McGEE: ’Hawk kicker Reyes leads league in kick scoring

side with five sacks, tying him with Garrett Hays of Gentry. Carson Rhine is second in interceptions with three, one back of Gentry’s Rowdy Smith who totals four.

Luis Reyes is the only kicker in the district who has made as many as three field goals, and he also leads the league in kick scoring with 41 points. Pat Williams of Shiloh is second in total scoring with 30 points via the boot. Reyes is the second best conference punter with a 34.5 average, following Green Forest’ Reiley Gordon who sports a 37.7 average.

4A-1 Football standings

1. Pea Ridge 6-0 2. Shiloh 6-0 3. Lincoln 4-2 4. Prairie Grove 4-2 5. Gentry 2-4 6. Berryville 1-5 7. Gravette 1-5 8. Green Forest 0-6

MaxPreps/CBS 4A State football poll

This is the last week of regular season games, and the last week for unweighted football polling.

Every playoff game has added value when it comes to computer polling which will boost teams who make it through it later rounds as opposed to those who are eliminated early.

The top five in each district, 30 teams in all, make it to the playoffs. The six districts send six No. 5 seeds up against four No. 1 seeds and two No. 2 seeds in the first round. Two No. 1 teams get byes in the first round, as only 30 teams are named to the 32-team format tournament.

This format works the same way in the 3A and 2A classifications, making brackets a five round affair. The 7A class in Arkansas takes the top six in each eight team league and has a four round playoff schedule with the 6A having the same procedure. The 5A leagues send their top four to the playoffs for a four round playoff.

The public schools of Bentonville will claim another 7A league crown this week as Bentonville and Bentonville West will play each other for the league title Friday. It is a repeat of 2017 when both teams went undefeated in conference play to set up a winner take all game at season’s end. Bentonville won that contest.

Bentonville had been dominating 7A football in Arkansas before the school split into two four years ago to form two high schools. The conventional wisdom was that Bentonville would go the way of Rogers where a split sent a state runner up program to the bottom of the 7A West ever since.

Instead, Bentonville and Bentonville West have both gone undefeated over the past two seasons against the other six teams in the 7A West.

Current 4A Football poll

1. Warren 9-0

2. Bauxite 8-1 3. Robinson 7-2

4. Shiloh 7-2

5. Rivercrest 8-1 6. Dumas 8-1

7. Stuttgart 7-2 8. Nashville 6-2 9. Arkadelphia 4-5

10. Ozark 7-2

11. Dardanelle 8-1

12. Hamburg 7-2

13. Westside 7-2

14. Pea Ridge 7-2

15. Heber Springs 5-4 16. West Helena 7-2

17. Harmony Grove 5-4 18. Gosnell 5-4

19. Trumann 6-3

20. Fountain Lake 5-4 21. Elkins 7-2

22. Southside 5-4

23. Star City 3-6

24. Lincoln 7-2

25. Mena 6-3

26. Ashdown 3-6

27. Lonoke 7-2

28. Central Arkansas 5-4 29. Prairie Grove 5-4 30. Pottsville 4-5 31. Bald Knob 4-5 32. Pocahontas 3-6 33. Crossett 3-6 34. DeWitt 3-6 35. Gentry 2-7 36. Berryville 3-6 37. Malvern 0-9 38. Brookland 2-7 39. Riverview 2-7 40. Highland 1-8 41. Waldron 2-7 42. Cave City 1-8 43. Dover 1-8 44. Subiaco 1-8 45. Monticello 0-9 46. Gravette 1-6 47. Mills 0-9 48. Green Forest 1-8

••• Editor’s note: John McGee, an award-winning columnist, sports writer and art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@ nwadg.com.