Thirty seven high school football players in the state of Arkansas were voted onto this year’s Scott McDonald Arkansas Sports Media Football Super Team.Sportswriters and sportscasters throughout the state who regularly cover high school football were polled for the annual team.
This year’s Super Team is a veteran group, with seniors making up 35 of the 37 spots. Both juniors on the team hail from Class 5A State champion Joe T. Robinson.
The ASM Super Team was first published after the 2018 season and continued until taking a one-year hiatus last season.
The Super Team returns this season and is named after its founder, Scott McDonald, who founded and operated the Arkansas Sports Media high school football and basketball polls up until last spring.
McDonald, who worked at newspapers in Mountain Home, Harrison, Batesville, Russellville, and northwest Arkansas, passed away in April 2025 after an extended illness.
There were no unanimous selections to this year’s team, and there were several ties in the voting.
Quarterbacks
Greenwood’s Kane Archer and Rogers’ Jeff Regan share honors at quarterback on this season’s team after receiving the same amount of votes.
Archer finished his storied career as two-time Gatorade Player of the Year with three state championships. The Utah commitment passed 275-of-375 for 3,507 yards and 34 touchdowns, plus he rushed 156 times for 1,283 yards and 28 touchdowns. He became the first quarterback in state history to pass for more than 100 touchdowns and rush for more than 50.
Regan, who recently switched his commitment from Air Force to Harding, was a dual threat with 1,926 yards and 23 TDs on 115-of-186 passing, plus he rushed 161 times for 1,726 yards and 31 touchdowns, averaging 10.7 yards per carry.
Running backs
Hamburg’s Ni’Kel Lewis and Greenbrier’s Enoch Assan were the leading vote-receivers at running back, while Mountain Home’s Barrett Miller and Mansfield’s Andrew Burton also made the squad.
Lewis, committed to Austin Peay University, set a single-season state record with 53 rushing touchdowns, plus amassed 2,768 yards on 262 carries. Assan, a Central Arkansas commitment, rushed for 2,372 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Miller broke five school records this season at Mountain Home, rushing 249 times for 2,059 yards and 27 touchdowns, plus catching 22 passes for 490 yards and five TDs. Burton guided Mansfield to a Class 3A State title with a record 321 rushing yards in the championship game. He piled up 2,576 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns.
Receivers/tight ends
Warren’s Bleyze Fellows leads the ASM Super Team’s receiving corps after totaling 85 catches for 1,874 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Shiloh Christian’s Zane Sluyter received the second-most votes at receiver after racking up 85 catches for 1,488 yards and 13 touchdowns for the 6A State champs.
Hot Springs Lakeside’s Drew Morgan, Greenwood’s Champ Davis and Robinson’s Hakim Frampton also were selected. Morgan caught 81 passes for 1,506 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Davis split time at receiver and in the backfield this season, totaling 68 catches for 903 yards and nine touchdowns, scoring 21 total touchdowns. Frampton came alive for 724 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. He was the MVP of the Class 5A State championship after 163 receiving yards and three TDs.
Offensive linemen
Greenwood’s Cody Taylor led the voting on the offensive line after being named the 6A-West’s Outstanding Lineman, plus becoming the first player in the state to start on the offensive line in four consecutive state championship games.
Hot Springs Lakeside’s Tucker Young, an Arkansas signee, led the Rams to their first state title game since 1975. Bauxite’s Evan Goodwin, a 6-foot-7, 325-pounder, is an SMU commitment.
Also named to the team were Bentonville’s Will Neumann, the 7A-West’s Outstanding Lineman who led an offense that averaged 38 points per game, and Conway’s Isaiah Bowman, the 7A-Central’s Outstanding Lineman who totaled 86 knockdowns and has committed to Oklahoma State.
Defensive backs
Arkansas signee Tay Lockett of Conway leads the defensive backfield for the Super Team after totaling 81 tackles, four interceptions, and three touchdowns in 2025.
Hot Springs Lakeside’s Chris Ford made 123 tackles and five interceptions. Greenwood’s Lawyer Thornsberry and Bentonville’s Tristan Brown were the other two selections at defensive back.
Linebackers
Bentonville’s Kameran Thornton-Mead, Bryant’s Jakore Smith, and Rogers’ Braxton Lindsey tied for the most votes at linebacker.
Thornton-Mead made 137 tackles and four sacks and was named the 7A-West’s Outstanding Linebacker. Smith, an Arkansas Razorback signee, guided Bryant to another state championship. Lindsey, a BYU commitment, totaled 35 tackles and five tackles for loss, but he also made 778 receiving yards on offense with 11 touchdowns.
Robinson’s Tank Reese and Elkins’ Brooks Williams were also selected at linebacker. Reese, a Stephen F. Austin signee, amassed 153 tackles this season, with 106 coming solo, plus five sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception. Williams totaled 143 tackles, 98 solo tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and five sacks for the Elks.
Defensive linemen
Bryant’s Matthew Nelson, an Oklahoma signee, leads the defensive line after totaling 11.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss. Locked in a three-way tie for the second most votes were Cross County’s Danny Beale, Greenwood’s Cody Johnson, and Salem’s Keagan Sanderson.
Beale, a future Arkansas Razorback, played both ways for the Class 2A State champion Thunderbirds. Johnson was named the Little Rock Touchdown Club’s Defensive Player of the Year, and the Outstanding Defensive Lineman for the 6A-West. Sanderson made 37 tackles for loss, and racked up 14.5 sacks for the Greyhounds.
All-purpose
Dardanelle’s Creed Vega, Sylvan Hills’ Tyler Hampton, Joe T. Robinson’s Deuce Williams, and Shiloh Christian’s Griffin Mason were selected to the team as all-purpose players.
Vega totaled 4,500 yards of offense and 55 touchdowns this season, plus made 100 tackles on defense. Hampton passed for 3,590 yards, rushed for 566 yards, and scored 54 total touchdowns for the Bears, who were the turn-around program of the year.
Special teams
Hamburg’s Alberto Aguilar is the Super Team kicker after making 77-of-80 PAT attempts last season, plus four field goals.
Robinson’s Will Tait is the punter after averaging a state-best 42.6 yards per punt. He also made 64-of-67 PATs, plus five field goals. Fort Smith Southside’s Peyton Zimmerman is the Super Team kick returner.
Following is the complete 2025 Scott McDonald Arkansas Sports Media Football Super Team, listed by position, in order by amount of votes received:
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
Kane Archer, senior, Greenwood
Jeff Regan, senior, Rogers
RUNNING BACKS
Ni’Kel Lewis, senior, Hamburg
Enoch Assan, senior, Greenbrier
Barrett Miller, senior, Mountain Home
Andrew Burton, senior, Mansfield
RECEIVERS
Bleyze Fellows, senior, Warren
Zane Sluyter, senior, Shiloh Christian
Drew Morgan, senior Hot Springs Lakeside
Champ Davis, senior, Greenwood
Hakim Frampton, junior, Joe T. Robinson
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Cody Taylor, senior, Greenwood
Tucker Young, senior, Hot Springs Lakeside
Evan Goodwin, senior, Bauxite
Will Neumann, senior, Bentonville
Isaiah Bowman, senior, Conway
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Tay Lockett, senior, Conway
Chris Ford, senior, Hot Springs Lakeside
Tristan Brown, senior, Bentonville
Lawyer Thornsberry, senior, Greenwood
LINEBACKERS
Kameran Thornton-Mead, senior, Bentonville
Jakore Smith, senior, Bryant
Braxton Lindsey, senior, Rogers
Tank Reese, senior, Joe T. Robinson
Brooks Williams, senior, Elkins
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Matthew Nelson, senior, Bryant
Danny Beale, senior, Cross County
Keagan Sanderson, senior, Salem
Cody Johnson, senior, Greenwood
Jordan Harris, senior, Maumelle
SPECIAL
ALL-PURPOSE
Creed Vega, senior, Dardanelle
Tyler Hampton, senior, Sylvan Hills
Deuce Williams, senior, Joe T. Robinson
Griffin Mason, senior, Shiloh Christian
KICKER
Alberto Aguilar, senior, Hamburg
PUNTER
William Tait, junior, Joe T. Robinson
KICK RETURNER
Peyton Zimmerman, senior, Fort Smith Southside
Honorable mentions
A list of all players who received two or more votes, listed by position:
Running back: Kaden Brink, Salem; Griffin Mason, Shiloh Christian; Chris Ficklin, Bentonville; Deuce Williams, Joe T. Robinson
Receiver/tight end: Jamarcus Sandidge, Morrilton; Caleb Tucker, Bryant; Jack Gilder, Springdale Har-Ber
Offensive linemen: Maddox Welborn, Shiloh Christian; Roderick Williams, Cross County
Defensive backs: Barrett Miller, Mountain Home; Caedmon Keithley, Bismarck; Braden Simpson, Southside Batesville
Linebackers: Rourke Sevier, Batesville; John Davis, Atkins; Antonio Shelton, Benton
Defensive linemen: Kellen Wrona, Bentonville; Malachi McDonald, Bryant; Nygel Farsee, LR Parkview; Anthony Kennedy, LR Central
Kick returner: Hakim Frampton, Joe T. Robinson
Kicker: AJ Woods, Springdale
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI