Playoff bracket set for the 2019 postseason

The conference winner of the 4A-1 will play in the lower left on the bracket in the top position.

This means that the first three rounds will be at home if that team wins out. With the present way things are, and they can and will change, the opposition for the opening round would be the No. 5 seed from the 4A-2, likely Central Arkansas or Bald Knob. The 4A-1 champ will then play the survivor of the 4A-1 fifth seed, likely Lincoln or Gravette, against either Rivercrest or Gosnell. Waiting in the quarterfinals will probably be Arkadelphia or Nashville.

The league runner-up will be at home in the lower right bracket likely playing Bald Knob. After that they could play either West Helena, Crossett or Warren in the second round, then perhaps Batesville Southside in the quarters.

The upper right bracket will host the 4A-1 third- and fourth-place seeds. The third seed will play the third seed at home from the 4A-2, maybe Lonoke. The fourth-place team from the northwest will probably play West Helena at home.

Arkansas probably puts more teams into the playoffs than any other state. Several more teams make the playoffs than don’t.

Arkansas high school playoffs usually mean very long drives for the teams that barely get into the action. Our fifth seed will play at a team from along the Mississippi River. Our fourth seed will open a long drive to southeast Arkansas. Our third seed will be at home in the first round but then have to travel to the winner of the 4A-7, the league with the most wins in playoff competition the past two years. That game will be in central or south Arkansas.

Bracketologists will be massaging the records and the standings every week until we actually get into the post season. The Blackhawks have already pretty much clinched their place in the playoffs but they are now playing to get their seed as high as possible before the end of the season.

4A-1 Conference football

In what billed as the game of the week with conference co-leaders Prairie Grove and Shiloh going at it, the game was a snoozer as the Springdale privates obliterated Prairie Grove 56-7. Shiloh now sits atop the 4A-1 standings with Pea Ridge, with both schools sporting 3-0 league marks. Shiloh won’t play Pea Ridge until the last regular season game a month from now.

Besides the Hawks’ blowout of Gravette, there was one other lopsided contest in the conference, that being the 34-0 wipe out administered by Gentry over Green Forest. In the other district contest, Lincoln won a wild 39-34 battle with Berryville. The games played set up four twoteam ties in the standings.

The Blackhawks will host Prairie Grove this Friday that will give the Hawks a lock down on the playoffs should they win. A fourwin conference mark usually brings at least a No. 4 seed into the playoffs. Pea Ridge won’t be content with that however, earning at least the No. 2 seed every year since 2014.

District football standings

1. Pea Ridge 3-0 Shiloh 3-0 3.PrairieGrove 2-1 Gentry 2-1

5. Gravette 1-2 Lincoln 1-2

7. Berryville 0-3 GreenForest 0-3

MaxPreps District football stat leaders

• Rushing:

1. Samuel Beard, Pea Ridge, 620 yds.

5. Tate Busey, Pea Ridge, 295 yds.

• Passing:

1. Eli Reece, Shiloh, 1,366 yds.

4. Tate Busey, Pea Ridge, 597 yds.

• Receiving:

1. Truitt Tollett, Shiloh, 594 yds.

5. Trevor Blair, Pea Ridge, 261 yds.

• PATs:

1. Keaton Carter, Shiloh, 24

2. Luis Reyes, Pea Ridge, 19

• Scoring:

1. Truitt Tollett, Shiloh, 66

4. Samuel Beard, Pea Ridge, 60

• Touchdowns:

1. Truitt Tollett, Shiloh, 11

2. Samuel Beard, Pea Ridge, 10

• Sacks:

1. Mazon Harris, Pea Ridge, 4

• Interceptions:

1. Zac Jarnagan, Gentry, 4

2. John Roses and Joe Adams, Pea Ridge, 2

• Kickoff Yardage:

1. Luis Reyes, Pea Ridge, 47.0 yds. per kick

• Punts:

1. Tate Busey, Pea Ridge, 39.9 yds. per kick

MaxPreps/CBS 4A State football poll

*Current statewide MaxPreps rankings

Nashville, Arkadelphia and Robinson were ranked second, third and fourth headed into last week. Earlier in the 4A-7, Arkadelphia had beaten Robinson by 1 point, with Nashville beating Arkadelphia earlier by a single point. They expected a tight battle between juggernauts Nashville and Robinson last week.

It didn’t happen. Robinson trounced Nashville to climb into three-way tie. How well the teams will seed out will depend on how well the lower echelon does against the big boys.

Down at Dardanelle, the Sand Lizards were a slight favorite to beat the Ozark Mountaineers and actually led 6-0 after the first quarter. However, Ozark caught fire and scored 41 straight points to blow out the hosts 41-13. That puts Ozark into the driver’s seat to win the 4A-4.

For the week, the biggest gainer in the polls was Little Rock Mills which jumped eight spots to number 34. Lonoke was the biggest loser, dropping 10 spots from No. 22 to No. 32.

1. Shiloh 6-0 —

2. Arkadelphia 5-1 +1

3. Robinson 5-1 +1

4. Nashville 5-1 -2

5. Ozark 5-1 +1

6. Dardanelle 5-1 -1

7. Bauxite 5-1 +4

8. Warren 5-1 +1

9. Pea Ridge 3-3 -1

10. Crossett 3-4 +3

11. Mena 4-2 -1