Outlaws football gets set for season

The 2002 Sisters High football team begins the year with both high expectations and uncertainty.

But Coach Bob Macauley remains upbeat about the coming season.

"We finished third in state last year, losing in the semi-finals to Pleasant Hill," he said. "This year, we'll start out being ranked in the Top 10."

Last year's team showcased an explosive offensive passing attack that could score from anywhere on the field. This year, Macauley intends to build his team around the offensive line of Nathan Teeney, Matt Hodge, Josh Kelleher, Conner Burck, and Drew Herberger.

"These five guys have consistently excelled in practice," the coach said.

"Pat Burke returns at quarterback, and he is also leading us. What they're doing is what we want the rest of the team to do."

The defense is strong, with nose guard Matt Harp and linebackers Andy Macauley and Pat Burke anchoring the middle. All-League cornerback Nathan Powell returns to roam the secondary.

"He's doing a great job for us," Macauley said. "These guys will make us tough on defense."

The Outlaws got their first taste of action last Thursday at the La Pine Jamboree, taking on Burns, Henley, and La Pine.

When the dust had settled, Macauley commented, "It was okay. Jamborees are designed to get mistakes out of the way, and we took full advantage of that.

"We have a lot of work to do this week. Our passing game is behind from where we were last year, and we had to rely on our running.

"We're good, then we're bad -- we need more consistency," he said. "We have the potential to be excellent, but we've got to worry about ourselves. That's our biggest challenge."

The challenges don't get any easier, as the Outlaws host Burns in the season opener this Friday, September 6, in a rematch of the 1999 conference championship game.

"They run the Run-and-Shoot offense, and have one of the top three running backs in the state.

"Both teams will be ranked in the preseason Top Ten. It should be an exciting game to watch," said Macauley.