Hot Springs drops heartbreaker to Panthers

One minute you’re in control, victory is in plain sight.

Then the football spirits can turn on you and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Such was the case this past Friday night when the visiting Valier Panthers, who were down to their last three minutes and were trailing by seven points, came up with an interception of a Hot Springs pass and took it nearly the length of the field for a touchdown and extra point that tied the game at 13-13 with 2:48 remaining in regulation play of this six-man football contest.

Still, the Savage Heat had that 2:48 to rectify the stunning situation.

But a high snap over the head of Hot Springs sophomore quarterback Nick McAllister’s head was an ominous sign.

Indeed, McAllister was able to scramble back after the errant snap, pick up the ball and toss it into the arms of senior Garth Parker, who ran and bulled his way to midfield, good for a drive sustaining first down.

But on the ensuing drive, the Heat stall and were forced to punt. Valier was unable to move the ball and turned it over to Hot Springs on downs, giving the home town team one last chance to score and end the game in regulation.

Alas, that was not to be.

The football spirits sent the game to overtime, where each team gets the ball on the 15-yard line and has one possession to score. Both teams each get an opportunity to end the game. Score and the other guy doesn’t and it’s game over, turn out the lights.

So it was that Valier was set up with the ball first via the flip of a coin.

On their first play in overtime, Valier quarterback Tyler VandenBos sliced through the Savage Heat defense and into the end zone, making it 19-13. The extra point attempt was stopped just short of the goal, meaning if Hot Springs scored on its possession and had a successful point(s) after touchdown try, it would claim the victory that was so cruelly taken away in regulation.

But Hot Springs could not score and Valier left town with the win.

It was perhaps fitting that a defensive play allowed the Panthers to tie and then win the game. Both teams used their defensive speed to battle to a 0-0 tie at the end of the first quarter, a scoreless rarity in the wide open game that is Montana six-man football.

In fact, with just under four minutes left in the opening quarter and Valier driving for what looked like the first score of the game, McAllister intercepted a VandenBos pass at the Hot Springs three yard line, extinguishing the Panthers’ scoring threat.

Then it was Valier’s turn to be defensive and they did, forcing Hot Springs to punt from deep in their own territory. That punt sailed over the head of the Valier return man and bounced all the way to the Panther’s eight yard line.

Entering the second quarter, the Heat defense returned the punting favor, getting the ball back on a fine return by Heat sophomore Weston Slonaker, who gave Hot Springs the ball on the Valier 21 yard line.

On the next play, McAllister hooked up with Parker on a 21-yard touchdown pass that broke the scoring ice and gave Hot Springs a 6-0 lead with 8:20 left to play in the first half. The PAT try was no good.

On Valier’s next possession from the 21-yard line, VandenBos flipped the ball to fellow Panther Wes Edwards who rambled 59 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was no good and the score remained tied at 6-6.

On their next drive, Hot Springs moved steadily downfield led by several key receptions by Parker. But that drive stalled and Valier got the ball on downs on their own 15. Valier then appeared to have broken the tie when Tristen Valdez scored on a 42 yard apparent TD pass.

That score, however, was erased by an illegal block in the back penalty on Valier, which then turned the ball over to Hot Springs on downs.

The two teams swapped short possessions and time ran out in the first half with Valier just 12 yards from scoring, leaving the game knotted at 6-each.

The third quarter started like much of the first half had been, with Valier’s first drive stalling, forcing them to punt yet again. That punt was returned by McAllister to the Valier eight yard line, giving them first and goal. On fourth and goal from the one yard line, McAllister flipped a short touchdown pass to Johnny Waterbury, another one of six sophomore’s on this very promising young Heat team. The PAT pass was good, giving Hot Springs a 13-6 lead, setting up the last minute score by Valier to send the game into overtime.

The loss dropped Hot Springs to 0-2 on the year following an opening weekend road loss to Highwood. The Savage Heat will return to action this Friday when they host conference foe Twin Bridges at 7 p.m.