Savage Heat back on track with home win

Coming off a tough 40-36 defeat in a thrilling game against Valley Christian, The Hot Springs football team was looking to rebound in a big way Friday against Gardiner. Head coach Jim Lawson’s team did just that as they soundly defeated Gardiner 58-0 in front of their home fans. Coach Lawson mentioned his players were hungry to prove themselves. “We wanted to make sure we brough energy into this game. The players wanted to show everyone they are back after a tough loss last week.”

From the opening kickoff it was apparent that the Savage Heat came to play. Hot Springs jumped out to an early 22-0 lead in the first quarter, relying heavily on the dynamic duo of seniors Jack McAllister and Kyle Lawson. McAllister turned in another dominating performance as he rushed for 110 yards and four touchdowns while also passing for 176 yards and three more touchdowns. All three of McAllister’s passing touchdowns were hauled in by Lawson, who had four total receptions for 162 yards. “Jack had a really great game,” Coach Lawson stated. “Kyle had one of his better games receiving. Both players were extremely elusive out there.” Lawson also made sure to give credit to replacement sophomore center Jody Page, who is in his second week filling in as an injury replacement.

While the Savage Heat turned in another stellar offensive performance, Coach Lawson wanted to stress how impressed he was with his team defensively. “We played exceptionally well on defense,” he said. “We forced five turnovers against a big strong team and were able to shut them out, which is always tough.” Leading the charge defensively was Mcallister, who recorded a whopping 19 tackles along with two fumble recoveries. Hot Springs also received standout defensive performances from freshman Weston Slonaker, who recorded five tackles and a sack, as well as sophomore defensive back Quincy Styles, who intercepted two Gardiner passes.

Coming out of the half-time break ahead 45-0, Hot Springs focused on running out the clock and playing sound defense in the second half. The Savage Heat will look to continue their winning ways as they travel to face Noxon next in a conference showdown that should have playoff implications. The game has been tentatively rescheduled from Friday to Tuesday October 12.