It’s now go time for conference play

Is everyone rested, heeled up, and ready to go?

I’m referring, of course, to members of the 7A-West Conference, where six of the eight teams used a bye week in anticipation of the start of league play on Friday. The addition of Zero Week to high school football in Arkansas allows for some flexibility, especially for teams in higher classifications who often have to go out of state to find games.

Trading blows with quality opponents from Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri can wear on teams even before the start of conference play. Fort Smith Northside and Springdale Har-Ber didn’t take the night off on Friday and fans who attended the game at Wildcat Stadium were treated to a shootout they’ll long remember.

How about 119 total points, 58 first downs, and 1,408 yards of total offense? Those video game type numbers may be entertaining for fans but pressure-packed for sports writers on deadline like our man, Henry Apple, who wrote a story, provided video, and compiled statistics from the game.

I know. You have your own problems. You don’t want to hear about ours.

So, what do we know four weeks into the season that began on Aug. 27 when Fort Smith rivals Northside and Southside squared off on a Thursday night?

We know even very good teams lose when they turn the ball over, like Bentonville did against Conway and Greenwood did against Northside. We know teams from the 7A-Central still have the upper hand against teams from the 7A-West and we know Bryant is still the favorite to win it all in Class 7A despite having its 32-game wining streak stopped in a 24-21 loss at Longview, Texas.

There’s no shame in losing to a team from Texas unless, perhaps, it’s the Texas Longhorns.

Bryant now turns its attention to 7A-Central Conference play with the Hornets heading to Fort Smith to challenge undefeated Northside at Mayo-Thompson Stadium. Northside is a fun team to watch with running backs Ty Massey and Sundquist Church reeling off huge chunks of yardage and 6-foot-4 quarterback Walker Catsavis using his long legs to scramble around and extend plays like another Northside quarterback did about 20 years ago.

There’s also big games in the 7A-West this week where Bentonville plays at Springdale Har-Ber and Fayetteville travels to Centerton to face Bentonville West.

Har-Ber has fantastic players on offense in quarterback Luke Buchanan, running back Hudson Brewer, and receiver Peyton McKee, who caught 13 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown against Northside. But Har-Ber has to find a way to slow teams down after allowing 58 points in a loss to North Little Rock and 63 points in a loss to Northside.

Defense still matters, even in 2021.

Fayetteville looks like a team that is going to win plenty more than the four wins the Bulldogs posted last season. There may not be a better passing combination in the state than Bladen Fike to Isaiah Sategna, a track star and top receiver who is committed to Oregon. Jalen Blackburn and Dylan Kittell have emerged as reliable receivers to take some of the burden off Sategna, but Fayetteville must improve a running game that was held to negative yardage against North Little Rock.

It would be foolish to pick anyone other than Bentonville to win the 7A-West and challenge for a state championship. The Tigers have plenty of firepower with quarterback Drew Wright, running back Josh Ficklin and receivers Chas Nimrod and Cooper Smith. Bentonville also appears to have corrected the turnover issues that led to a loss against Conway. Bentonville West is formidable but the Wolverines are trotting out a team this year that lacks experience at key positions, a situation that does not bode well in Arkansas’ largest classification.

But who knows? There is some history in the 7A-West about teams finishing fourth in the conference then going on to win state championships. Non-conference play was enjoyable, but the business of trying to get to War Memorial Stadium in December for the state finals begins this week with the start of conference play.

It’s go time, ya’ll.