09/04/2026
HOT SPRINGS — The Russellville Whirlwinds defeated the Hot Springs Lakeside Junior Rams 14-8 on Thursday in Hot Springs to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Lakeside took an 8-7 lead after the first quarter. The Junior Rams took the opening possession 65 yards in 11 plays, scoring on a 35-yard touchdown strike. Hot Springs added the 2-point conversion to go up 8-0 with 2:23 left in the first quarter.
Russellville's Bennett Berry returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown. The Whirlwinds added the PAT to make it 8-7 with 2:10 in the first.
Lakeside drove the entire field on its next possession but turned the ball over on downs on the 6-yard line with 5:38 left in the half.
The Whirlwinds took over — the first time in the game for the offense to step on the field. Russellville quarterback Asher Swindle connected with Cade Keele for a nine-yard gain. Brayden Boykin tore off seven to pick up the first. Swindle linked up with Bear Burk for a nine-yard gain. Then Swindle tossed a 12-yard pass to Keele to push the Whirlwinds into Hot Springs territory ... before an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty brought them back to their own 38. One play later, Russellville was guilty of a delay of game to set up second-and-13. Two plays later, Swindle connected with Burk to convert a fourth-down try with 53 seconds left in the half. Tristan McCoy's catch put Russellville inside the end zone. On the next play, Swindle was forced to scramble, but he managed to scoot out of bounds with a second left, but Oscar Baires-Soriano's field goal as time expired left the score at 8-7.
Russellville went to work on the 31 to start the third quarter. Two plays later, Boykin broke free to the Lakeside 45. A holding penalty moved the Whirlwinds back, but a few plays later Swindle evaded several tackles, rolled to his left and hit McCoy for a 60-yard touchdown pass. Baires-Soriano added the PAT to put Russellville up 14-8 with 6:50 in the third.
Two plays into the Hot Springs drive, a mishandled pitch put the ball on the ground and Braylen Waldon recovered for the Whirlwinds. Russellville went back to work on the Lakeside 30.
Swindle connected with McCoy for around 10 yards through the air, but on the next play Swindle threw an interception to put Hot Springs back on offense on its own 5.
The Junior Rams were forced to punt six plays later, which Keele returned to the Lakeside 47.
On third down, Swindle pitched backward to keep the play moving, but a fumble put the Junior Rams back on offense.
Once again, the Whirlwinds defense stood firm — by 1 yard.
Russellville was forced to punt on its next drive, but the returner muffed the catch. Braylen Waldon recovered to put the Whirlwinds back on offense on the Lakeside 44 with two minutes left in the game. Three plays later, Boykin converted a fourth down. With no timeouts left, the Rams had little choice but to watch the clock run out.
Russellville hosts Pottsville on Thursday.