Savage heat shutout

The Hot Springs football team suffered two tough losses at the start of their season, but when they started winning, they really started winning.

The Savage Heat are sitting 2-2 on the season after the second straight shutout win last Friday. Hot Springs beat West Yellowstone 50-0 on their home field Friday.

"They ran a different offense than we expected, so the first quarter we adjusted and pretty much went back to our base defense," Coach Jim Lawson said of the West Yellowstone game. "We were able to get people in the right spots and forced them to turn the ball over on downs several times."

Hot Springs got the ball first last Friday and didn't waste any time as senior David Chapman carried the ball into the end zone for the first score. The tough Savage Heat defense allowed the Wolverines just a few yards as they took the ball over on downs. Hot Springs was unable to capitalize on the turnover but their defense didn't let up and on the next West Yellowstone possession, Savage Heat sophomore Andrew Waterbury and Chapman connected for back-to-back sacks to end the first quarter.

West Yellowstone would again turn over possession to Hot Springs at the beginning of the second, when quarterback Nick McAllister connected on a long pass to sophomore Ben Aldridge, who took the ball to the 5 yard line. McAllister would then hand the ball to Chapman, who ran in for his second touchdown of the night. Pedro Vidotti's kick was good as Hot Springs took a 14-0 lead. Waterbury kept the pressure on the Wolverines with another sack as Hot Springs again would take the ball over on downs. This time it would be senior Weston Slonaker to carry the ball in the end zone, followed by another Vidotti PAT to strengthen the lead to 22-0.

Coach Lawson noted Waterbury has been stepping up for the team as well. "Anderw has played really well. He hustles and has made a number of really good plays in the back field."

The Hot Springs defense would force West Yellowstone to punt to the Savage Heat, who again took the opportunity to add points to the scoreboard. Daniel Slonaker ran in for six, making the score 28-0. West Yellowstone then showed some force, blocking the kick. Slonaker rushed for 100 yards Friday. "Daniel has done a great job filling in for Johnny on offense," Lawson said, referring to the loss of senior Johnny Waterbury due to an injury earlier in the season.

West Yellowstone had the ball with a minute left in the half. With the Wolverines facing yet another long fourth down, Hot Springs coach Jim Lawson called a timeout. West Yellowstone was unable to convert and Hot Springs took the ball with 53.9 seconds left in the quarter. It was plenty of time for the Savage Heat, with McAllister throwing the ball to Chapman, who ran it into the end zone. The scoring drive took less than three seconds off the clock. Chapman also led the team defensively with 10 tackles and two sacks. "David's really been stepping up for the team. He has the speed and the size. It's fun to see him play well," Coach Lawson expressed.

West Yellowstone was unable to advance on the last possession of the half and the Savage Heat were up 36-0 going into the locker room.

The Wolverines nearly fumbled the ball at the start of the second half but were able to recover the ball, only to turn the ball over again on downs. Chapman would run into the end zone for the third time Friday halfway through the quarter, making the score 44-0. West Yellowstone would connect on a long pass for one of their few first downs of the game in the quarter, but were still unable to score.

Even with a 44-point lead, the Savage Heat offense wasn't ready to back off. Daniel Slonaker carried the ball down the field for the Savage Heat in the fourth and was able to earn the final trip into the end zone for Hot Springs in the last quarter.

"We have a really good group. They are friends off the field, too, and that helps," Lawson said. "A lot of our senior class has been starting for three or four years and they are a good group of leaders."

This week, Hot Springs dives into conference play as they head to White Sulphur Springs, who lost an excited matchup in Noxon last Friday. "Two shutouts in a row is hard in 6-man," Coach Lawson said. "Big Sandy and West Yellowstone are pretty solid teams. Our defense playing that well is huge. We just want to continue to run the ball well and play good defense."