Outlaws triumph in cliffhanger

Seth Teague hauls one in. Photo by Steve Post

Down by 11 points with 2:42 left in the game and on the brink of playoff elimination at The Dalles, the Sisters football team staged a memorable comeback to beat the Indians 32-28.

"It was a great game," said Coach Bob Macauley. "It was pandemonium afterward."

The first quarter saw the two teams spar for field position, ending in a scoreless draw.

"Both teams played great football," said Coach Macauley. "It was two good offenses having a long way to go. Pat Burke's punting kept them backed up. We won the battle of field position."

After a Burke punt pinned The Dalles at their own three yard line, the defense held and forced a punt. The Outlaws offense took over with a short field and marched 36 yards in 10 plays.

Seth Teague ran 14 yards on a draw play to the 11-yard line. Quarterback Burke scrambled 11 yards on a broken play, and the Outlaws were up, 6-0. The extra point was blocked.

The Indians scored a mere 21 seconds later. Tailback Epi King caught a pass up the middle and sprinted for a 45-yard touchdown. The extra point was good and The Dalles led, 7-6.

"They have the best skill players that we've encountered this year," Macauley said. "Their wide receivers and running backs are big and fast. They have tremendous athleticism."

Following a change of possession, Scott Kramer recovered a fumble at the 46-yard line of The Dalles. The offense capitalized in seven plays. Seth Teague's 35-yard pass reception was the key play that set up Chris Wimer's one-yard TD run. A play-action pass to tight end Andy Macauley was good for two points, and the Outlaws went back in front, 14-7.

The Indians wasted no time in retaliation. Quarterback Cory Carpenter threw a 40-yard scoring strike with one minute left in the half, and the teams went to the locker room at the break tied 14-14.

The Dalles scored two second half touchdowns to push the score to 28-17 with 2:42 left in the game.

That's when the fireworks started.

"Our guys didn't quit or panic," said Coach Macauley. "They kept their composure. We had looked tired on defense on the previous series, but I reminded them that we had all season to rest if we didn't get it done here."

The Outlaws went with a four receiver, no-huddle offense. The first pass was good for 12 yards to Ian McAlister. In hurry-up fashion, Burke then completed a 23-yarder to Seth Teague, followed by another 23-yard strike to Andy Macauley to get to the one yard line. Chris Wimer appeared to have punched it in for the score on the next play.

One referee signaled touchdown, but another ref waved it off. In all of the confusion, the clock continued to run. By the time the officials had decided that Wimer hadn't broken the plane of the end zone, the play clock had run down, and the Outlaws were called for too much time, pushing the ball back to the six-yard line.

Three incomplete passes made it fourth-and-goal at the six. Seth Teague ran a corner route, and Burke lofted a pass in the back of the end zone for the score. A slant pass to Jawan Davis, good for two points, brought the Outlaws to within three at 25-28.

Only 1:34 remained in the game.

The onside kick was recovered by The Dalles.

"We had saved our time outs, but our defense had to hold them to three downs," Macauley said. "They really stepped up."

The Indians first attempted a sweep around the end with King, but Tel White turned it inside, where Andy Macauley and half of the Outlaw defense swarmed to gang tackle the explosive running back. Scott Kramer then dragged Carpenter down from behind for a two-yard loss as he tried to run a quarterback option. Carpenter then made the mistake of throwing a pass in Seth Teague's direction, who went up and knocked it down. The incomplete pass saved a time out for Sisters and gave them one last chance.

Following the punt, the Outlaws took over on their own 20-yard line with exactly 1:00 remaining in the game. The no-huddle offense continued to give The Dalles' defense fits. Burke first threw for 12 yards to Ian McAlister, then Davis hauled in a 15-yard completion for another first down at the Sisters 47. The Indians called time out to regroup.

What happened next was the play of the game, if not the season. Seth Teague went long, first running inside, then outside. The offensive line continued to give impressive pass protection to Burke, who dropped back and launched a bomb that traveled more than 50 yards in the air. Teague, who was well covered, went up and got the ball, coming down in the left corner of the end zone.

The 53-yard touchdown pass, along with the extra point, had given Sisters an improbable 32-28 lead with 34 seconds left.

"Seth Teague, in my opinion, is the best football player in the state -- at least in 3A," Macauley said. "He's playing his best football now. Plus, our line is blocking, and we have a guy who can get the ball downfield."

The game wasn't quite over yet. The Indians took the kickoff and, displaying their explosive offense, marched down to the Outlaw 18-yard line with one second remaining in the contest. The center snapped the ball early and Ryan Harper and Chris Wimer sacked the quarterback to end it.

The second round playoff win puts the Outlaws in the state quarterfinals.