Rex’s Rankings: After nine weeks

All season we had wondered if anyone in Class 6A would challenge Greenwood.

Not only did Benton challenge Greenwood last Friday night, the Panthers BEAT the Bulldogs.

That certainly shook things up in Class 6A.

Benton had started the season 0-3 in nonconference play. Granted, those losses were to good teams (Bryant, Arkadelphia and Cabot). Since then, Benton has run off conference victories over Russellville, Siloam Springs, Little Rock Hall, El Dorado and now Greenwood.

This week sees the Panthers travel to Lake Hamilton to take on a team that’s 8-0 overall and 5-0 in conference. That’s the game of the week in high school football as we enter the final two weeks of the regular season.

In Class 7A, no one has yet challenged Bryant. The Hornets moved to 8-0 last week with a 55-10 victory at Cabot.

Bryant hosts a North Little Rock team that has struggled (by North Little Rock standards) to records of 5-3 overall and 4-1 in conference.

Here are the updated rankings:

OVERALL

1. Bryant

2. Bentonville

3. Little Rock Christian

4. Pulaski Academy

5. Harrison

6. Conway

7. Bentonville West

8. Little Rock Catholic

9. Benton

10. Greenwood

CLASS 7A

1. Bryant

2. Bentonville

3. Conway

4. Bentonville West

5. Little Rock Catholic

CLASS 6A

1. Benton

2. Greenwood

3. Lake Hamilton

4. Jonesboro

5. Searcy

CLASS 5A

1. Little Rock Christian

2. Pulaski Academy

3. Harrison

4. Valley View

5. Maumelle

CLASS 4A

1. Shiloh Christian

2. Arkadelphia

3. Joe T. Robinson

4. Nashville

5. Warren

CLASS 3A

1. Rison

2. Prescott

3. Osceola

4. Camden Harmony Grove

5. Harding Academy

CLASS 2A

1. Junction City

2. Fordyce

3. Foreman

4. Des Arc

5. Hazen