7A-Central emerges as top football league in Arkansas

I'm trying to recall the number of times over many years coaches in our area have described the 7A-West Conference as the SEC of high school football in Arkansas.

I'm in my 60s now, so remembering details isn't as easy as it used to be. But I've narrowed it down to between 100 and 3 million times.

Any review of the high school football season in Arkansas has to start in Class 7A, where Bryant and North Little Rock played for the state championship. That's Bryant and North Little Rock of the 7A-Central Conference, which also produced the state championships last season in football.

I don't know if coaches in the 7A-Central are calling their league the SEC of high school football in Arkansas, but they could. Bryant and North Little Rock were clearly the best teams in the state and Bryant beat North Little Rock 27-7 for the championship after the Hornets lost 34-28 to the Charging Wildcats in conference play.

Hail to the Hornets who lost 36-35 to Fayetteville in the regular season then eliminated the Bulldogs 28-25 in the playoffs.

I usually avoid squabbles between folks in central Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas over sports and politics. But it is only fair to recognize the teams in central Arkansas this season, especially following a stretch where 7A-West teams won 12 consecutive state championships beginning in 2005. I've also heard complaints from University of Arkansas football fans that part of the teams' struggles have been because of a lack of high school talent in central Arkansas.

Arkansas fans will be pleased to know the pipeline from central Arkansas is flowing again with incoming freshmen like Hudson Henry, Zach Williams and Justice Hill (basketball). I've seen them play, and they are fantastic athletes who only need development at the college level.

Teams from our area were not shut out in the chase for state championships in six classifications.

Greenwood again showed it is the most dominant football program in Arkansas with its 45-14 victory over Benton before a crowd of 11,201 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Greenwood won its ninth state championship and eighth title under coach Rick Jones since 2005.

"They're hungry," Jones said of his string of champions at Greenwood. "They never get satisfied."

Another place where winning never gets old is Booneville, the Class 3A school located 20 miles east of Greenwood on Arkansas 10. Booneville beat Osceola 35-0 Saturday to win its fourth state championship. The Bearcats finished 15-0 despite losing all-state quarterback Brandon Ulmer to a knee injury in the season-opener.

I've covered many exciting games through the years and the interception by Booneville linebacker Cam Brasher to save a 34-31 victory over Prescott in the playoffs has shot toward the top in terms of fantastic finishes. Booneville fans, for sure, will long remember it.

I'm appreciative our sports editor, Chip Souza, assigned me to write columns from Friday night games, which allowed me to see a wide range of teams, from Class 2A Mountainburg to most of the teams in the 7A-West Conference. Harrison had a fantastic year in Class 5A, and Lincoln in Class 4A stands out to me as one of the most improved teams in the state. We also witnessed the return of eight-man football this season, initiated by those spunky Bulldogs from Decatur.

While the 7A-Central currently holds bragging rights over teams from the 7A-West, that hold is likely only temporary. There's too many good coaches and too many good players in Northwest Arkansas for the league to be down for long.

So, who will it be among the teams from Bentonville, Springdale and Fayetteville to restore order in Class 7A next season?

We have a whole year to find out.

Sports on 12/09/2018

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