Devils bust Bruins; await Heat

Fresh off a 51-0 whitewashing of the Gardiner Bruins in Noxon Friday night to open the season, the Red Devils will now lie in wait for the Hot Springs Savage Heat.

Since much of the Devils' original schedule was lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including next week's contest, coach Bart Haflich and his boys are free to start game-planning for one of the biggest games of the season, in Hot Springs Sept. 18.

The State 6-Man champs in 2012 and 2016, the Savage Heat went 10-1 last year and won the Western Conference championship before falling in the second round of the playoffs.

Not strangers to the post-season themselves after three straight playoff appearances, the Devils lost in the first round last season. But would obviously like to do better than that this fall.

Haflich thinks that the Heat are just the test his Devils need.

"Hot Springs just has such a great program, they are always solid and this year is no exception," he said. "They typically like to spread the field out and use their speed, and we have had trouble defending them in the past."

Given the break in action, Haflich and company now have two weeks to study game film from Hot Springs' exciting 53-38 win over Valley Christian (see other story), and time to devise an effective game plan.

The game with over-matched Gardiner last week was too easy for the Devils. The Bruins came into Noxon with very few players and left town with a loss and no points.

The Devils scored often and early, building a 33-0 lead by halftime and cruised to the win.

Returning All-State player Josh Baldwin started the Devils off with a six-yard touchdown run and Derreck Christiansen booted through the two-point conversion.

Cade VanVleet scored the Devils' next two TDs on runs of 15 and 33 yards, and Jeriko Smith hit Jared Webley for the conversion point after the first of those two touchdowns.

Christiansen then connected with Webley for a 12-yard touchdown pass before VanVleet reached paydirt again on a 29-yard run.

In the second half, Baldwin scored on a seven-yard run, Christiansen returned an interception 60 yards for another touchdown and finally Webley took another interception return back 20 yards for the game's final TD.