Arkansas, are you ready for the playoffs? We know we are! We’re getting you ready for all of the action. Who are you rooting for?

Coming up in today’s newsletter:

🎙️ Talking through tonight’s games
📈 What’s trending
👀 One to Watch
🏈 Game of the Week

Let’s dive right in!

🎙️ Varsity Vibe Today. It’s the first Friday night of the high school football playoffs! Alyssa Orange and Brey Cook look at some of the big games around the state including Pulaski Academy vs. Fayetteville, North Little Rock vs. Bentonville West, and Harding Academy vs. Farmington.

🧭 North or West. Bentonville West gets the home field advantage tonight, hosting North Little Rock for the first round of playoffs. Bentonville West fell to rival Bentonville 48-31 last week. Despite the loss, the Wolverines offense looked explosive, finishing with 312 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Tre Thompson threw for 181 yards and rushed for 74 yards. Tonight’s game is scheduled for 7:00 pm and can be watched here.

🏀 Tipping off. Basketball season is here! Jonesboro will take on Rogers tonight in the teams’ first meeting of the season. Jonesboro has a pair of senior guards in BJ Knowlton and Ja’Ques Jordan who are sure to help the Hurricanes run a high-paced offense. Last season, Knowlton averaged 11 points and five rebounds per game, earning 6A All-Conference and All-State honors. Meanwhile, the Mounties took down Providence Academy earlier this week, 73-32. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 pm and can be watched here. 

🏠 Staying Home. Little Rock Christian’s JJ Andrews is officially a Hog! Earlier this week, Andrews signed his Letter of Intent with the University of Arkansas. Rated the No. 16 prospect in the nation by ESPN, Andrews averaged 28.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game last season.

🏈 Fayetteville senior receiver Kinyun Johnson has been a key part of the Bulldogs’ high-powered offense this season. In last Friday’s 48-27 victory over Har-Ber, Johnson caught for 188 yards with one touchdown and a two-point conversion. Johnson has become a focal point in the Bulldogs’ passing attack, making him a player to watch in the postseason.

🏈 Fayetteville will host Pulaski Academy tonight for the first round of playoffs. The Bulldogs are riding momentum after a 48-27 win over Har-Ber, while the Bruins are looking to bounce back after a 55-28 loss to Little Rock Christian Academy. The Bulldogs have been efficient on offense this season, scoring more than 40 points in six games. Meanwhile, the Bruins are averaging 360.9 passing yards per game. The game can be streamed here starting at 7:00 pm.

⛹️‍♀️ Performance Athlete of the Week. This week, our Performance Athlete of the Week is Springdale’s Mariana Araujo. The soccer player has made serious progress, shaving off 0.35 seconds off of her 40-yard dash and 0.38 seconds off of her 20-yard dash. Araujo has also improved her ProAgility time by 0.27 seconds, and added 2.5 inches to her broad jump, 1.2 inches to her standing vertical, and 1.9 inches to her approach vertical. To learn more about the program, visit srdathlete.com.

🏈 The Har-Ber Wildcats hit the road tonight to face off with Little Rock Christian Academy. The Wildcats are coming off of two straight losses to Rogers and Fayetteville, while Little Rock Christian Academy just took down Pulaski Academy, 55-28. Warriors senior running back Jackson Ward led the offense, running for 176 yards on 16 carries. Little Rock Christian Academy’s defense was a force, with two pick-sixes. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm and can be watched here.  

Nov. 14:
🏈 7A Springdale @ Cabot, 7:00 pm | Watch Here 
🏈 7A North Little Rock @ Bentonville West, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 7A Pulaski Academy @ Fayetteville, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 7A Har-Ber @ Little Rock Christian Academy | Watch Here

🏈 6A Marion @ Van Buren, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 6A Lake Hamilton @ El Dorado, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 6A Southside @ Jonesboro, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 6A Sheridan @ Mountain Home, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏀 6A Jonesboro @ Rogers, 4:00 pm | Watch Here
🏀 6A Little Rock Southwest @ Heritage, 7:00 pm | Watch Here

🏈 5A Harding Academy @ Farmington, 7:00 pm | Watch Here
🏈 5A Harrison @ Valley View, 7:00 pm | Watch Here 

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