Hot Springs posts another shutout

There is an interesting parallel between nature and Montana 6-player football.

Even if the day starts out cloudy, the sun will come up.  If it doesn’t, none of this will matter. 

And, even if the season gets off to an unusual “cloudy” start, Hot Springs will field a good football team. 

To wit: after a 0-2 start to the season, the Savage Heat are on fire, again. 

Friday Hot Springs scorched White Sulphur Springs 59-0 on the Hornets home field, boosting the Heat to 3-2 on the year and running their scoring streak over the past three games to 154-0.   

Zero, as in no points allowed for three straight games. 

And the Heat’s two losses were in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. 

This with standout senior Johnny Waterbury, who was on crutches watching from the sidelines as his teammates and their “next man up” mindset torched the Hornets in their own nest. 

Another standout senior, David Chapman, continued his offensive binge against White Sulphur, scoring the game’s first touchdown when he snared a 22-yard pass from senior quarterback Nick McAllister in the opening minutes of the first quarter.  Brazilian exchange student Pedro Vidotti, who has been nearly automatic this season in kicking points after touchdowns (PAT), drilled another one, giving the Heat an 8-0 lead.   

In the middle of the first quarter, sophomore wide receiver Ben Aldridge was on the receiving end of another McAllister TD throw, this one from 36 yards out. Vidotti kicked another two-point PAT (kicked PATs in 6-player football are good for two points), and Hot Springs was up 16-0. 

Before the first quarter ended, Chapman broke free on a 23-yard touchdown run, but this time the PAT try failed.  But at that point, the Heat were on top, 22-0. 

Hot Springs maintainted the offensive heat in the second quarter, addding to their lead with a pair of touchdowns courtesy of sophomore Daniel Slonaker, who ran one in from 15 yards out, and caught McAllister third TD strike of the game for another score.  Vidotti kicked one of two PATs, and midway through the quarter, Hot Springs had built a 36-0 lead. 

The Heat defense got in on the scoring binge midway through the second quarter when Chapman blocked a Hornet punt that sailed out of the end zone for a Hot Springs safety and two more points.  Chapman then ran for a 10-yard touchdown with time running out in the first half. 

At the break, the Savage Heat were in control, 44-0. 

The second half was a defensive half, which began with Slonaker racing 29-yards for a touchdown that boosted Hot Springs to a 50-0 lead. 

With the Mercy rule clock running, the game quickly entered the fourth quarter.  Aldridge scored on a 22-yard romp in the opening moments of the quarter, then on another safety when junior Samson Jakabosky tackled a White Sulphur player in the end zone. 

Final score, 59-0 Hot Springs. 

Slonaker paced the Heat ground game with 100 yards on 15 carries to go with a pair of running TDs.  Chapman ran for three touchdowns on 22 carries. 

McAllister was 6-8 passing for 97 yards, with Aldridge grabbing two of those completions for 25 yards and a touchdown. 

Chapman was also a force on defense, leading the Heat with 10 tackles, one sack and the blocked put safety.  Senior Weston Slonaker had nine tackles for Hot Springs and Aldridge had eight. 

The win lifted Hot Springs to 3-2 on the season and 2-0 in the conference.  Noxon leads the Western 6-player league with a 4-1 and also has a 2-0 conference record.  The two teams appear on a collision course for their game, which is scheduled for October 25 in Hot Springs. 

Next up for the Savage Heat is a home game this Friday (October 4, 7 pm) against Lincoln, which is 3-1 on the year and 1-1 in league play.