Arkansas high school football playoffs: Breaking down the 5A, 2A finals and 4A, 3A semifinals

Here is an inside look at each of the Arkansas high school football games in the fifth week of the AAA state playoffs (Dec. 11-12).

Photo by Jimmy Jones

Brackets for every class

5A Final | 5A Bracket

Little Rock Christian Academy Warriors (9-2) vs. Pulaski Academy Bruins (12-0)

12:10 p.m. Saturday at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock

Last meeting: The Bruins won 60-28 in a 5A Central matchup Oct. 23. This is the third consecutive year these teams have met for the 5A title — Pulaski Academy won last year 63-21, avenging a 52-38 Little Rock Christian victory in 2018 that ended the Bruins’ streak of championships at four.

About the Warriors: Little Rock Christian knocked out Harrison 52-28 to secure a third straight trip to the state final, with senior Corey Platt Jr. running for a career-high five touchdowns and 133 yards on just eight carries. Junior RB Jayvean Dyer-Jones led the Warriors with 189 yards and a touchdown, giving him 1,298 yards and 12 TDs for the season. Platt Jr., a Tulane commit, also caught three passes for 47 yards and a TD, giving him 41 catches for 673 yards and 14 TDs this season. Senior QB Colin Cooper has thrown for 1,690 yards and 22 touchdowns and run for 622 yards and nine TDs. Platt Jr. also is a standout defensive back (77 tackles, four interceptions, six pass breakups, three forced fumbles), and junior Slate Wilkerson (83 tackles, 10 for loss) and senior Anthony Pugh (63 tackles, 14 for loss, five sacks) lead a defense that has allowed just 24 points in the first half of the Warriors’ three playoff games.

About the Bruins: Pulaski Academy is one win from its second consecutive state title, sixth in the past seven years and ninth overall after pounding Wynne 52-14 in the semifinals. Kevin Kelley, the 2016 USA Today National Coach of the Year, is 215-29-1 in his 17 seasons at Pulaski Academy, and his team rides a 21-game win streak into the title-game rematch. The Bruins are averaging 49.7 points per game and 52 points in their three playoff victories. Junior Joseph Himon II, the No. 8 recruit in the Class of 2022 according to 247Sports, devastated Wynne in the running game (110 yards, two TDs) and passing game (13 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown). He has surpassed 2,000 rushing yards this season (180-2,003-22) and leads the team with 76 catches for 954 yards and nine TDs. Junior Charlie Fiser (2,720 yards, 39 TDs) and senior Nolen Bruffett (1,869 yards, 21TDs) share quarterbacking duties, with five different receivers catching 57 or more passes, led by Himon, senior Jalyn Witcher (75-1,129-19) and Cooper White (62-1,287-18). Senior safety Josiah Johnson has a team-high 162 tackles, and linebacker Futa Shinkawa has 14 tackles for loss (117 total). Junior Harrison Lane has five interceptions and four pass breakups.

Photo by Jimmy Jones

4A Semifinals | 4A Bracket

Stuttgart Ricebirds (12-0) at Shiloh Christian Saints (10-1)

7 p.m. Friday at Lindsey Field, Springdale

Last meeting: Stuttgart won 28-7 in the first round of the 2017 4A state playoffs.

About the Ricebirds: Stuttgart continues its remarkable comeback from a 1-9 season a year ago, reaching the semifinals for the first time in the past eight years with a 35-21 victory over Ozark. Kameron Harper’s blocked punt — his second in the past two weeks — late in the third quarter set up a go-ahead score by Daniel Poole on a 3-yard run, breaking a 21-21 tie. Sophomore Kendrick Hawkins’ 70-yard kickoff return for a touchdown started the Ricebirds’ comeback from a 21-7 deficit, and his twin brother Cedric’s 75-yard run with 6½ minutes left capped it. Cedric Hawkins finished with 118 yards and two TDs on 18 carries in the victory. The Ricebirds have outscored opponents 474-123 this season.

About the Saints: Shiloh Christian is in the semifinals for the third straight year, seeking its first title since 2010 and eighth overall. The Saints, who lost in last year’s final to Robinson, suffered their only defeat Sept. 18 to Oklahoma 6A quarterfinalist Sand Springs. They’ve since ripped off nine consecutive wins by a combined 411-128. They advanced with a 31-12 victory over Dumas, forcing three turnovers and holding 2,400-yard rusher Kylin James to 116 yards. Sophomore LB Thomas Reece, the younger brother of two former Saints quarterbacks, had a big game with eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Quarterback Eli Wisdom ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.

Warren Lumberjacks (9-4) at Rivercrest Colts (12-0)

7 p.m. Friday at Cortez Kennedy Field, Rivercrest

Last meeting: Warren won 38-28 in the 2002 state championship game.

About the Lumberjacks: Warren lost its first three games of the season and stood 4-4 after a Week 8 loss to Monticello before catching fire. The Lumberjacks have averaged 42 points per game during their five-game win streak, including a wild 48-40 victory over Nashville last week. They lean heavily on their run game, with Payton Byrd’s second touchdown run with 1:08 before halftime breaking a 20-20 tie. Jacari Lee’s 67-yard interception return 41 seconds later gave them a 34-20 halftime lead, and Tayshawn Johnson’s 62-yard kickoff return with 4:28 to play secured the win. QB Maddox Lassiter was 7 of 9 for 178 yards and a touchdown and ran for 61 yards on 10 carries.

About the Colts: Rivercrest won its first conference title since 2012 with a high-powered offense that averages 47.3 points per game, including a 61-27 quarterfinal win over Crossett. Dual-threat QB Kam Turner had a big night on the ground, running for 151 yards and four touchdowns. For the season, he has completed more than 66 percent of his passes (144 of 218) for 2,835 yards and 37 touchdowns with just four interceptions, and he’s rushed for 1,634 yards and 22 TDs. His favorite target is senior Keshawn Scott (68-1,323-18). Jaylan West has caught nine touchdowns. Junior Mike Sharp has a team-high 80 tackles (12 for loss), and juniors Brandyn Brownlee (18 tackles for loss), Tray Jones (17 tackles for loss) and Omar Phillips (14 tackles for loss, team-high 4½ sacks) also wreak havoc in opponents’ backfields. Turner and Clay Burks have four interceptions apiece in the secondary, and Burks has broken up nine passes.

3A Semifinals | 3A Bracket

Glen Rose Beavers (11-2) at Harding Academy Wildcats (10-1)

7 p.m. Friday at First Security Stadium, Searcy

Last meeting: Harding Academy won 49-45 in the 2012 state championship game.

About the Beavers: Glen Rose bounced back from a loss to Prescott in the regular-season finale that cost it a conference title to win three playoff games and reach the semifinals for the first time since 2016. A victory this week would put the Beavers in the final for the first time since 2013. They won their only title in 2007. In last week’s 34-21 victory over Centerpoint, junior RB Dalton Taylor scored with 59 seconds left to break a 21-21 tie, and Colton Hixon’s 45-yard interception return for a score with 30.9 seconds remaining sealed the win. Taylor finished with 181 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries, and quarterback Wesley Launius was 7 of 19 for 83 yards.

About the Wildcats: Harding Academy earned its seventh title last fall and seeks to become the first 3A school to win consecutive championships since Charleston in 2013-14. The Wildcats romped past Booneville 52-21 in last week’s quarterfinals, marking their 25th straight victory against state rivals. Their only loss this season was in Week 4 to Briarcrest Christian of Eads, Tenn. Senior QB Caden Sipe has passed for 2,460 yards and 23 touchdowns, including nearly a perfect game against Booneville (12 of 13, 237 yards, two TDs). Junior RB Andrew Miller scored a career-high five touchdowns in the quarterfinals, running for 195 yards on just 11 carries, and has 1,212 yards and 25 TDs this season. Senior Ty Dugger has 62 catches for 942 yards and 11 TDs. Junior LB Eli Wallis leads the team with 74 tackles (six for loss).

Hoxie Mustangs (12-0) at McGehee Owls (11-0)

7 p.m. Friday at Hoxie High School

Last meeting: Hoxie won 56-28 in the second round of the 2014 state playoffs.

About the Mustangs: Hoxie is in the semifinals for the first time after racing to a 65-35 victory over Paris last week. The Mustangs’ 12 wins are their most since 2013. They rely on a two-headed running attack, led by senior brothers — QB Daylon Powell (111-1,867-34) and RB Shunderrick Powell (110-1,807-28) — who average 13.3 yards per carry. Hoxie ran for 727 yards and 10 touchdowns against Paris. Daylon Powell also punishes teams that load up on the run — he averages 29 yards per completion for 1,593 yards and 20 touchdowns against just two interceptions. Senior WR Stefan Coleman is his favored target with 33 catches (15 touchdowns) for 1,070 yards. Linebackers Jace Benesch (131 tackles, 17 for loss) and Sam Turner (121 tackles, 15 for loss) lead the defense. Senior Jordan Beasley has seven sacks. Junior Cade Forrester has six interceptions.

About the Owls: McGehee escaped with a 44-39 quarterfinal victory over Prescott to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2017. The Owls entered that game allowing a 3A-best 6.4 points per game, but they trailed 39-30 with just over a minute to play before scoring twice in 62 seconds to pull out the win. Senior QB Jordan Owens, who had five touchdown passes in the game, fired a touchdown pass to A.J. Jordan with 1:04 left. After the Owls recovered an onside kick, they went 47 yards in five plays, with Owens hitting Marcus Rose on fourth-and-goal from the 7-yard line for the winning score. The Owls, who won their first outright conference championship since 2011, last played for a state title in 1999, when they won the last of their seven championships.

2A Final | 2A Bracket

Des Arc Eagles (13-0) vs. Fordyce Redbugs (14-0)

6:40 p.m. Saturday at War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting since at least 2004.

About the Eagles: Des Arc squeaked by Junction City 22-20 to reach the final for the first time since 2013. The Eagles won their only title in 1976 and last reached 13 wins in a season in 2008, when they also played for a championship. They led 22-0 early in the second quarter after quarterback Luke Morton — who played through a dislocated left elbow suffered in Des Arc’s quarterfinal win over Bigelow — scored on a 9-yard option keeper. The Dragons rallied to within 22-20 on a 48-yard TD pass from Gabe Richard to Cam Frazier with 1:15 to play, but the Eagles defense stuffed Jamal Johnson’s two-point conversion run. After recovering the onside kick, Des Arc sealed the win when Morton gained six yards on the option on fourth-and-three. Morton (858 yards, 26 TDs) is one of four Eagles to gain 850 or more yards on the ground in their balanced option attack and is among the team leaders in tackles.

About the Redbugs: The defending state champions hadn’t had a 2A opponent stay within 15 points of them until last week, when Fordyce needed a 21-yard touchdown pass from Jaheim Brown to Mantrell Neal on fourth-and-9 with 8:16 remaining to edge Gurdon 27-24. Brown finished 10 of 16 for 116 yards and a touchdown and ran for 78 yards and two scores on 12 carries. He’s thrown for 1,895 yards and 26 TDs this season, and he has 15 tackles for loss and a team-high six sacks at linebacker. Senior Ja’Quez Cross, a Purdue commit, had his state-leading eighth interception in the win in addition to running for 62 yards and a touchdown, giving him 872 yards and 20 TDs this year. Cross also leads the team with 35 catches for 751 yards and nine TDs. Senior FB/DE Gary Lewis has run for 754 yards and 13 TDs and has a team-high 19 tackles for loss.