayflower beat Perryville by 30 last week, and Perryville beat Bigelow by 18 in the opener.

H. GROVE HASKELL (14) at Magnet Cove: After Bauxite's 23-22 upset last week of Glen Rose, Haskell's opening 13-6 win over Bauxite looks better.

Magnet Cove pushed Class 3A Centerpoint a week ago but lost in OT 14-13. Class 3A Haskell averaged 334 yards per game in 2016; 198 yards after two weeks in 2017.

England at EPISCOPAL (1): England scored one TD two weeks ago vs. McCrory's starters and managed 64 total yards and lost three fumbles last week in a 50-0 loss to Class 3A No. 3 Junction City.

Has Episcopal forgotten the 63-0 beating from England in 2016?

Paris at HECTOR (6): A year ago in a deluge, officials called this matchup at halftime with Hector winning 8-7.

Both teams lost last week.

Bearden big-played Hector with all-state senior QB Tyler Berry averaging 12 yards per carry and classmate Cam'Ron Byes returning a fumble 108 yards for a TD.

PERRYVILLE (10) at Poyen: Class 3A Perryville averages 275 rushing yards (5.1 per attempt) a week, including 268 yards last week in a 30-point loss to Class 3A Mayflower.

Poyen racked up 480 yards last week at Bismarck, where penalties negated two Poyen TDs in a 12-point loss.

Poyen junior QB Jacob Farmer has passed for 605 yards this fall.

6-2A BARTON (7) at Hazen: Class 3A Barton records its first 3-0 start since 2014. The Flexbonerunning Bears amassed 670 yards last week at Cross County.

Hazen rushed for 516 yards in a 30-point blowout of Clarendon, paced by sophomores Ay'Jon Green (186 yards), Tarrall Penn (122 yards) and junior Demariea Buchanan (133 yards).

Brinkley at DES ARC (35): Des Arc senior RB Dillon Conway accounted for 208 of Des Arc's 307 yards last week in a 37-18 loss at McCrory.

Senior Hunter Hill paces DA with 25 tackles.

MCCRORY (42) at Marvell: McCrory senior RB Devin Taylor rumbled for 298 yards and four TDs last week in a 19-point win over Des Arc.

McCrory led 20-0 at halftime. Its first-team defense allowed 12 points, led by senior end Jamone McCoy (seven tackles, four TFL and a sack) and sophomore end Tarzan Alumbaugh (eight tackles, two TFL, one FR).

Clarendon at PALESTINEWHEATLEY (12): P-W confidence flows after a 39-point blowout last week of neighbor Brinkley.

Clarendon missing the big-play ability of former QB Jama Cross. CARLISLE is open.

7-2A

Lamar at MOUNT IDA (10): Top-ranked Mount Ida held Class 3A Jessieville to 214 yards and six points last week, while the Lions rolled up 346 yards.

MI Veer QB Cade Jackson ran for 74 yards and two TDs. Lamar senior RB Joe Mueller has rushed for 286 yards (9.9 ypc) in 2017. GENOA CENTRAL (35) at Spring Hill: Class 3A Genoa Central ran for 460 yards and four TDs last week in a blowout of Lafayette County. A year ago, GC whipped Spring Hill 35-0.

Spring Hill has dropped 16 of its past 18 games, beating Bismarck and receiving a forfeit from Mountain Pine in 2016.

CENTERPOINT (6) at Mineral Springs: Centerpoint walloped Mineral Springs 42-8 a year ago. Centerpoint trying to go 3-0 for they this time since 2000.

The Knights beat Magnet Cove 14-13 in overtime last week by stopping a two-point conversion.

FOREMAN (10) at Horatio: Foreman ripped off almost 400 yards in a preseason scrimmage vs. Class 3A Centerpoint and followed up with 265 rushing yards (8 ypc) in the opener vs. Class 3A Genoa Central.

Dierks at FOUKE (29): Fouke averages 485 total yards and 11.2 ypc after blowout wins over Class 2A Mineral Springs and Hermitage.

8-2A HAMPTON (36) at Murfreesboro: No. 5 Hampton scored 67 points vs. Murfreesboro last year with all-everything athlete Monta' Thomas accounting for 176 yards by halftime.

Last week, Hampton junior QB Gauge Welch started in the first half, and classmate Carlos Martinez took snaps in the second half of a 14-12 win over Class 3A Fordyce.

Junior FB Elian Martinez led Hampton with 125 yards and a TD.

Murfreesboro gave up 417 yards on 40 plays last week in a 42-6 loss to Class 3A Horatio, which opened the game with a turnover on each of its first three possessions. PARKERS CHAPEL (28) at Lafayette County: PC shut out Spring Hill 40-0 last week.

Sophomore Kori Morris rushed for 102 yards and a TD, while junior Dequa Henderson intercepted two passes.

Six Trojans have recorded double-digit tackles this fall, led by senior LB Brendan Winchester with 18 stops.

Gurdon at BEARDEN (14): Bearden senior QB Tyler Berry riddled Hector a week ago with 215 rushing yards (12 ypc) while completing 10 of 17 passes for 146 yards and a TD.

Senior LB Gage Word racked up 23 tackles (17 solos), joining former Bear greats Darwin Parham and B.J. Ross in topping 20 tackles in a game.

Lake Village at RISON (22): No. 2 Rison unveils its new synthetic turf this week, but the official dedication takes pace Week 4 against visiting Bearden.

Rison buried Class 4A Baptist Prep a week ago, holding BP to 45 yards and two first downs while forcing five fumbles.

Class 3A Lake Village all-conference senior QB Aarion Kilgore accounts for 321 yards weekly (172 passing, 149 rushing) with seven TDs this season.

Hermitage at DREW CENTRAL (42): Class 3A Drew Central snapped a 17-game losing streak last week with a 41-13 win over Woodlawn.

Hermitage returned to varsity football last week, losing 78-0 at Fouke. Drew Central hammered Hermitage 33-6 in 2010 in the other meeting of the schools.

C. Harmony Grove at GLEN ROSE (3): Camden Harmony Grove tries to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2014. Harmony Grove trailed Prescott 33-6 at halftime last week.

Class 3A GR lost at Bauxite with its final drive ending with three incomplete passes to the end zone from the Bauxite 39-yard line. Bauxite had lost 13 straight games.

MOUNTAIN PINE (4) at Woodlawn: Mountain Pine ended a 17-game losing streak last week at Cutter Morning Star 8-7 and makes it two straight with a win at Woodlawn, which has averaged nine points in its two losses.

STRONG (10) at Marianna: Class 4A Helena beat Marianna by 50 points last week. Marianna has lost five straight games by a combined 176 points.