Hot Springs battles to the bitter end

When nearly half of your team is seniors, the final game of the season is bittersweet.

Hot Springs' six seniors played the final football game of their high school career last weekend as the Savage Heat lost to Box Elder 57-54 in the 6-player semifinal game. "They've been in the playoffs every year, but haven't been to a semifinal game," Hot Springs Coach Jim Lawson said of the 2024 seniors. "They had been working their whole career to get to a game like this. It's not easy getting to where you are a semifinal team."

The Hot Springs football team left it all on the field as they battled the Box Elder Bears, still the only undefeated team in the state. The Bears will travel to Bridger this weekend for the state championship game. Bridger upset Centerville - the 2023 state champion - last weekend 82-74 at home.

The final game of the season for Hot Springs was marked with big energy and big plays as the teams battled for a chance at the big dance.

Coach Jim Lawson reflected on the season after the Savage Heat returned home last weekend. "Our kids played really hard. It could have gone either way."

Box Elder came out with fire as they scored two touchdowns in the first quarter. With failed PAT attempts, the Bears sat at 12-0 when Hot Springs scored their first touchdown as senior quarterback Nick McAllister connected with sophomore Ben Aldridge. Junior Pedro Vidott kicked the extra points and Hot Springs was within four of the Bears as the first quarter ended.

"It was just a game of huge plays," Lawson said. "PATs were huge. That was a big difference and we knew it was going to be big." Both teams had failed PAT attempts, missing adding key points to the scoreboard.

In the second quarter, Box Elder kept their aggressive offense as they recovered a fumble in the end zone for a score. Hot Springs wasn't giving up easily, as Aldridge returned the next kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown. The teams kept trading scores, and Hot Springs finally took the lead after McAllister connected with senior Johnny Waterbury.

Down 20-24, Hot Springs recovered a Box Elder fumble and got to their own 1 yard line on fourth down before senior David Chapman ran it in and the Savage Heat were up 26-24. The Bears then connected on a huge pass for another touchdown, and Hot Springs answered with yet another McAllister-Aldridge pass on their next possession for six more points. As the half winded down, Vidotti's kick put the Savage Heat up 34-31.

The second half was even more intense as the stakes of the game weighed on the teams. Hot Springs ran the ball at the kickoff to the 11 yard line before the bears recovered a Savage Heat fumble. The Bears ran for a touchdown which was called back for a penalty. The Hot Springs defense capitalized on their second chance, holding the Bears and taking over on downs on the 17 yard line. Fumbles and interceptions would plague both teams as they struggled to find the end zone, but Hot Springs was finally able to add to the scoreboard with a 3-yard run from senior Weston Slonaker and another good kick from Vidotti, an exchange student from Brazil who had no American football experience before coming to Hot Springs, but has played soccer. "Having him in our kicking game was huge," Coach Lawson said of Vidotti's first football season.

Halfway into the third quarter, Box Elder would score two touchdowns to take the lead. But the Savage Heat took advantage of a Box Elder defensive penalty to advance on their next possession before senior Calvin Timmer caught a pass from McAllister to put Hot Springs up 48-44. Aldridge would catch another interception from the Bears and Hot Springs got the ball back and the quarter ended.

Of note is that Box Elder quarterback Taurie Rosette had not thrown an interception all season until the Bears faced Hot Springs, and Aldridge caught both of them. "Ben had a really good game. He was quiet and a little under the radar when the season began, but he has been huge for us in the playoffs," Lawson said.

As the fourth quarter started, it was all or nothing for both teams. On their own 11 yard line, the Savage Heat were held to fourth down and 3 when the Bears took over on downs. They would take advantage and score on the drive, up 50-48 with less than six minutes left in the game. Slonaker again came through for Hot Springs, scoring on a pass from McAllister and running 40 yards into the end zone. Hot Springs took their final lead of the game, 54-50, with half the quarter remaining.

The Savage Heat kicked the defense into overdrive as they pushed Box Elder back to the 10 yard line for a fourth down and 35 yards. A Box Elder penalty pushed the ball back to the Hot Springs 5 yard line and the Bears were forced to punt. "Box Elder has a good passing attack, but we rushed the quarterback effectively. We frustrated them at times," Lawson said of his defense.

In their final possession, Hot Springs was unable to penetrate the Box Elder defense and the Bears knocked down a Hot Springs pass on fourth down. Box Elder sealed their win as they scored on the first play of their possession and added to their undefeated record.

It was an emotional ending to an incredible season for the Hot Springs Savage Heat, but it was a season they could be proud of.

"We had a good season considering all the injuries we had to play through," senior Weston Slonaker said. Waterbury and Chapman have both struggled with ankle injuries, but were able to play on defense against Box Elder. "It made a big difference to have them," Coach Lawson said.

Hot Springs showed incredible improvement as a team throughout the season. "At one point in the season we were 3-3 and had fallen out of the rankings," Lawson expressed. "We fought back and won some football games at the end of the year."

Lawson is still reflecting on this season, but also is aware that they will not have the six seniors next year. "They are such nice kids and high character young men, and they always give a good effort on the field." Lawson said. He noted that his team is well behaved and really coachable. "It really makes things so easy for me. I think the world of their character and how they act on and off the field. They accomplished a lot this season."