It’s Friday, Arkansas! And that means we have high school football! It’s already been an exciting week, and we can’t wait to see what happens tonight!

Coming up in today’s newsletter:

🎙️ Getting you ready for Friday Night Lights
📈 What’s trending
👀 One to Watch
🏈 Game of the Week

Let’s dive right in!

🎙️ Varsity Vibe Today. Week 4 brings the start to conference play. From 7A West match-ups like Fayetteville-Bentonville West and Bentonville-Har-Ber to a 6A showdown between Shiloh Christian and Greenwood, Alyssa Orange and Brey Cook look ahead to the best games on Friday night.

🏈 Saints vs Dogs. Shiloh Christian heads to Greenwood tonight for a big-time showdown. The Saints are coming off a dominant 72-0 win against Bethany (OK), while Greenwood was able to survive against Har-Ber, 43-42. Greenwood senior quarterback Kane Archer put up 325 yards with three touchdowns, but Shiloh has a QB weapon themselves in junior Cole Creighton, who threw for 296 yards with three touchdowns of his own.

🐻 Bruins Best Cats. Pulaski Academy picked up a conference-opening win last night over North Little Rock, 45-31. Head coach Anthony Lucas had his team fired up before kickoff. Check it out:

🐯 Tigers on Top. Bentonville volleyball maintained their perfect record after a 3-0 sweep against Fayetteville. The Tigers took momentum late in the first set, with back-to-back kills from sophomore Tristen Hamilton, who finished with 16 kills and 14 digs. Arkansas commit Piper Batie led Fayetteville with 15 kills and 10 assists. With a win against the Bulldogs under their belt, Bentonville takes the top spot in the 6A West.

When Mountain Home needed energy against Rolla (MO), senior running back Barrett Miller provided a spark. Miller had an impressive performance in the Bombers’ 37-10 victory, racking up 307 rushing yards and four touchdowns, which broke the school record. Miller started his night with a 60-yard touchdown run on the second drive, followed by a two-yard rushing touchdown to wrap up the first half. Another short touchdown and a 57-yard rushing touchdown in the second half summed up Miller’s work for the night. His impressive offensive performance consisted of both long runs and short bursts, which showcased his talent and diverse skillset.

Bentonville West will host Fayetteville tonight in the teams’ first conference matchup of the season. The Wolverines are coming off a 41-7 win against Muskogee (OK), while the Bulldogs are aiming to get back in the win column following a 42-29 loss against Texarkana (TX).

Fayetteville’s junior quarterback Hank Hendrix threw for 198 yards, while senior running back Kaleb Johnson led the team in rushing with 107 yards on 18 carries. Bentonville West senior quarterback Tre Thompson threw three first-half touchdowns and ran one into the end zone himself. Both teams boast explosive offenses with strong backfields, making this meeting our game of the week.

⛹️‍♀️ Performance Athlete of the Week. Improvement matters. Especially for young athletes looking to excel in sports. Every week, we’re highlighting those who have put the work in to get better. This week, our Performance Athlete of the Week is Shiloh Christian’s Oakley Thompson. Through his training, Thompson has made major strides across the board! He has shaved 0.11 seconds off of his 40-yard dash and 0.14 seconds off of his pro agility. Additionally, Oakley added a huge 13.35” to his broad jump and 4.33” to his vertical jump. To learn more about the program, visit srdathlete.com.

Sept. 26:
🏈 7A Bentonville @ Har-Ber, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 7A Rogers @ Northside, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 7A Fayetteville @ Bentonville West, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 7A Springdale @ Rogers Heritage, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 7A Little Rock Christian vs Cabot, 7:00 pm | Watch Here 
🏈 7A Bryant @ Central, 7:00 pm | Watch Here

🏈 6A Greenwood vs Shiloh Christian, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 6A Siloam Springs @ Lake Hamilton, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 6A Mountain Home vs Southside, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 6A Jonesboro vs Benton, 7:00 pm | Watch Here 

🏈 5A Gentry @ Elkins, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 5A Farmington vs Pea Ridge, 7:00 pm | Watch Here

👋 Hello There!

Did someone share the Varsity Vibe Bulletin with you? At Varsity Vibe, we want to elevate the conversation around high school sports in Arkansas. Subscribe today to get the best in Arkansas high school athletics sent straight to your inbox twice a week, first thing in the morning. It’s the perfect way to start your day!