Prime Time Players Week Three

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The third week of the high school football season is in the books. Which means we can focus on conference play over the next few weeks. In this article, we highlight several prospects who had impressive performances on Friday night this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1316501' first='Kevin' last='Young Jr.']-Running Back-Forrest City-5'11” 220-Pounds-2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1316501' first='Kevin' last='Young Jr.'] exploded on Friday night against Rivercrest. He exploded into the defensive second level on numerous occasions. Young Jr. does an excellent job of making opposing defenders miss tackles. He rushed for over 400 yards and five touchdowns against Rivercrest. He is a player to watch as the season progresses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1307574' first='Braden' last='Simpson']-Defensive Back-Southside-6'1” 190-Pounds-2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1307574' first='Braden' last='Simpson'] had a night against Marionville on Friday night. He is a player who is always around the ball carrier. On Friday night, Simpson racked up 13 tackles on the night for the&nbsp; Southerners. He is a player to watch at multiple positions on the defensive side of the ball. He has the speed to play in the secondary and is physical enough to play the linebacker spot. He is a player to watch out for in conference play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='926040' first='Carter' last='Little']-Quarterback-Charleston-6'2” 185-Pounds-2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Charleston Tigers signal caller was accurate to all areas of the field on Friday night. Little picked the Heavener defense apart and is setting the bar high for what should be a strong conference season. Little was 18 of 23 for 425 yards and six touchdowns. Little has the potential for a big season with the Tigers and is a player to watch this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='479026' first='Barrett' last='Miller']-Running Back-Mountain Home-5'10” 198-Pounds-2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mountain Home running back is a versatile prospect for the Bombers. He can line up all over the field on offense. However, he is a player who has exploded at the running back spot for the Bombers. Miller rushed 25 times for 307 yards and four touchdowns on Friday night. Miller is a player to watch out for as conference play gets started next week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1586245' first='Cole' last='Slepecki']-Quarterback-Bentonville-6'1” 200-Pounds-2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bentonville is off to a great start to the season and showed no signs in slowing down this week. [player_tooltip player_id='1586245' first='Cole' last='Slepecki'] picked the Lee's Summit defense apart on Friday night. Slepecki was 19 of 27 for 285 yards and four touchdowns. He is accurate to all areas of the field for the Tigers. Slepecki continues to set the bar high for the season and is a player to watch out for over the course of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1655900' first='Bryson' last='French']-Wide Receiver-Ashdown-6'1” 170-Pounds-2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ashdown always does a great job of producing talented prospects each season. Junior wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1655900' first='Bryson' last='French'] has seen playing time on both sides of the ball this season. On Friday, French made the most of his three receptions. He racked up 93 yards and a touchdown off of the three receptions he had. Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball he was able to pick off a pass and help get the Ashdown offense back on the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Christian Reeves-Running Back-North Little Rock-6'2” 195-Pounds-2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christian Reeves is a name to remember as we progress deeper into the 2025 season. He had 12 carries on Friday night against Little Rock Catholic and proceeded to cause problems on each carry. Reeves racked up 218 yards and three touchdowns on his carries for the Charging Wildcats. Keep an eye on Reeves as the season continues.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1152116' first='Owen' last='McLaughlin']-Running Back-Southside-5'9” 190-Pounds-2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1152116' first='Owen' last='McLaughlin'] had a tremendous 2024 season and has simply continued to build off of the momentum from a season ago. He had 18 carries for 129 yards and three touchdowns on the night. He is the type of running back who rarely needs to come off of the field for Southside. I expect him to close out his senior season in impressive fashion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->