Finally, it’s Bryant vs. Conway

Conference titles, playoff seeding, playoff berths — it’s all on the line this week as the high school football regular season comes to an end.

This is the week most teams have circled since the summer and thankfully, the slate of games has lived up to the hyped expectations.

Almost immediately after Buck James left Bryant to coach 7A-Central foe Conway, a Week 10 matchup at John McConnell Stadium has been the talk of the conference to decide the league champion.

Bryant (8-1, 6-0 7A-Central) and Conway (9-0, 6-0) have mostly cruised through conference play and enter Friday’s matchup undefeated in conference play.

Conway quarterback Donovyn Omolo looks like a Player of the Year contender with more than 2,000 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes.

Bryant quarterback Jordan Walker isn’t far behind with 1,768 passing yards and 24 touchdowns.

Not surprisingly, these are the top-two scoring defenses in Class 7A with James and Bryant Coach Quad Sanders keeping the rest of the 7A-Central in check.

This could be the first of two meetings between these teams this season, but we’ll have to see what the score of this one looks like first.

Conway 35, Bryant 31 Bentonville (6-3, 5-1 7A-West) at Bentonville West (7-2, 5-1)

Bentonville West has never beaten its rival in eight meetings. Bentonville has won back-to-back games with starting quarterback Carter Nye sidelined by an ankle injury. Bentonville West has won five games in a row, holding teams to 16.4 points per game during that stretch. Bentonville 27, Bentonville West 24.

Little Rock Christian (8-1, 7-0 6A-West) at Greenwood (9-0, 7-0)

This game will feature two of the state’s top quarterbacks in Greenwood sophomore Kane Archer and Little Rock Christian senior Walker White. Greenwood has won each of its games this season by 25 points or more.

Greenwood 40, Little Rock Christian 35

Little Rock Catholic (63, 5-3 6A-East) at Marion (8-1, 7-1)

Few players are performing at a higher level than Marion quarterback Ashton Gray down the stretch of the regular season. Little Rock Catholic was outscored 22-0 in the second half of a loss last week to El Dorado.

Marion 38, Little Rock Catholic 27 Joe T. Robinson (7-2, 6-1 5A-South) at Pine Bluff (72, 6-1)

The two-year rebuild of Pine Bluff is nearly complete. The Zebras will reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and they have a chance to clinch a conference title with a win over Joe T. Robinson. The Senators have the top-scoring offense in the conference with 37 points per game.

Pine Bluff 24, Joe T. Robinson 21

Hot Springs Lakeside (6-3, 4-2 5A-South) at Hot Springs (8-1, 5-1)

Other than a loss to No. 1 Little Rock Parkview, Hot Springs has cruised through most of its conference schedule, despite injuries to key wide receivers. Hot Springs Lakeside has already tripled its win total from last season’s 2-7 finish.

Hot Springs 41, Hot Springs Lakeside 27 Shiloh Christian (7-2, 5-1 5A-West) at Alma (7-2, 5-1)

Shiloh Christian made a statement last week with a 49-0 win over Prairie Grove after suffering its first loss on Oct. 20 to Farmington. The Saints will need help to clinch the conference title outright and the No. 1 seed, but they should handle their part of that scenario.

Shiloh Christian 35, Alma 18 Blytheville (6-3, 5-1 4A3) at Rivercrest (7-2, 6-0)

Rivercrest has scored 42 points or more in each conference game this season. Blytheville won its first five conference games before losing to Pocahontas last week. Rivercrest could clinch a conference title and a perfect conference run with a win.

Rivercrest 39, Blytheville 28

Lamar (7-2, 5-2 4A-4) at Central Arkansas Christian (7-2, 5-2)

Central Arkansas Christian, with first-year Coach Ryan Howard, has made the largest turnaround of any team in the state from last season and is in play for a conference title with a win here. The Mustangs have scored the second-most points in Class 4A and will need it be a shootout with the Warriors.

Central Arkansas Christian 52, Lama 48 Malvern (6-2, 4-0 4A-7) at Arkadelphia (5-3, 4-0)

This was the final game of the 2022 regular season after storms pushed it to Saturday. The Badgers have fought back from a disastrous nonconference slate to play for a conference title. Malvern lost last season’s meeting handily but rolled to a Class 4A title. This would be Malvern’s first conference title under Coach JD Plumlee.

Malvern 42, Arkadelphia 30 Centerpoint (5-4, 5-1 3A4) at Bismarck (7-2, 5-1)

There’s a home playoff game up for grabs for the winner of this game. Bismarck is coming off of three straight wins and six of its past seven. The Lions have allowed 61 total points across their six conference games coming into this one. Bismarck 37, Centerpoint 24

East Poinsett County (61, 6-0 2A-2) at Marked Tree (7-1, 5-1)

There were 84 points scored in this game a year ago, and you can bet there will be plenty again. East Poinsett County is averaging 44.4 points per game behind the rushing attack of senior Dennis Gaines. The Warriors also hold opponents to 13.7 points per game in conference play.

East Poinsett County 44, Marked Tree 34

McCrory (5-4, 4-2 2A-2) at Des Arc (6-3, 4-2)

The difference between the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds could be the difference between making a run at a state title or not, so there’s plenty left to play for here. Des Arc is coming off back-to-back losses while McCrory has won back-to-back, scoring 104 points in those two games.

McCrory 35, Des Arc 32

Mineral Springs (9-0, 5-0 2A-3) at Murfreesboro (9-0, 5-0)

This is the headliner of Thursday night’s slate as the 2A-3 is up for grabs. Mineral Springs has been the No. 1 team in Class 2A for much of the season and has blown through each of its nine opponents. Murfreesboro is the surprise of 2A after a 4-6 season in 2022, but the Rattlers have earned a shot at the title with one of Class 2A’s top defenses.

Mineral Springs 32, Murfreesboro 14 Carlisle (8-1, 5-0 2A-4) at Hazen (8-1, 5-0)

Hazen got the better of its biggest rival twice last season — once in the final week of the regular season to clinch the conference title and in the Class 2A championship game with a lopsided win. Despite both teams losing their star from last season, they’ve managed to be in nearly the exact same situation a year later. Hazen 35, Carlisle 26