Arkansas High School Football Champs Getting Crowns & Getting Ready

One more Arkansas high school football final today

Remaining finals set for next weekend

Editor’s Note: We will update this post with the winners of 7A and 5A champions.

UPDATE: Bentonville takes the 7A title, beating Fayetteville by a final score of 24-21

UPDATE: Pulaski Academy bests Wynne to claim the state’s 5A title with a final score of 38-28. 9,897 fans were on hand to watch the game.

Perhaps the third time in three years was the charm, as the Pine Bluff Zebras claimed its first Arkansas high school football state championship since 1995. The Zebras beat the Benton Panthers 51-10, with a weather delay stopping all action for more than an hour in the second quarter. Pine Bluff’s head football coach Bobby Bolding claimed his second state title as a head coach with the win. The first came for him while coaching in Stuttgart.

The games on tap today at War Memorial Stadium start at noon. Bentonville faces Fayetteville, a team the Bentonville Tigers beat in the in the last game of the regular season 45-2. This Arkansas high school football matches two 7A schools who’ve met in War Memorial for the trophy for the fourth time in the past five years.

The 5A state football final pits Pulaski Academy against Wynne at 6:30 on the turf at War Memorial Stadium. Both schools bring with them a 12-1 record.

In 4A semifinal action Mena beat Malvern 26-7. This  marks the first time since 1976 the Mena Bearcats are in the Arkansas high school football championship game.

Mena faces Warren who squeaked by Dardanelle 17-16 on the road. While Mena’s not been to the state title game in a while, the Warren Lumberjacks are heading back to War Memorial Stadium for the fifth time since 2001.

The 3A semifinal game between Charleston and Booneville ended with Charleston punching its ticket to War Memorial. The final in the game was 21-14, and with Charleston coming to town, Arkansas Razorback fans get an opportunity to see quarterback Ty Storey, who has committed to the Razorbacks, to play in person.

His team will face Smackover for the 3A state title, who beat Episcopal Collegiate 18-12. The Smackover Buckaroos are heading to Little Rock attempting to claim their first state championship title in 65 years.

The 2A semifinal games are in the books, with Junction City dismantling Earle 50-16, and in the other 2A semifinal Hazen beat McCrory 13-6.

A win by the Junction City Dragons over the Hazen Bulldogs in the Arkansas high school football 2A final would mark the third consecutive title in a row.

To claim that trophy, Junction City will have to beat the Hazen Hornets who won at home beating McCrory 14-6. Hazen’s trip to Little Rock for a state title is its first since 1982.