Sports

PLAYOFF HOPES ABOUND FOR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS TEAMS

By Sean Saunders/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 11:52 PM CST

Ten of the 14 schools in The Pine Bluff Commercial’s coverage area have already clinched a spot in the high school football postseason, and two more are in solid shape for sewing up playoff berths. That makes the final week of the regular season crucial for playoff seeding.

The top 4 seeds in the 6A-South Conference are all but set for the first round. Though there is a three-way tie for second place between Lake Hamilton, Watson Chapel and Pine Bluff, the Zebras won’t likely move up beyond a No. 4 seed even if they upset undefeated El Dorado because Lake Hamilton and Watson Chapel host Little Rock’s J.A. Fair and Benton, the two teams that won’t make the playoffs out of the South for the second year in a row, respectively.

That still leaves the fifth and sixth seeds up for grabs in the 6A-South. Friday night’s matchup between Sheridan and Texarkana will decide who travels to the No. 3 seed in the East and who travels to the No. 4 seed. The top two seeds from the East will be West Memphis first and Jonesboro second, with the rest of the picture coming into shape this week between Searcy, Mountain Home, Marion and Little Rock Parkview.

While the 6A-South picture is pretty clear, the lower classifications are a little bit murkier. Monticello is already the No. 1 seed from the 5A-Southeast as the lone unbeaten in Class 5A, but that’s the only thing that has been decided.

Two games this week have playoff implications in the 5A-Southeast. The first is Beebe at Sylvan Hills, with the winner grabbing the league’s final bid. Little Rock Mills and White Hall have already made the playoffs, but their game Thursday will decide who gets the No. 2 seed and a home game in the first round.

“Well, we’re just happy to be in the playoffs,” Mills coach Patrick Russell said. “If we host a playoff game in the first round, then that would be an added bonus.”

The 8-4A Conference basically boils down to two games as well, and the team of focus is Hamburg. If the Lions, winners of three straight including a 7-6 upset of Warren last week, lose at Dumas on Thursday, then they are out of the playoffs. And the Bobcats are looking to finish third place in the conference outright.

“We try to win every game we play, especially when that game is a conference game,” Dumas coach Mark Courtney said. “We know we’re probably going to be the No. 3 seed and I know Hamburg is going to be hungry, but I definitely don’t want to lose.”

If Hamburg wins, the loser of Fordyce-McGehee would be left out of the playoffs. But the winner of that game is assured of the league’s No. 4 seed.

“We’re going to go into McGehee with the mindset that we have to win,” Fordyce coach Clark Watkins said. “That’s all there is to it. We have to win.”

Warren and Star City are likely the first and second seeds respectively. The Bulldogs could sneak into the No. 1 spot if they beat Dollarway, but the Lumberjacks would have to lose at home to Lake Village, which lost 48-0 Monday at home to previously winless Dollarway.

“We’re all excited about getting to host in the first round of the playoffs,” Star City coach Blair Brown said. “After what we’ve been through, with coming so close to making it the last couple of years, to be able to host in the first round is really something special.”

Last week’s 19-16 upset loss at Parkers Chapel didn’t really affect Rison’s playoff positioning at all. Just like last year, the Wildcats and Prescott meet Friday to determine who will be the 7-3A Conference’s No. 1 seed. All Rison’s loss did was secure at least a share of the conference title for the Curley Wolves.

Woodlawn’s 28-7 victory over Smackover on Monday ensured the Bears of a No. 3 seed out of the 8-2A Conference for the second straight year. This year, that comes with a home game in the first round.

Commercial teams have potential to be well-represented in the playoffs this year, and there could a maximum of nine teams hosting in the first round in Pine Bluff, Watson Chapel, Monticello, White Hall, Warren, Star City, Dumas, Rison and Woodlawn.

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