With the Arkansas high school football season a few weeks away, the SBLive staff is looking at each classification’s conferences. We will predict the order of finish in each league. In this installment, we dive into Class 3A.

3A-1

1. Booneville

2. Mansfield

3. Charleston

4. West Fork

5. Lavaca

6. Hackett

7. Greenland

8. Cedarville

Why Booneville?

The defending Class 3A champions lose some big contributors from last season, including two-way star Dax Goff, but with a core group of starters returning on both sides, the Bearcats are gunning for a repeat. The perennial power always has state-title goals, and this year won’t be different, but the 3A-1 will be tough to navigate with a rejuvenated Mansfield and rival Charleston challenging at the top and other teams improving.

3A-2

1. Salem

2. Mayflower

3. Melbourne

4. Quitman

5. Atkins

6. Mountain View

7. Yellville-Summit

8. Episcopal

Why Salem?

Salem is the logical pick after winning 11 games for the first time in more than 10 years last fall. The Greyhounds must replace some key cogs but have a veteran defense returning. The toughest conference game will be at Mayflower in Week 9. The Eagles could win the league title as they drop down from 4A, but the Greyhounds have a slight edge in experience.

3A-3

1. Rivercrest

2. Newport

3. Walnut Ridge

4. Hoxie

5. Osceola

6. Manila

7. Harrisburg

8. Piggott

Why Rivercrest?

Walnut Ridge is a trendy pick with a group of veterans returning. Rivercrest was the runner-up in Class 4A last season and now moves down a class with some stars returning, including veteran senior quarterback Cavonta Washington, who accounted for more than 2,300 yards of offense last year. Newport will challenge after Penn State running back commit Kiandre Barker transferred there this summer. This league will be very competitive, and the games with these three teams will be highly anticipated, and Hoxie and Osceola won’t go quietly, either. Rivercrest gets the nod with successful head coach Johnny Fleming leading the charge.

3A-4

1. Perryville

2. Glen Rose

3. Jessieville

4. Paris

5. Magnet Cove

6. Cutter Morning Star

7. Danville

8. Two Rivers

Why Perryville?

It’s hard not to go with Glen Rose considering its tradition, but the Beavers are inexperienced and the Mustangs could be on the brink of something special, returning 16 starters from a team that finished 8-4 a season ago. Connor Frith is one of the most complete football players in the state engineering the offense at quarterback and patrolling the defense at safety, where he intercepted 12 passes last year. Glen Rose at Perryville on Oct. 18 will be a great game.

SEE ARKANSAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES HERE

SEE ARKANSAS ARKANSAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULES HERE

3A-7

1. Prescott

2. Bismarck

3. Harmony Grove OC

4. Centerpoint

5. Smackover

6. Fouke

7. Parkers Chapel

8. Horatio

Why Prescott?

The defending state runners-up are loaded again and should be back in Little Rock in December. The league schedule might be a bit tougher than last season, however. If some of these teams do take lumps from the ultra-talented Curley Wolves, who feature Tulsa commit Decari Prater at quarterback, they could make some noise in the playoffs because the likes of Bismarck and Camden Harmony Grove Ouachita County have talented, veteran squads.

3A-8

1. Fordyce

2. McGehee

3. Dumas

4. Barton

5. Rison

6. Drew Central

7. Palestine-Wheatley

8. Lake Village

Why Fordyce?

Some will pick McGehee because the Owls are moving down to 3A after some great success in 4A. McGehee, though, is coming off an uncharacteristic down year at 5-5 and returns just 10 starters from that club. Conversely, Fordyce returns a veteran club from a squad that won a playoff game and lost to Prescott, 7-6, in the second round of the playoffs. The Redbugs were 6-6 but take a bigger jump this year under veteran coach Tim Rodgers, whose teams have won two state titles at the school. The Fordyce-McGehee game is the final week of the regular season at Fordyce and will likely be for the league title.

— Nate Olson | nate@scorebooklive.com | @ndosports

The Arkansas State Medical Board on Thursday heard nine hours of testimony regarding a Little Rock physician who has been accused of sexual abuse and improper opioid prescriptions.

The hearing of Dr. Alonzo Williams, a gastroenterologist and medical director of the Arkansas Diagnostic Center, will continue Friday with additional witnesses. The medical board is also expected to make a decision in the case, whether it be disciplinary or otherwise.

Little Rock gastroenterologist has 30-year history of complaints against him, records show

Williams has been accused of a range of wrongdoing over the past 30 years, including questionable medical care and sexual misconduct. According to an Advocate analysis of documents obtained through the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, the medical board has received about two dozen complaints about Williams since 1993.

None of the previous complaints have resulted in disciplinary action.

Williams appeared before the board Thursday with his attorney Kevin O’Dwyer, who formerly served as the medical board’s legal counsel. The attorney general’s office represented the board.

The first day of the hearing included testimony from 10 witnesses who ranged from a drug control investigator, an experienced gastroenterologist, former and current employees of Williams’ and patients who have received care from the Little Rock physician.

Witnesses called by the state largely discussed Williams’ practice habits, which they said included prescriptions for controlled substances, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and Xanax, despite reportedly knowing risks to patients and having at least one patient who tested positive for cocaine.

The state also argued Williams conducted some procedures at a concerning frequency, including biopsies and an esophagus examination called an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, or EGD, which can also include a dilation that stretches a patient’s narrow esophagus to help with swallowing.

Among a sample of six of Williams’ patients, records showed he sometimes performed EGDs every month of the year. In one case, Williams performed three sedated procedures in the same month, Michael Lewis with the attorney general’s office said.

Eduardo deMondesert, the state’s expert witness in gastroenterology, said the records he reviewed showed vague indications that Williams’ patients needed the procedures he consistently conducted.

With nearly 30 years of experience in the field, deMondesert also said if an EGD and dilation didn’t prove to relieve a patient’s symptoms the first time, it shouldn’t be done again. He said repeatedly falling below a standard of care as set forth by disciplinary guidelines, and thus putting patients at risk of harm, is gross negligence.

The witnesses who were patients of Williams’ spoke very highly of the care they have received. Williams’ attorney also argued the patient records the medical board reviewed accounted for a small percentage of the physician’s total patient population and represented “extreme outliers.”

One witness stated that she has needed a dilation completed every three weeks for the last three years or she will struggle to swallow, breathe, talk and work with the pain she experiences. The woman said the chronic issue has prompted her to often seek care at emergency rooms, but the staff always refers her back to Williams.

Kim Graves, another patient of Williams’ who testified, said she has been receiving care from the physician for about 15 years. She receives a dilation about once a year and also visits Williams for her colonoscopies. 

The patients expressed a high degree of trust in Williams’ medical opinion.

Sexual abuse allegations

Though she was absent Thursday, attorneys and witnesses made several references to a former employee of Williams’ who accused him of sexual abuse.

Bradley Diner, a state-called witness who works with the Arkansas Medical Foundation, testified that he recently met with Williams to address the possibility of a sexual compulsive disorder. In the 1980s and again in the 1990s, Williams had previous allegations brought against him.

Diner said he could not come to a conclusion whether Williams had a sex-related problem, and he recommended that a further evaluation be completed. Diner said Williams rejected such an evaluation.

Diner said he was also unable to ascertain whether the sexual abuse complaint brought by Williams’ former employee, Rachael Hudspeth, was true or false.

A number of witnesses for Williams testified about Hudspeth’s behavior and referred to her as someone who was “hypersexual.” As her former coworkers, the witnesses said Hudspeth often talked about her relationships and personal life in professional settings. Hudspeth also allegedly touched at least one of her coworkers inappropriately at work and touched her breasts to at least one patient.

The witnesses said they did not file any complaints about Hudspeth with the clinic’s human resources office, stating that she was a friend and they all wanted to help her get her life on the right track. 

Hudspeth’s exit from the workplace was described as “storming out.” Suzette Siegler, a witness on Thursday and Williams’ nurse manager, found evidence after Hudspeth left that she had altered medical charts that were in Williams’ name. Siegler said she checked due to suspicions about Hudspeth’s behavior. 

Questioning by Jordan Broyles from the attorney general’s office revealed that Siegler, who signed an affidavit affirming she had collected all available records requested by board investigators, had not provided some from the clinic’s surgery center.

The hearing will begin again at 8 a.m. Friday.

FAYETTEVILLE — Down two of its headliners, Arkansas wide receivers had an opportunity to step up during a scrimmage Thursday.

Andrew Armstrong (hamstring) and Tyrone Broden (turf toe), who figure to play a major role this season, did not participate in the scrimmage due to minor injuries.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman seemed unworried about the injuries his team is dealing with during a post-scrimmage news conference. He said none appear to be long-term issues and were largely precautionary.

A byproduct of Armstrong and Broden missing the nearly 150-snap scrimmage was increased reps for others in the largely unproven receiver room.

Pittman pointed to potential positives of holding players out.

“I’m not worried about any of [the injured] guys,” Pittman said, later adding, “You don’t want to put a guy in that’s a two that you’re looking at the first time against the ones in a live situation. We looked at it as much as we could as a positive and I felt like we came out of the scrimmage that way.”

Perhaps no player capitalized on the situation more than redshirt sophomore Isaiah Sategna, who has emerged as the likely slot receiver starting along Armstrong and Broden.

Sategna racked up 110 yards on two plays early in the scrimmage — a first-play, 45-yard post route before a 65-yard touchdown strike down the right sideline. He later caught a 20-yard pass.

The connection between Sategna and starting quarterback Taylen Green has appeared strong in fall practices. It may have taken some time to get that way.

“It’s always hard at first whenever I have a new quarterback just for him to get my speed right and stuff,” said Sategna, who was the nation’s No. 4 track and field prospect for the class of 2022. “Taylen has a really big arm, so it wasn’t a problem for him.”

Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino has long held a “feed the studs” coaching ideology. Sategna seems to have worked his name into that category.

But who’s behind Armstrong, Broden and Sategna has been a bit more mysterious leading up to the season. The receiver room has a batch of other players who could work their way into meaningful time on the field this fall.

Isaac TeSlaa started all 12 games a year ago and is being asked to play in the slot this season, receivers coach Ronnie Fouch said earlier this week. Jaedon Wilson has worked with the first team some in the preseason, along with freshman CJ Brown.

The minor injuries to Armstrong and Broden have allowed that group to get additional live reps with Green, something that could benefit long-term chemistry.

“In practice we do a great job of getting chemistry with everybody,” Green said. “I’m not going to sit here and say it’s not different [without Armstrong and Broden]. Of course there’s a difference, but our coaching staff does a great job of everybody getting reps.”

Two more wideouts may have gained some trust Thursday.

Pittman noted sophomore Davion Dozier had a strong showing, along with Monte Harrison, the former MLB player who on Saturday will turn 29.

Dozier had touchdown receptions of 35 and 12 yards on passes from back-up quarterback Malachi Singleton.

“Dozier, he made some big catches,” Green said. “What’s really stuck out has been his receiving after the catch and just knowing what to do with the ball and his opportunities.”

Later in the scrimmage Singleton found Harrison for a 55-yard touchdown on a busted play.

“Monte Harrison caught some balls today and turned up and ran pretty well with it,” Pittman said. “He’s going to help us. He’s a good kid, good young man.”

While seeing two playmakers sidelined is never a welcomed sight, it provided a chance for Green to gain confidence in additional receivers.

“With [Armstrong] and [Broden] out, our receivers did a great job of stepping up with the opportunities they had,” Green said. “That was pretty cool to see.”