Arkansas high school football Week 8 instant analysis: 10 things to know

10 takeaways from this week in Arkansas prep football

Here are 10 nuggets (in no particular order) that stuck out from Week 8 of the Arkansas high school football season.

Farmington upset Shiloh Christian Friday night. (Photo by C. Steve Andrews)

1. Farmington upsets Shiloh Christian 

Farmington scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to upset first-place Shiloh Christian, 31-28, Friday night. The loss snaps the Saints’ 40-game conference winning streak.

Shiloh, Farmington and Alma are in a three-way tie for first place in the 5A-West. Shiloh and Alma, who has already beaten Farmington, clash in two weeks.

Farmington had to convert a 4th-and-12 play in its territory with just over two minutes left to have a chance against the Saints. They converted and then scored to go up 29-28 and added the two-point conversion. Shiloh moved the ball to Farmington territory, but the Cardinals intercepted a Hail Mary attempt to end the game.

2. Short-handed Mills knocks off Joe T. Robinson in showdown

Mills didn’t have 12 players Friday night, but it didn’t keep them from beating PCSSD rival Robinson, 30-21. The teams are tied for the 5A-Central Conference lead with one loss. 

Mills played without, among others, starting QB Achilles Ringo and Arkansas Razorbacks defensive line commit Charlie Collins. Robinson didn’t have the services of junior QB Quentin Murphy, who is a Division I prospect.

In Ringo’s absence, Akyell Madison was 8-of-15 for 135 yards with a touchdown and an interception and his 55-yard touchdown pass put the Comets ahead for good.

Jon Fogleman won his 100th game at the school Friday night. 

3. Fogleman notches 100th win at Little Rock Catholic

Little Rock Catholic head coach John Fogleman earned his 100th win at the school with a 44-0 shutout of Jacksonville on Friday night. Fogleman came to Catholic in the spring of 2013 after completing six seasons at Malvern.

Last season was his best as the Rockets advanced to the semifinals of the Class 6A state playoffs. This year, the Rockets are 5-2 in league play and have a chance at the No. 2 or 3 playoff spot. The have seven-point losses to No. 1 Benton and No. 3 West Memphis.

4. Valley View all but locks up another 5A-East crown

One of the biggest showdowns Friday night was at Batesville as Valley View played at undefeated Southside. The Blazers hadn’t been beaten since Week 2 when Class 4A Harding Academy beat them 55-40.

Valley View escaped with a 31-21 win and sole possession of the 5A-East Conference lead. Valley View plays at rival Nettleton, which sits in third place, next week and ends the season with Batesville at home.

5. Greenwood home winning streak stretches to 60

Greenwood stayed perfect on the season with a 56-20 win over 6A-East rival Russellville on Friday night The win is the 60th straight victory at Smith-Robinson Stadium.

The Bulldogs’ toughest two games of the season will be next week at Pulaski Academy, the reigning Class 6A state champions, and back home to defend the streak against Little Rock Christian. A loss in either game could mean a share of the conference title.

Booneville's Jace Washburn runs for a big gain against Charleston on Friday night. (Photo courtesy of the Booneville School District) 

6. Booneville stymies rival Charleston

Charleston hammered Booneville twice last season, once in the regular season and again in the Class 3A title game. Friday night, however, was a different story as the Bearcats upended their bitter area rival 25-15.

Charleston led 8-6 at halftime but Booneville stopped Charleston on the first three possessions of the second half and scored on all three.

Booneville star running back Dax Goff ran for 203 of his 281 yards in the second half and scored four touchdowns. His 40-yard run late sealed the win as Booneville ran out the clock.

7. Brookland upsets Batesville

After standing toe-to-toe with Wynne and Nettleton, Brookland did finally take down a perennial 5A-East heavyweight. The Bearcats led Batesville the entire way on their way to a 28-13 win. The Pioneers entered the game with a 3-1 5A-East mark after losing four straight to start the season. Brookland hopes to finish the season on a win streak with winnable games against Paragould and Forrest City remaining.

8. Jonesboro sits in third in the 7A-Central

What a difference a year has made for Jonesboro. After finishing 2-5 in the 7A-Central conference last season, the Hurricane improved to 3-2 in league play with a 27-12 win at Little Rock Southwest on Friday night. The second straight road win puts the Hurricane in third place in the league. 

Jonesboro will be a heavy underdog against league heavyweight Conway next week but will finish the season against last-place Little Rock Central, so a third-place finish is well in reach. Jonesboro lost in the first round of the playoffs last season at Bentonville West.

9. The Elkins defense shines

Elkins’ offense has made its squad one of the contenders in Class 4A, but the Elks defensive unit shown bright in a 40-0 road win over Ozark on Friday night.

Elkins forced three turnovers (converted to 17 points) and allowed only four first downs and 40 total yards. The Hillbillies had been on a roll winning five straight games and scoring 40 or more points in four of those.

Elkins sits atop 1-4A standings and entertains No. 2 Gentry next week.

10. Ouachita County Harmony Grove holds off Fordyce

Ouachita County Harmony Grove is alone in first place thanks to a wild 29-28 win over Fordyce on Friday night.

The Hornets scored with more than two minutes to go and added the two-point conversion to go up 29-22.

Almost immediately, Fordyce struck with a 60-yard TD pass. They elected to go for two but Javion Gill, who was unable to defend the long pass, made the tackle on the two-point play to preserve the win.

Hornets QB Caleb Johnson, whose long pass to Harrison Nix put HG up for good, added another TD pass and a two-point conversion on the night. 

--Nate Olson I nate@scorebooklive.com I @ndosports

Photo by Steve Andrews