CLASS 7A SUPER SIX team capsules.
No. 1 Bryant
COACH Buck James CONFERENCE 7A-Central
2019 RECORD 13-0
KEY RETURNERS QB Austin Ledbetter (Sr., 6-2, 205); WR Hayden Schrader (Sr., 6-2, 200); CB Kyle Knox (Sr., 6-1, 185) NOTEWORTHY Bryant has won the past two Class 7A state championships, defeating 7A-Central rival North Little Rock in both games. … James is a three-time state-title winning coach, winning twice at Bryant and the 2012 Class 5A crown at Camden Fairview.
SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT
Saturday Benton^ Sept. 4 at Marion
Sept. 18 Trinity Christian (Texas) Sept. 25 FS Northside* Oct. 2 at LR Catholic* Oct. 9 LR Central* Oct. 16 at LR Southwest* Oct. 23 Cabot* Oct. 30 at North Little Rock* Nov. 6 Conway* *7A-Central Conference game
^At War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
No. 2 North Little Rock
COACH J.R. Eldridge CONFERENCE 7A-Central 2019 RECORD 8-5
KEY RETURNERS QB Kareame Cotton (Sr., 6-2, 195); RB Fred O’Donald (Sr., 6-1, 205); RB Aaron Sims (Sr., 6-2, 195)
NOTEWORTHY North Little Rock played in the past four Class 7A state championship games, winning in 2017 against Bentonville. … Eldridge won two consecutive Class 4A state titles at Arkadelphia in 2017 and 2018. … The Charging Wildcats won 52 games the past five seasons under Jamie Mitchell, who is now at Shades Valley in Irondale, Ala.
SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT
Sept. 4 at Springdale Har-Ber Sept. 11 Fayetteville Sept. 18 West Memphis Sept. 25 LR Central* Oct. 2 at Conway* Oct. 9 LR Southwest* Oct. 16 at LR Catholic* Oct. 23 at FS Northside* Oct. 30 Bryant* Nov. 6 Cabot* *7A-Central Conference game
No. 3 Bentonville
COACH Jody Grant
CONFERENCE 7A-West
2019 RECORD 11-1
KEY RETURNERS WR Caz Nimrod (Jr., 6-2, 180); OL Ethan Fitzgerald (Sr., 6-1, 235); LB Cole Joyce (Sr., 6-1, 220) NOTEWORTHY Bentonville has won the past four 7A-West Conference championships and earned 25 consecutive league victories. … Joyce has orally committed to Central Florida. … The Tigers are looking to reach the state championship for the first time since 2017.
SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT
Sept. 4 at Conway Sept. 11 Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst
Sept. 18 Mill Valley (Kan.) Sept. 25 Springdale Har-Ber Oct. 2 at FS Southside* Oct. 9 at Rogers Heritage* Oct. 16 Fayetteville* Oct. 23 Rogers* Oct. 30 at Springdale* Nov. 6 Bentonville West* *7A-Central Conference game
No. 4 Bentonville West
COACH Bryan Pratt CONFERENCE 7A-West 2019 RECORD 7-5 KEY RETURNERS QB Dalton McDonald (Sr., 6-0, 170); WR Stephen Dyson (Sr., 5-11, 165); LB Ariel Bradic (Jr., 5-9, 160)
NOTEWORTHY Bentonville West has played in the semifinals in two of the program’s first four seasons (2017, 2019). … McDonald enters his third season as the Wolverines’ starting quarterback. … Bradic had 150 tackles and 3 sacks last season.
SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT
Saturday at Broken Arrow, Okla. Sept. 4 Muskogee, Okla. Sept. 11 at LR Central Sept. 25 at Fayetteville* Oct. 2 Springdale* Oct. 9 Rogers* Oct. 16 at Springdale Har-Ber* Oct. 23 at Rogers Heritage* Oct. 30 FS Southside* Nov. 6 at Bentonville* *7A-West Conference game
No. 5 Fayetteville
COACH Casey Dick
CONFERENCE 7A-West
2019 RECORD 6-6
KEY RETURNERS WR Link Lindsey (Sr., 6-3, 180); WR Isaiah Sategna (Jr., 5-11, 170); LB Kaiden Turner (Jr., 6-1, 220) NOTEWORTHY Dick, who played quarterback at the University of Arkansas, is in his second season at Fayetteville after one year at Van Buren. … Since winning the Class 7A state title in 2016, the Bulldogs have not advanced past the quarterfinals. … Fayetteville returns 11 starters from last season.
SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT
Friday at Conway Sept. 4 Owasso, Okla. Sept. 11 at North Little Rock Sept. 25 Bentonville West* Oct. 2 at Rogers* Oct. 9 FS Southside* Oct. 16 at Bentonville* Oct. 23 Springdale* Oct. 30 Rogers Heritage* Nov. 6 at Springdale Har-Ber* *7A-West Conference game
No. 6 Cabot
COACH Scott Reed
CONFERENCE 7A-Central
2019 RECORD 6-5
KEY RETURNERS QB Tyler Gee (Sr., 6-1, 200); WR Braden Jay (Jr., 5-8, 168); CB Tyler Parks (Sr., 5-9, 154)
NOTEWORTHY Gee threw 24 touchdown passes in 2019 in Cabot’s new Spread offense under Reed. … Cabot is looking for its first 10-win season since 2015. … Senior WR Marlon Crockett transferred to Cabot from Searcy in the offseason. Crockett caught 13 touchdown passes for Searcy’s Class 6A state championship team last season.
SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT
Friday Searcy Sept. 4 at Jonesboro Sept. 11 at El Dorado Sept. 25 LR Catholic* Oct. 2 at LR Southwest* Oct. 9 Conway*
Oct. 16 LR Central* Oct. 23 at Bryant* Oct. 30 FS Northside* Nov. 6 at North Little Rock* *7A-Central Conference game