Hot Springs football squad happy for 2021 season

There may not be a Montana high school football team more glad to see 2020 in the rear view mirror than Hot Springs.

Oh, last year was as usual as of late, a winning season with a trip to the playoffs and a home game on what was the frozen tundra of the Savage Heat field.

Like so many teams that battled the chaos caused by the dreaded Covid calamity, Hot Springs faced cancellations and rescheduled games like they were an airport in a power outage.

But coach Jim Lawson and crew may have been presented with the ultimate, if not unheard of, challenge: two football games in the span of 48 hours.

Fresh off a win over regional rival Noxon, the Savage Heat were facing a playoff dilemma involving number of wins and playoff seeding.

An opponent was found, with a huge condition.

The game, to be played against six-man powerhouse White Sulphur Springs, would have to be played on the road, two days after their bruising, exhausing game with Noxon, which was also fighting for playoff seeding and a home game.

Not to be denied, the Savage Heat loaded onto a bus and made the several hundred mile drive to the remote resort town and put up a gallant fight before falling to the Hornets, who eventually advanced to the state six-man championship game.

With a solid trio of players back for their senior year from that team, Lawson and the Savage Heat are confident they can be a factor again this year.

Gone from that squad are two players who made major contributions to the team that went 3-2 in the pandemic shortened year.

Three-year starter Lincoln Slonaker, a quality running back and linebacker, along with tight end Bert DeTienne are among a group of six graduating seniors.

But back for another run with the Savage Heat is a talented trio of new seniors, including a rodeo cowboy at quarterback.

Calf roper Jack McAllister, the rodeo-tough multi-sport star will once again be the lead signal caller for Hot Springs after a standout year in 2020. He will have his favorite target to throw to, equally talented and quick wide receiver/running back, Kyle Lawson.

Lawson is also a mainstay on defense in the backfield, while McAllister adds muscle to the linebacking corps for the Savage Heat.

The pair is joined by Benedict Waterbury, a hard-hitting linebacker who anchors the offensive line from the center position.

A strong turnout among the underclassmen boosted the Savage Heat turnout to approximately 16 players.

“We lost some key seniors from last year’s team,” said Lawson during a break in preseason practice that has like most schools in the area been held under smoky skies thanks to nearby wildfires. “We have a lot of young players this year and while we are pretty small overall we have some decent speed."

That last comment may cause some unease among six-man coaches, who have tried, often in vain, to contain speed from well-conditioned Hot Springs teams over the last several years.

“We work on conditioning a lot,” Lawson added. “The six-man game is wide open.”

A regular feature of Savage Heat practices has become known among the players as “Monday, run day” in which the players spend time running up and down the hills on which the stadium’s bleachers are built.

“I think we will be good this year,” he said. “This is a very competitive conference with lots of good teams”.

The Savage Heat open the 2021 season this Friday evening in Valier with a 6 p.m. game against the Panthers. They open their home season the following Friday with a game against Big Sandy in Hot Springs.