Prep RedZone Arkansas What We Learned Week 9

The high school football regular season is drawing to a close in the state of Arkansas. However, we are still learning a great deal from the regular season. We are seeing excellent performances from both the teams and players. Conference championships are being claimed as well as playoff spots and we had plenty of those create some news this week. We start things off with the impressive team performances for week nine. The Benton Panthers went on the road to Lake Hamilton and came away with a hard fought 42-41 victory. In the process, Benton was able to secure a conference championship in the 6-A West. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="106935" first="Stran" last="Smith"] threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns and tacked on 84 yards on the ground. Wide receiver Cam Harris continues to explode this season for the Panthers. Harris hauled in seven receptions 150 yards and one touchdown on Friday night. Benton is an extremely hot team as the playoffs approach and will be a dangerous matchup for any team in the playoffs. In the 5-A South, we witnessed the Camden Fairview Cardinals laying claim to the conference championship. Camden Fairview has been extremely solid all season and can beat you multiple ways. Quarterback Martavius Thomas has had a terrific season for the Cardinals. Thomas has thrown for 2,619 yards and 29 touchdowns this season. The Cardinals are always a dangerous football team come playoff time and this season should be no different. Meanwhile in the 4A-4 Conference, the Ozark Hillbillies claimed a conference championship on Friday night. Running back [player_tooltip player_id="122981" first="Eli" last="Masingale"] helped the Hillbillies secure the championship on Friday with a touchdown run over Lamar. Masingale has churned out another solid season for Ozark and the Hillbillies are team on a hot streak as the playoffs loom. Last week Prep RedZone Arkansas had a chance to preview the Paris-Booneville matchup and the game Friday night did not disappoint. The rivalry matchup between the two schools is always a hard-hitting affair and Friday night proved the point. Booneville quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="92902" first="Randon" last="Ray"] was tough to contain on Friday. Ray had several explosive plays that helped seal the victory for the Bearcats. However, the Paris Eagles will be a dangerous team come playoff time as well. Running back [player_tooltip player_id="171190" first="Duke" last="Walker"] can generate explosive plays from anywhere on the field. With a win over Perryville this Friday night, the Bearcats will secure a conference championship. The Shiloh Christian Saints in Northwest Arkansas are one of the most complete teams entering the playoffs this season. The Saints have an offense that can score from anywhere on the field as well as a suffocating defense that has the talent of being able to force turnovers and take the ball the other direction themselves. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="75093" first="Kaden" last="Henley"] has had another explosive season for the Saints. Henley is all over the field for Shiloh Christian and has a nose for the football. Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="75133" first="Eli" last="Wisdom"] can pick apart a defense using his arm. Wisdom though will use his legs and pick up yardage in junks when the time calls for a big play. Shiloh Christian is going to be tough to beat in the playoffs. As much as we learned in week nine, the last week of the regular season will tell us so much more. Which teams are going to be playing with a hot streak on the line will be answered? We will congratulate more teams that have earned conference championships and have an opportunity to preview some playoff matchups. It is a fun time of year in the state of Arkansas to cover high school football.