CHERRY VALLEY — The defending Class 2A state champion Cross County Thunderbirds are predicted by Hooten’s Arkansas Football to win the 2A-2 Conference this season.
The T-Birds finished last season ranked second in the conference behind eventual state runner-up East Poinsett County. Both Cross County and EPC have new head coaches this season.
The T-Birds will be led by Ty Mimbs, a former Arkansas State Red Wolf and defensive coordinator at Jonesboro.
EPC is predicted to finish fifth in the conference. The rest of the top five are Des Arc in second, Marked Tree in third and Earle in fourth.
Marked Tree finished last in the conference last season after being forced to forfeit most of its games due to the use of an ineligible player.
The bottom three teams in the 2A-2 are predicted to be McCrory in sixth, Clarendon in seventh and Marianna Lee in eighth.
The T-Birds will begin the defense of their state football title and the Ty Mimbs era at Cross County on Friday, Aug. 28, at home against Harrisburg. The T-Birds’ 2026 football schedule is below:
