Arkansas Sports Media Poll: Bryant Remains on Top After Opening Week
The Arkansas high school football season is officially underway, and the Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll has been released following the first week of action. A panel of sportswriters and broadcasters from across the state ranked teams in the Overall Top 10, along with classifications 7A through 2A and the 8-man division, for games played through August 30.
Bryant retained its position as the state’s top-ranked team in both the Overall and Class 7A polls after a season-opening win, receiving 11 first-place votes. Bentonville surged to No. 2 overall, while Greenwood, Fayetteville, and Conway rounded out the top five.
In Class 6A, Greenwood captured all 12 first-place votes and remains the heavy favorite, while Little Rock Parkview leads Class 5A. Arkadelphia holds the top spot in Class 4A, Salem sits firmly at No. 1 in Class 3A, and East Poinsett County headlines Class 2A. Strong-Huttig continues its reign at the top of the 8-man division.
Overall Top 10
Bryant (11) 1-0 – 118 points (Prv: 1)
Bentonville (1) 1-0 – 96 (3)
Greenwood 1-0 – 89 (2)
Fayetteville 1-0 – 88 (4)
Conway 1-0 – 78 (5)
Rogers 1-0 – 56 (6)
LR Parkview 0-0 – 37 (7)
Shiloh Christian 0-0 – 36 (8)
Joe T. Robinson 1-0 – 21 (10)
Benton 0-1 – 19 (9)
Others receiving votes: Bentonville West 7, LR Christian 7, FS Southside 3, Mountain Home 2, Marion 2, Cabot 1.
Class 7A
Bryant (11) 1-0 – 58 points (Prv: 1)
Bentonville (1) 1-0 – 41 (2)
Fayetteville 1-0 – 36 (3)
Conway 1-0 – 28 (4)
Rogers 1-0 – 17 (5)
Others receiving votes: None.
Class 6A
Greenwood (12) 1-0 – 60 points (Prv: 1)
Shiloh Christian 0-0 – 45 (2)
Benton 0-1 – 32 (3)
Marion 1-0 – 17 (4t)
Mountain Home 1-0 – 17 (4t)
Others receiving votes: FS Southside 7, Lake Hamilton 1, Sheridan 1.
Class 5A
LR Parkview (9) 0-0 – 52 points (Prv: 1)
Joe T. Robinson (2) 1-0 – 46 (2)
Farmington (1) 1-0 – 32 (3)
Morrilton 1-0 – 25 (4)
HS Lakeside 1-0 – 13 (-)
Others receiving votes: Camden Fairview 6, Valley View 3, Searcy 2, Greenbrier 1.
Class 4A
Arkadelphia (10) 1-0 – 57 points (Prv: 1)
Dardanelle (1) 1-0 – 41 (2)
LR Mills 1-0 – 31 (3)
Elkins 1-0 – 28 (4)
Southside Batesville 1-0 – 12 (-)
Others receiving votes: Warren (1) 10, Malvern 1.
Class 3A
Salem (9) 1-0 – 56 points (Prv: 1)
Fordyce (1) 1-0 – 38 (3)
Charleston 0-0 – 19 (4)
Booneville 0-0 – 15 (2)
Mansfield (1) 1-0 – 13 (-)
Others receiving votes: Rivercrest 10, Newport 8, Osceola (1) 7, Prescott 6, Mayflower 5, Glen Rose 2, Bismarck 1.
Class 2A
East Poinsett County (9) 1-0 – 57 points (Prv: 1)
Junction City (3) 1-0 – 43 (3)
Mount Ida 0-0 – 35 (2)
Cross County 1-0 – 19 (4)
Carlisle 1-0 – 16 (5)
Others receiving votes: Conway Christian 4, Bigelow 3, Des Arc 2, Poyen 1.
8-Man Division
Strong-Huttig (10) 0-0 – 32 points (Prv: 1)
Midland (1) 1-0 – 16 (2t)
Rector 0-0 – 10 (2t)
Others receiving votes: Cedar Ridge 5, Brinkley 2, Woodlawn 1.
This Week’s Key Games
The week ahead features several marquee showdowns:
Newton (GA) at Bryant – a cross-state matchup testing the Hornets.
Conway at Bentonville – an early battle of Class 7A heavyweights.
Little Rock Christian at Shiloh Christian – two of the state’s premier programs go head-to-head.
Broken Arrow (OK) at Fayetteville – a tough test for the Purple Dogs.
Greenwood at Fort Smith Northside – the Bulldogs look to stay sharp in Class 6A.
Other highlights include Pine Bluff traveling to Dallas to take on Kimball, Arkadelphia facing Hot Springs, and traditional rivalries like Hope at Nashville and Warren at White Hall.