4A-1E Conference Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-25700cec-7fff-fa4d-869c-3255f16a8890" style="white-space: normal"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38;margin-top: 6pt;margin-bottom: 6pt"><span style="font-size: 11pt;font-family: Arial, sans-serif;vertical-align: baseline;white-space: pre-wrap">The high school basketball season is right around the corner in the state of Arkansas. Before the season tip-offs, I wanted to preview every division of every conference in the state. These will have player breakdowns, coach quotes, and more. It should be noted that almost all the stats, such as records or returning players, are from MaxPreps/Scorebook Live. I say this because records on scorebook live are not 100% accurate. With that being said, let's hop into conference 4A-1E.</span></p></span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Berryville</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 24-10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 10-4</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 13-8</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 10-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the First Round of the Regional Tournament (Ozark)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Berryville is only losing one senior from last year's starting lineup. They may be undersized this season, but they were last year as well. Expect returning seniors John Butler, CT Hicks, Hudson Norris, and Carson McMellon to lead this team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Hudson Norris","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Berryville","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aba8e553ba4c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">At 6'2, Hudson proved he was a dangerous shooter off the catch in his junior season. From behind the arc, Norris moves well without the ball, coming off screens and hitting shots at an efficient rate. He mostly lurks in the mid-range area, finding open spots. Off the catch, he's a threat and seems to favor this spot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Clarksville</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 1-25</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 1-9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 1-10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 0-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the District Tournament (Dardanelle)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I wasn't able to find enough information on Clarksville's team this year to do a preview. With only one game last year, improvement should undoubtedly happen this season. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Green Forest</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 5-24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 2-12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 3-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 2-9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Season Finish - Lost in the District Tournament (Huntsville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Struggling last year, Green Forest looks to take a jump in the 2026/2027 season. Seniors Collin Athison and Ywa-Hay Moo will be key contributors for Green Forest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Harrison</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 5-23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 0-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 5-12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 0-10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The future is bright for the Goblins as 2028 Jax Magness and 2029 Dawson Smith look to both be dangerous players after successful summers. Cooper Clavey and Beck Lee are two more players to lookout for this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(Former Write-Ups on Jax Magness and Dawson Smith)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jax Magness - "Magness continues to prove why he's one of the most underrated players in his class. Standing at 6'6, Jax can hurt opposing teams in a multitude of ways. Using his body in the post he's a major threat on both ends of the court. If he's not blocking shots, he's hitting post hooks in the paint. Jax moves well down low without the ball making it easy for guards to set him up for points. Off a defensive rebound it's not rare to see him keep the ball and advance into a halfcourt set. He's a big body who has small forward/power forward potential. As he continues to work on an already not bad shot and handling skills, Magness will continue to climb up the ranks."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dawson Smith - "Projecting as a taller point guard, Smith can comfortably guard one through three and has the athleticism to hold his own against a four. Mostly playing point guard, he showed a knack for setting up teammates for easy looks. On the other side of the ball,  Dawson was a solid defender. He wasn't overaggressive and had zero problem staying in front of his man. Being a part of the 2029 class, the potential for the Harrison guard is very high."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Ozark</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 27-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 9-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 17-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 8-3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ozark is the potential favorite to win the conference this upcoming year. Behind star player Cooper Duerr, Ozark has many good weapons that fit alongside Cooper. Easton Fox and Lawson Wright are also All-Conference potential players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Player Breakdown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2774874"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6aba8e553baa6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Duerr can get a bucket in any type of situation. At 6'5, he's a strong interior force who shows a lot of skill and touch around the rim. Matching that with good footwork, Cooper has a great post fadeaway that he can get off over defenders. The big guard brings the ball up normally for Ozard, setting up the offense and being a floor general for his team. His best attribute is his shooting. Duerr is one of the best shooters in the state. Off the dribble or off the catch, contested or not, Duerr has elite shot-making skills. Once he gets hot, it's hard to stop him, as his size and skill make him an elite scorer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Pottsville</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025/2026 Recap - 2026/2027 Preview </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall Record - 24-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conference Record - 9-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Home Record - 11-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Away Record - 11-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pottsville is losing its entire starting lineup from last season. It will be interesting to see which players step up into lead roles as they try to remain at the top of the conference. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->