There was a lot to celebrate Friday night in Hot Springs.

And celebrate they did in the Spa City.

They partied on the field, in football terms of course, as the home team slapped a 56-0 defeat on Western Six-Player rival White Sulphur Springs to assume their familiar place alone atop the league standings.

And they partied after the game as fans, players and former players alike celebrated the 100th victory of head coach Jim Lawson’s highly successful coaching career with the school.

Along the way, the Savage Heat won a pair of state 6-player championships, beating Big Sandy 77-0 in 2012 and taking down Wesby/Grenora 54-20 in 2016.

Friday’s win was just the latest in the long string of victories under the guidance of Lawson.

Less than one minute into the game versus White Sulphur, junior running back Weston Slonaker capped a quick Savage Heat drive with a 23-yard touchdown run. The point after touchdown (PAT) kick was wide of its mark, leaving the home team with a 6-0 lead.

The swarming Hot Springs defense forced the Hornets to punt on their first drive, giving the Heat the ball on the White Sulphur 34 yard line. Junior Johnny Waterbury capped that possession with an eight-yard touchdown scamper. Another missed PAT kick left the Heat with a 12-0 lead with 3:51 left in the opening 10 minutes of play.

On their next possession the Hornets were forced to punt, a kick that was returned by Waterbury to the WSS six yard line. On the next play, Slonaker plowed over from six yards out, giving Hot Springs an 18-0 lead as time ran out in the opening quarter.

Just before the end of the first quarter, Waterbury thwarted another Hornets drive with an interception he returned to the White Sulphur 35. Slonaker took the ball and sprinted through the defense on a 21-yard touchdown run two plays later, giving Hot Springs a 24-0 lead with 8:45 left in the second quarter.

The visitors were forced to punt again, this time watching Waterbury return the kick to the WSS 32. On the next play, Waterbury broke free on a 32-yard scoring run, then scored on a successful PAT run, boosting Hot Springs' lead to 31-0 with 7:40 to play in the first half.

The heartache continued for the Hornets when on their next series, Waterbury picked off a Hornets pass and romped 29 yards into the visitor’s end zone. The PAT run was again good and with 6:12 to play in the second quarter, Hot Springs lead stood at 38-0, kicking in the Mercy rule and the mostly non-stop game clock for the rest of the contest.

White Sulphur Springs managed to drive past midfield on their next possession before the Hot Springs defense forced them into a turnover on downs situation, giving the Heat the ball one more time in the second quarter. As time was running out, senior wide receiver Quincy Styles-DePoe hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass to push the Hot Springs halftime advantage to 44-0.

With reserves playing most of the second half, Hot Springs stuck two more touchdowns on the scoreboard while continuing their defensive shutout over the now 3-3 Hornets.

Waterbury and Slonaker had a great combined game rushing the ball. Slonaker had 86 yards on five carries, while Waterbury added 76 yards on seven carries. Slonaker had three rushing TDs and Waterbury added two, along with a pick six interception on defense.

Slonaker paced Hot Springs with seven tackles, Waterbury had five, along with five by junior David Chapman.

A steady rain, which along with cool Fall temperatures, was the scene throughout the game, but did not dampen the fans enthusiasm for the team and their triple digit-winning head coach after the final siren sounded.

The popular coach, who’s father Jim Lawson, Sr, was also a football coach at the school, swarmed Lawson, Jr in a sea of congratulations and confetti.

“That represents a lot of work and a lot of time,” the senior Lawson said of his son’s achievement.

For coach Lawson, winning 100 games as coach of the Savage Heat was a team effort. It is also a reflection of his love for the game.

"I started coaching in 2005 and became the head coach at Hot Springs in 2010," he said. "We won state championships in 2012 and 2016. There have been several good players and great you men who have contributed to the success here".

Lawson credited current assistant coach Andrew Leichtnam for his contributions to the success the program has enjoyed over the years.

"Coach Leichtname has been with me since 2014 and deserves a lot of credit for what he has done for this program," Lawson said. "I'm thankful to have been able to coach this game for this long".

The Savage Heat’s junior dominated team returns to action this Friday when they host winless Lima (0-5) at 7 p.m.