Rams run through Trojans, take win
HOT SPRINGS — Explosive offenses were on display Friday in a Garland County high school instant classic.
Hot Springs Lakeside Coach Garren Rockwell is now undefeated in rivalry games. The Lakeside Rams beat the Hot Springs Trojans (8-2, 5-2 5A-South) 31-27.
“Garland County sweep,” Rockwell said. “It is a heck of a deal. I was telling the guys, in Hooten’s they had us picked sixth in the conference. We just believed in ourselves. We had a little ceremony where we talk about our hopes and our dreams. At that time, we only believed in ourselves and the people that were on that hill.”
The Rams (7-3, 5-2 5A South) toppled the Trojans in dramatic fashion.
Seniors Matt Contreras of Hot Springs and Jacob Hermosillo of Lakeside came into the contest Friday night with 21 touchdown passes each. The two gunslingers accounted for four total touchdowns and 290 passing yards.
Hot Springs Coach Darrell Burnett said his quarterback played hard.
“He did a good job running the ball,” Burnett said. “He should have pulled it a lot more.”
Contreras rushed for 127 yards against the Rams.
Senior Caleb Villines kicked a 38-yard field goal after a solid first drive by the Rams, bringing the score to 3-0 in favor of Lakeside.
Hot Springs went up-tempo on its second drive of the night, mixing it up with a balance of run and pass. Junior Tymar Hollins would run it in from 4 yards out, bringing the score to 7-3.
Burnett said his team did not play to standards.
“It was soft, starting with me,” Burnett said. “Defense was terrible, let’s just be real. Terrible, arm tackling. We had chance after chance to tackle the quarterback. We had chance after chance to make plays and we did not. We are soft and that is how we played today.”
After swapping punts, Hot Springs marched down the field and Contreras found senior Octavious Rhodes in the end zone for the 10-yard touchdown pass.
Junior Grady Ohman would strike for a touchdown after a 44-yard receiving pick up by senior Kyler Wolf. The
Rams scored with 1:48 to play in the first half to take control back from Hot Springs. The Rams were winning 17-14.
The Trojans wanted to turn the game into a shootout. Contreras put the team on his back, scrambling for 66 yards to set up the touchdown pass to junior Justin Washington in the corner of the end zone with 22 seconds left in the first half.
The score was 21-17 in favor of the Trojans at halftime.
Burnett said nobody played well.
“We were supposed to win this game,” Burnett said. “We did not, just accept it. This is not one of these games where you are supposed to come in and supposed to be satisfied with a [punt]. We are not that team no more. Supposed to win this game and we did not, starting with me.”
On the first drive of the third quarter, Lakeside marched down the field and scored on a 11-yard fade route to Wolf. The game would see its fourth lead change making the score 24-21 in favor of Lakeside.
“Hermo is a fighter,” Rockwell said. “He is smart, intelligent, tough when he makes mistakes. He fights back and does great things. He is a levelheaded kid. He has been through the fires. That is what I tell a lot of these kids, ‘You got to go through the fire and be trusting.’ ”
The Rams are heading to the playoffs with winning confidence.
“You always want to be playing well when you are going into the playoffs,” Rockwell said. “That was my biggest thing. I wanted us to play well and I did not want to drive to Northwest Arkansas.”
“You always want to be playing well when you are going into the playoffs. That was my biggest thing. I wanted us to play well and I did not want to drive to Northwest Arkansas.” Hot Springs Lakeside Coach Garren Rockwell