Valley Christian overcame a nearly 200-yard rushing effort from Hot Springs quarterback Jack McAllister and rallied for a 40-36 win over the Savage Heat Saturday night in Missoula.

The loss was the first of the year for Hot Springs in the 2021 Montana six-man football season. And it came in a manner normally meted out to Savage Heat opponents.

Hot Springs came into the game with a 3-0 record after handily dispatching several area six-man teams to start the season, including traditional power Big Sandy.

They took an early lead Saturday night, only to watch it evaporate in the waning minutes of play. This time the early lead was not large enough to withstand the frantic attack unleashed by the home standing Eagles.

The Savage Heat got on the scoreboard first in the first quarter of play when standout senior receiver/running back Kyle Lawson put the finishing touches on a Hot Springs drive with an eight-yard touchdown run. The kick was good and the Heat held an 8-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Valley Christian struck back in the opening portion of quarter number two capping a drive of their own with a three-yard touchdown plunge. The point after attempt was no good, leaving Hot Springs clinging to a narrow 8-6 advantage.

Hot Springs would pad that slim lead midway through the second quarter when Lawson snared a seven-yard TD pass from McAllister. Another successful PAT kick put the visitors ahead 16-6.

On their next possession, McAllister, who ran for 197 yards on 20 carries during the game, broke through the Valley Christian defense and raced 22 yards for six points and a 22-6 Hot Springs lead. The extra point try was no good.

Before the first half came to an end, VC intercepted a McAllister pass and returned it 39 yards for a score. The point after attempt was no good, and as the first half came to an end, Hot Springs was up 22-12.

The Savage Heat seemed poised to put the game out of reach in the early moments of the second half when McAllister scored his second running touchdown of the game, this one from four yards out. The successful extra points kick put the Heat up 30-12.

However, Valley Christian cranked up its own defense and finally found a solution to the Heat defense with a pair of third quarter touchdowns. They scored on a 30-yard run and a six-yard touchdown pass to eliminate most of the Hot Springs lead heading into the final quarter of play.

The Heat held a 30-26 lead in the fourth quarter before VC scored on a 21 yard running play that put them ahead 34-30.

Hot Springs took the ensuing kickoff and marched the length of the field before Lawson scored his second TD of the game on a one-yard plunge across the goal line that put the Heat back in front 36-34 when the PAT try was no good.

With the game clock ticking steadily toward the end of play, Valley Christian hooked up on a 34-yard touchdown pass that gave them the lead 40-36 with time running out.

The Eagles’ defense held solid and the final whistle blew with a 40-36 win for the home team.

In addition to running for 197 yards, McAllister also passed for 102 yards. Lawson, who had 64 yards receiving and one TD reception, also had 85 yards running the ball on 16 carries.

Hot Springs fell to 3-1 overall on the year. They return home this Friday for a crucial league game versus Gardiner.