Outlaws maul Panthers in rematch

The Sisters Outlaws dominated a rematch of last years' state title game on Friday October 22, thrashing their rival Central 28-6.

Sisters' defense held the Panthers to 197 yards and kept Central out of the end zone until the final four seconds.

The Outlaws' offense had the game locked up going into halftime with a 21-0 lead.

But the Outlaws' game had flaws they still needed to fix. Central had been pressuring quarterback Dusty Macauley throughout the first half.

"We had guys on the line doing more than they needed to," Head Coach Bob Macauley said. "Guys were switching assignments; trying to defend more than they needed to."

Quarterback Macauley passed for 197 yards and three touchdowns while completing 14 of 27 passes.

"Central did a good job of throwing different looks at the line," Dusty Macauley said after the game. "Hey, if we get a 197 yards through the air you can't say the lines not doing their job."

Shane Crowder hauled in seven of Macauley's passes for a total of 92 yards and two scores. Scott Nelson caught four passes for 80 yards and one touchdown.

Josh Orlando rumbled for 70 yards on 10 carries to lead Outlaws rushers while Jared Merrell rushed for 43 yards on 11 carries. Merrell also rounded out Sisters scoring with a touchdown. Macauley scrambled for 40 yards on seven attempts.

Sisters' defense had no trouble controlling Central's offense which has lost it potency since last year. Eli Pyke led the Outlaws' attack with 12 tackles and a fumble recovery; Grant Cyrus also recovered a fumble and recorded 11 sacks.

Defensive back Alex Cretsinger had his best game of the year with seven tackles.

Sisters held Central to 85 yards through the air and 112 yards on the ground. Central's only score came on the final play of the game when they were able to punch a runner in from a yard out against Sisters' JV unit.

The Outlaws were dogged by penalties throughout the first quarter. Both Sisters and Central were penalized five times for 35 yards each.

Sisters has two more games left in the season against Mollala and Woodburn. Both teams are sitting at the bottom of the league.

Coach Macauley sees this as a good time to improve fundamentals in preparation for state.

"This is a good time to achieve goals and work on fundamentals; we can clean up on the little things that have been hurting us," he said.