With just a week left in the regular season, teams have started to plan for the postseason while others are still fighting to keep their season alive. Here’s a breakdown of each conference and what teams need to do to reach the playoffs.
7A-West
Har-Ber – Second spot for the western conference would go to Har-Ber in the above scenario. Wildcats close regular season with Rogers Heritage. Har-Ber could get the No. 1 seed with a Fayetteville loss to Springdale or if Fayetteville falls behind Bentonville and Har-Ber in tie-breaker points.
Bentonville – Despite a win against Fayetteville in week four, Bentonville likely gets the third seed from the west and would host the No. 6 seed from the 7A-Central in the opening round. A Har-Ber loss coupled with a Bentonville win would give the Tigers the No. 1 seed. A Fayetteville loss would push the Tigers up to the No. 2 seed.
Bentonville West – The Wolverines are headed into the postseason in the first year of existence and to make things even sweeter, West will host a playoff game as the No. 4 seed from the 7A-West. Bentonville West is locked into the 4th spot no matter the outcome of their game against Bentonville on Friday.
Springdale & Rogers – It’s pretty simple for the Bulldogs and Mounties. A win means you get the No. 5 seed. A loss means you get the No. 6 seed. Both teams will have to hit the road in the opening round of the playoffs.
Heritage & Van Buren – Both have been eliminated from the postseason race.
7A-Central
North Little Rock – Charging Wildcats have clinched No. 1 seed regardless of outcome of Friday’s game vs Cabot.
Northside – Grizzlies have clinched No. 2 seed and first round bye regardless of outcome of Friday’s game vs rival Southside.
Conway – Wampus Cats are the No. 4 seed with a Cabot loss to North Little Rock as Conway owns the tie-breaker between the two schools. A Conway win vs Bryant coupled with a Cabot loss would move the Wampus Cats to the No. 3 seed.
Cabot – A win at top-seeded North Little Rock and a Bryant win over Conway would give the Panthers the No. 4 seed. Panthers can be no worse than fifth as it owns the tie-breaker with Southside.
Southside – There are several scenarios in which the Mavericks can reach the postseason, most of which involve margin of victory and help. The most simple equation: Mavericks keep playoff streak alive with a win at rival Northside or a Little Rock Catholic loss at Little Rock Central. A Southside loss and Rockets win would leave the Mavericks out of the playoffs.
Little Rock Catholic – Rockets need a Southside loss to Northside and a win at Little Rock Central to reach the playoffs. If that happens, LR Catholic would get the No. 6 seed and then likely travel to Bentonville.
Little Rock Central – Tigers have been eliminated from the postseason race.
6A-WEST
Greenwood – Bulldogs have already clinched at least a share of the conference title and can win it outright with a victory over Lake Hamilton on Friday. A loss to the Wolves coupled with a win by Russellville at Siloam Springs would cause a three-way tie, bringing tie-breaker points into the mix. Due to the points situation, Greenwood would still be the No. 1 seed.
Lake Hamilton – Wolves are the No. 3 seed but could share the league title with a win at Greenwood on Friday. Lake Hamilton would be eliminated in the tie-breaker scenario as they have the fewest points among the three teams.
Benton – Panthers are the No. 4 seed despite what happens at 1-8 Sheridan.
Texarkana & El Dorado – Winner is the No. 5 seed while loser is the No. 6 seed.
Siloam Springs & Sheridan – Both have been eliminated from the postseason race.