Championship Weekend in Arkansas Part One

Photo: Prep Redzone

Tom Tabler December 5, 2021 @ 12:43 PM

The state championship games in the state of Arkansas have gotten off to an impressive start. In the first weekend of action, we witnessed the 5A, 6A, and 7A state champions being decided. Each game featured teams that had strong seasons and winners that were more than deserving of being crowned state champions. The 5A State Championship game witnessed Pulaski Academy and White Hall go at it on Friday night. Being in the state championship is not out of the ordinary for the Bruins and it showed on Friday night. Northwestern commit [player_tooltip player_id="75067" first="Joe" last="Himon"] had an impressive performance for the Bruins on Friday. Himon rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the final high school game of his career. The Bruins would go on to defeat the Bulldogs 51-19. White Hall quarterback Michael Martinez had a strong performance going 15-24 for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Congratulations to both teams on an incredible season and congratulations to head coach Anthony Lucas and the Pulaski Academy Bruins on winning the state championship. The excitement for the 6A State Championship game was to be expected with two powerhouse programs like El Dorado and Greenwood playing in it Saturday afternoon. In a 27-17 victory, the El Dorado Wildcats defense were able to force five turnovers. El Dorado linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="99474" first="Patrick" last="Sixbey"] was all over the field for the Wildcats. Sixbey had six tackles and forced one of the Greenwood turnovers on Saturday. On the offensive side of the ball, running back Shardarious Plummer had a strong day on Saturday. Plummer rushed for 181 yards and four touchdowns. I would not be surprised over the next few years to see this matchup take place again in future state title games. Congratulations to both teams on an excellent season and congratulations to the Wildcats in winning the 6A State Championship. The 7A State Championship featured two of the state’s best teams. The Bryant Hornets have dominated the 7A conference over the past few years. Meanwhile, the Fayetteville Bulldogs are no strangers to playing in Little Rock. The Bryant Hornets would win a classic against the Bulldogs 42-38 on Saturday night. Both teams played a hard tough, football game and earned a tremendous amount of respect from plenty of observers. Bryant has a player that scouts, and fans will want to keep an eye on is running back [player_tooltip player_id="152083" first="Chris" last="Gannaway"]. Gannaway rushed 197 yards and a touchdown Saturday displaying great speed in the process. Fayetteville wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="75066" first="Isaiah" last="Sategna"] racked up 168 yards receiving and a touchdown in the process. Congratulations to both teams in having a strong season and congratulations to the Bryant Hornets on earning another state championship.