With Prairie Grove's front-loaded conference schedule, they have already beaten the best four teams they will face this season and now only have to take down the bottom three teams (Gentry, Berryville and Lincoln) in the district to claim another undefeated season.
There is a little bit of danger for the Tigers to compete in three games that would look to be rather noncompetitive and then have a week off as the winner of the 4A-1. The danger is in the way the playoffs are structured this year.
The winner of our district will sit out the first round then likely host the No. 4 team from the tough 4A-7 district, a team that won't miss a game. Their first foe will be a top 10 team, either Mena, Ashdown or Robinson. If they win their first game, they will then likely play the No. 3 team from the same 4A-7 league, one of the three aforementioned teams, another top 10 squad in the state. Then in the state semifinals, they will likely draw undefeated Warren. At least they will be home for all these games.
So, Prairie Grove will be tested every game out and while they may have the tools to get past them all and return to the state finals, it won't be easy.
Though disappointed in the loss to Prairie Grove last week, the 'Hawks will be hosting Berryville this week in a game that will break their 6-6 deadlock in games played since the year 2000.
Berryville had their way with the Blackhawks back in the 2A-3A days, winning four of five contests from 2004 through 2008. Since then, Pea Ridge has beaten the Bobcats five of seven times, including the last two battles, 49-2 in 2014 and 48-0 last season. The two losses the 'Hawks suffered since 2008 was a missed PAT point 21-20 loss in 2010, and a very disheartening 25-20 loss in 2013 when the Bobcats completed a long pass in the game's last play to win.
Berryville has shown an ability to score this year so like all the other league members, if you don't take them seriously, they could come back and bite you. Pea Ridge will get a lot of points and it potentially be one sided, if the Hawks can limit their penalties and mistakes on the field.
This is homecoming week, a kind of game the Bobcats get to play a lot of. Traditionally most teams will play a weak opponent in their homecoming game to make all the alumni happy with a near certain win, though the 'Hawks' scheduled Prairie Grove last year for their festivities.
Years ago I was covering football team for a school that I taught at, and they were perennial cellar dwellers. One year we had our home games early and late with all five away games sandwiched around our own homecoming. All five games were homecomings so we got to spent the extra time those games take for six straight weeks. I sure got tired of queen crowning.
Other conference games
This is another week with the top four conference teams taking on the lower four with upsets unlikely to upset anyone's apple cart. It appears that this week's games are seeded, with No. 1 taking on No. 8, No. 2 taking on No. 7, No. 3 taking on No. 5 and numbers No. 4 and No. 5 playing.
Gravette will be hosting Huntsville, a team that have beaten in all seven times they have played this millennium. Should Huntsville pull the upset, they could take Gravette's likely No. 4 seed in the playoffs. League leader Prairie Grove will play cellar dweller Gentry in a game that will end any mathematical chances of the Pioneers somehow getting a playoff bid this year. The Tigers have a 13-3 record against Gentry since 2000.
Berryville still has a chance to make the playoffs but they will have to beat Huntsville in their season finale. If they lose to Pea Ridge it really won't change their chances one way or the other. They will have to beat the Eagles for the fifth seed. Lincoln will host Shiloh in a probable loss, but an upset win could get them back into the playoff race. The Wolves are 0-8 against the Shiloh boys.
4A-1 league standings
Oct. 17, 2016
Prairie Grove^4-0^7-0
Pea Ridge^3-1^6-1
Shiloh^3-1^6-1
Gravette^2-2^4-3
Huntsville^2-2^3-4
Berryville^1-3^3-4
Lincoln^1-3^2-5
Gentry^0-4^2-5
4A games across Arkansas
There is only one game matching current top 10 state-ranked teams, and that will be Mena hosting Nashville. Nashville was in a whale of a game last week before coming from behind to defeat Ashdown 56-51. It was Nashville's second game like that this year as they earlier did the same thing to Arkadelphia.
Mena is good this year and actually six of the conference members of the 4A-7 have the talent to defeat the defending state champion on a given night. The Scrappers defense appears to be a bit porous this year but they can sure score the points.
Ashdown, after a bitter loss to Nashville last week, will be hosting hardluck Arkadephia. The former top 5 team is now 0-4 in the conference after losing to other high ranked teams. They are in every game and are due for a breakout. Maybe this will be the one. No. 4 Warren visits Monticello, No. 8 Hamburg is hosting Crossett in other teams involving top 10 teams.
A game involving non-top 10 teams that is interesting to me is the Dardanelle/Booneville matchup this week, Dardanelle was a top 10 team when the season began, as they have been for the past few years. They haven't been as good as they have been and Booneville is a team on the rise.
Booneville, a team we will visit to begin the 2017 season, has improved to a 4-3 record and are on the cusp of breaking into the top 10, ranked No. 12. Dardanelle is 6-2 but has sunk to the No. 17 ranking, and I think the Bearcats will pull it off.
MaxPreps/CBS
State 4A football poll
Oct. 3, 2016
Prairie Grove made a bigger jump this week than last week, with their win over Pea Ridge that landing them in the state 4A top position. Pea Ridge, though losing, remained fifth with their power rating even going up a little, their second increased power score in as many weeks. Shiloh remained in sixth with their 36-7 win over Gentry last week.
Teams can improve their power ratings even in a loss and teams can lose a little ranking power even in a win. The only team in the 4A-1 district that did not improve their power rating was Gravette who lost 0.1 of a point off last week's even though they won. The Lions took out Berryville 32-14 in a game that was close until the third quarter. All four losers in league games last week saw their power rating improve.
The only change in the state's top 10 was the switching of places of Nashville and Prairie Grove.
State poll
School^won-loss^pwr^rtg +/-
1. Prairie Grove^7-0 ^44.8^+3.1
2. Nashville^7-0^40.5^-5.0
3. Robinson^6-1^31.9^-2.6
4. Warren^7-0^31.5^-0.5
5. Pea Ridge^6-1^26.5^+1.2
6. Shiloh^6-1^24.5^+2.6
7. Ashdown^5-2^20.0^+0.2
8. Hamburg^5-2^15.8^-1.7
9. Dumas^5-2^14.4^unch
10. Mena^4-2^13.9^+0.8
18. Gravette^4-3^6.5^-0.1
30. Huntsville^3-4^-5.7^+5.4
36. Lincoln^2-5^11.5^-2.0
36. Huntsville^2-4^ -11.1^+1.3
39. Berryville^3-4^-15.3^+0.4
41. Gentry^2-5^-18.0^+20.2
•••
Editor's note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. Mr. McGee can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Sports on 10/19/2016