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.”

With the Arkansas high school football season about a month away, the SBLive staff is looking at each class’s conferences. We will predict the order of finish in each league. In this installment, we predict Class 4A.

4A-1

1. Elkins

2. Prairie Grove

3. Gentry

4. Gravette

5. Lincoln

6. Green Forest

7. Berryville

8. Huntsville

Why Elkins?

Elks head coach Zach Watson has his program rolling and came within a game of a state championship a year ago. He must reload on offense with star quarterback Dizzy Dean and running back Da’Shawn Chairs graduated, but having nine returning defensive starters ensures another conference title and a deep playoff run again.

4A-2

1. Mills

2. Heber Springs

3. Forrest City

4. Lonoke

5. CAC

6. Bald Knob

7. Hall

8. Riverview

Why Mills?

Mills had success under head coach Cortez Lee in Class 5A and now moves down to 4A but still has an abundance of talented players. The Comets return only eight total starters but still have more talent and depth than most 4A schools, which will mean a conference title and a possible push to Little Rock.

4A-3

1. Southside

2. Highland

3. Gosnell

4. Pocahontas

5. Blytheville

6. Trumann

7. Cave City

8. Westside

Why Southside?

The Southerners went 10-2 in Class 5A a season ago, and while they lost several key players on offense, they will be stout on defense with eight veterans. After battling in the ultra-competitive 5A-East, Southside shouldn’t have a problem rolling through the league.

4A-4

1. Ozark

2. Dardanelle

3. Clinton

4. Pottsville

5. Lamar

6. Mena

7. Waldron

8. Dover

Why Ozark?

Senior quarterback Koby Wilbanks might be one of the best football players, regardless class, in the state. The dynamic Wilbanks is one of just eight returning starters, but his presence is enough to lead the Hillbillies to a league title after winning 10 games and advancing to the Class 4A quarterfinals last year.

4A-7

1. Arkadelphia

2. Bauxite

3. Malvern

4. Nashville

5. Ashdown

6. Harmony Grove

7. Fountain Lake

8. Genoa Central

Why Arkadelphia?

The Badgers have made a habit of deep playoff runs, and after losing their first three games last year, they rattled off seven consecutive wins before losing to Rivercrest. A core group returns for Badgers head coach Tre Schucker’s team. The game with Bauxite could decide the league title, and Arkadelphia has the advantage of playing at home.

4A-8

1. Warren

2. DeWitt

3. Stuttgart

4. Hamburg

5. Monticello

6. Crossett

7. Star City

8. Mena

Why Warren?

The Lumberjacks just missed another state final berth last fall, losing at Rivercrest in the Class 4A state semifinals. A loaded, veteran team is a favorite among the pundits to not only win another league title but a state championship. Sophomore quarterback Jackson Denton returns with a stable of weapons, including senior receiver Antonio Jordan, a University of Arkansas commit. The Lumberjacks lost just one game last season. They might not lose one this year.

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

I visited the most beautiful place I’ve seen in Arkansas on Saturday while fishing a short section of a river in Central Arkansas.

That is as precise as I will offer about the location because I’m protective of special places. It helps that this place is private, but it is possible to obtain a permit to visit. If you’re wondering how to get this permit, we covered that in a previous issue.

My feet have touched almost every square mile of my beloved state. Part of me is sad to know that it took me this long to see this particular place. Another part of me is overjoyed that there are still new places for me to see, and that some unseen might be even prettier than this.

A frequent fishing buddy actually obtained the permit. It entitled him to bring one guest. When he told me where it was, I was doubtful. It’s near the headwaters. There couldn’t be much water up there, especially as dry as it has been. I took a few plastic lizards, but I was so confident of thin, shallow water that I didn’t take any sinkers. I also didn’t take any hard baits, a miscalculation that I regretted.

As we left my house, I looked at the Google Maps route on my friend’s navigation screen.

“Why is it routing you that way?” I asked. “It’s a lot quicker to take Highway 9.”

“It suggested several routes, but it says this one is the fastest, so we’re going this way. Besides, I am not taking directions from somebody as directionally challenged as you.”

As it usually is, Google Maps was right by a fair margin. And it took me down roads that I have never traveled. There aren’t many, so again I was elated.

Finally we reached our destination. We walked down a hill into a field, and that’s where I was gobsmacked at the beauty of a vast, green valley encircled by low hills. It reminded me of places in Piedmont regions of Virginia and North Carolina, a verdant citadel walled off from the world.

We went through a gate and walked a few yards to the creek bank. Awaiting us was a big, fat cottonmouth that coiled up on the water surface and gaped its maw before retreating to a hole in the mud bank.

The pool was about 30 yards long and maybe 20 yards wide. The water was rust colored and mostly less than a foot deep. The bottom was all loose rocks covered with a rust-colored slime that was as slick as bearing grease. We had to walk very slowly and very cautiously to stay upright and avoid turning ankles.

We soon ran out of water and hit dry rock with water seeping through the bases. This was even harder walking. We groused disgustedly until the rock garden opened to a magnificent pool that stretched about 300 yards. Tons of wood cover littered the shallow water beside the banks. The shelves dropped precipitously over my head. Let me tell you, it’s hard to cast while treading water.

I caught a nice smallmouth bass on a weightless Zoom lizard, followed by a green sunfish. I got no more bites in the deep water.

My companion caught a giant green sunfish, but then he switched to a small chugger type plug. That was magic. He caught a rapid succession of Kentucky bass. At the far end of the pool he caught a smallmouth and a Kentucky at the same time.

The fish quit biting about the time we ran out of water, so we fished the pool in reverse before quitting. That was a mistake. A subsequent look at Google Maps showed us another long pool beyond that one. It also required walking a long way over a rock garden.

“As rough as that road is coming in, a lot of people would have said, ‘To heck with this,’ and turned around about a mile before they even got to the place,” I said as we drove away. “Everyone else would have punted after they got to the rock garden above the water moccasin pool. At our age, especially you with your replacement hip, I give it up to us to stick it out and do as well as we did.”

Here is where you think you’ve got me softened up to divulge the location. I can’t. I’m too directionally challenged.