Hornets sneak past Heat in key early season game

Seems awfully early in the season to be talking about the playoffs, but Friday’s game in White Sulphur Springs between the hometown Hornets and the visiting Hot Springs Savage Heat ended up playing out like one.

A semifinal team in the State C 6-Man playoffs last fall, the Hornets squeaked out a 20-18 win over the Heat. Now 0-1 in Western C conference action and 1-1 overall, coach Jim Lawson and his Heat will host 2-0 West Yellowstone this Friday night in Hot Springs.

Last week’s physical game in White Sulphur Springs left Lawson looking forward to where the rest of the season takes his young team.

“It was a good test for both teams to see how we measure up with each other,” Lawson said. “And it was a grind, a good hard-hitting game that could have went either way, and very low scoring for a 6-Man game.”

Lawson said the Heat built a 12-0 lead in the first half in White Sulphur before the Hornets scored right before halftime to make it 12-8. The Hornets scored two more TDs in the second half to take a 20-12 lead.

With only seven seconds left in the game, Hot Springs finished a drive with their final touchdown. The Heat could not convert the ensuing 2-point after-touchdown kick which would have sent the game into overtime.

“The difference turned out to be one conversion they made,” Lawson said, “and I guess we can live with that. It was a good game, one we felt we could have won.”

Lawson said the turnover battle – which White Sulphur won 3-1 – was also key to the Hornets’ win.

“We had a few miscues that hurt us,” he said. “We need to run the ball better and control the other teams’ running game game better, but these are things we can work on. This game will make us better in the long run.”

West Yellowstone, the next test for the Savage Heat, owns victories over Valley Christian and Lincoln.

“They are not very big but are pretty fast,” Lawson said of the Wolverines. “They like to spread it out and get out in space, we will have to be solid on our pass rush.”

Brothers Brandon and Tyler Knudsen led Hot Springs in White Sulphur Springs after sitting out the first game a week earlier. Brandon had 75 yards passing and another 53 rushing on offense, and a team-high 10 tackles on defense.

Older brother Tyler caught three of Brandon’s passes for 45 yards and a touchdown.