Savage Heat battle to next round

You may not be able to tell from the score, but Hot Springs had quite a battle in their 78-51 playoff win last weekend. The Savage Heat traveled to Hysham to face the Custer-Hysham-Melstone Rebels in the first round of the 6-man playoffs Saturday.

The Savage Heat struggled in the first half with some injuries and some penalties, but they were able to stay focused and secure the win at Hysham, giving them home-field advantage for round two of the playoffs. Hot Springs will host Highwood this Saturday, with kick off set for 1 p.m.

Coach Jim Lawson noted that the team battled through a lot of different factors early in the game, including senior David Chapman rolling his ankle, senior Johnny Waterbury being out for a while with an ankle injury, and Weston Slonaker struggling with a sore ankle. Waterbury was able to come back for the Savage Heat on defense later in the game. "He played pretty tough for us," Lawson said.

There was some frustration with the penalties and injuries, "but it fired them up and they got refocused," Lawson said of his team.

In the first quarter at Hysham last Saturday, Hot Springs kicked things off intercepting a Rebel pass, which Weston Slonaker turned into a rushing touchdown, the first of his six scores in the game.

The teams traded scores but Hot Springs had some remarkable plays in the first, including a second touchdown for Weston Slonaker and Ben Aldridge running a kickoff back for a touchdown.

Pedro Vidotti's form was on point Saturday as the junior put several PATs through the uprights to add points on the board for Hot Springs.

The Hot Springs defense also had a big game, as both McAllister and Weston Slonaker blocked Rebel PATs. "In a tight game, that makes a big difference," Lawson said.

The Savage Heat held a 22-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, but CHM quickly found the end zone in the second. Hot Springs wasn't going to give up the lead that easily, as McAllister connected with Weston Slonaker on a long pass for another score. CHM also wasn't falling back and scored two in a row to take the lead for the first time of the game, up 32-28 in the second.

The teams went on a rally trading leads, with Weston Slonaker running in his fourth touchdown of the game and McAllister connecting with Aldridge for another score. Hot Springs was able to go into halftime with a 44-38 lead.

"We had to make some adjustments on defense at halftime. We figured out what to do with their passing game and Johnny and Weston worked together to figure that out. In the third quarter, Custer wasn't able to move the ball as well," Lawson said. "The third quarter was a big turning point in the game for us. Ben's touchdown gave us a four-point lead and what felt like a close game all of a sudden opened up."

It was the third quarter when the Savage Heat were able to pull ahead and secure a massive lead. McAllister had a nice run for a score and on the next Hot Springs possession, he connected with Daniel Slonaker on a focused pass that got the team to midfield. It would only take a couple plays for Weston Slonaker to make a huge run for his fifth touchdown of the game and Hot Springs strengthened their lead to 58-38.

The Hot Springs defense kept the pressure on the rebels and got the ball back for the Savage Heat, who moved closer to the end zone yet again. Weston Slonaker would find the end zone once again as he plowed through a huddle of CHM defenders. Hot Springs was up 64-38, but they weren't letting up on the Rebels. McAllister caught an interception, after which he connected with Calvin Timmer on a long pass. It would be McAllister who would put the points on the board as he ran in for a touchdown and Vidotti's PAT boosted the Savage Heat to a 72-38 lead.

With less than a minute to go in the third quarter, CHM had the ball back, but they also had the incredible pressure of the Hot Springs defense and the Rebels were forced to turn the ball over on downs. Hot Springs wasn't finished with their scoring drive as Daniel Slonaker ran it in for a touchdown

"Daniel played the whole game for us on both sides of the ball," Lawson said. "That was big for us." He expressed appreciation for his whole team stepping up against the Rebels. "We just had a lot of kids that got in the mix and had a lot of plays in the game." He noted that Samson Jakabosky ended up playing both offense and defense and did a really good job for the Savage Heat.

As the final 10 minutes began, Hot Springs had a massive 40-point lead at Hysham, 78-38. Though the Rebels would stop the Savage Heat's scoring rally in the fourth, Hot Springs allowed two CHM touchdowns in the fourth, but were able to keep their massive lead and win the playoff game.

"Nick really played an excellent game. It was probably his best game of the season," Lawson said of the senior quarterback who had 118 rushing yards and caught three interceptions on defense. "He threw the ball well and ran the ball really well. He battled pretty hard. He had to run a lot in the game." Lawson also said that Aldridge had a really big game, Timer had a couple great catches and Weston Slonaker had a big day on offense with his six touchdowns and rushing for over 125 yards. "We had a lot of kids getting involved."

Lawson noted that a lot of fans made the trip to Hysham for last week's game. "It was a great turnout and the kids appreciated that. It's fun to have everybody there." He said the team is excited to host a playoff game this weekend. "We're in a good spot and need to get healthy. Highwood is a good team with a strong running game and a really strong tradition of football."

"It's always fun being in the playoffs. You have to enjoy every game and have fun with it," Lawson concluded.