Outlaws pull off win in final seconds

Football fans were on their feet with shouts of victory as the Outlaws defeated Sweet Home (SH) 21-18 in the final seconds of the season opener at home on Friday, August 29.

The Outlaws started the game a bit nervous and tentative and were forced to punt the ball at the start of the contest. Sweet Home responded quickly, scored a touchdown and took an early 6-0 lead.

Brandon Morgan had a nice kick return for the Outlaws and Sisters followed that with a 48-yard drive. Sophomore Jared Nelson capped the drive with a four-yard run for the TD. Marteen Jiminez' kick for the extra point was good and Sisters took a 7-6 lead.

The Huskies scored again in the second quarter on a 10-yard run. The extra point was good and SH regained the lead 12-7. Sisters responded with a six-minute 75-yard run. Nick Head took the carry from the five-yard line and stretched out for the end zone to score. A fumble was ruled on the play and Sisters entered the half down 12-7.

Coach Dusty Macauley told The Nugget that his team was feeling good at the half.

"The line was doing well and making holds. We were effective offensively but just had a tough break right before the half," said Macauley.

Sisters stopped the Huskies at the start of the third quarter and took possession of the ball. Two third-down conversions by Chase Klient kept the Outlaws alive. Drew Johnston capped the drive with a one-yard run for the touchdown. Jiminez was good on the PAT and Sisters went ahead 14-12. Neither team scored for the remainder of the third quarter.

Sweet Home scored again early in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard TD pass. The kick failed for the PAT but Sweet Home regained the lead 18-14.

On Sisters' next possession, a snap went bad and the Outlaws were forced to punt. The Outlaws defense made a critical stop and SH went three and out which resulted in a huge momentum turn for Sisters.

Sisters got the ball back with six and a half minutes left in the game. Jeremy Bristow had a nice return for the Outlaws, and broke through a couple of tackles for 12 yards which placed the ball on the 40 yard line.

"It was a tough drive," said Macauley. "There were a lot of penalties but Levi Rowe had a nice reception and ran for about eight yards at the start of the drive and then we got some nice runs from Jared Nelson who ground out a couple of third-down conversions for us."

With 2-1/2 minutes left in the game the Outlaws found themselves on the Huskies' 30-yard line. On third and nine, Klient ran for 12 yards for a first down to put Sisters inside the 20 with just over two minutes left on the clock.

"Nick (Head) made a big third-down run for us and it was so close the umpire had to measure. He pulled out a credit card and slid it down the chains and it nicked the tip of the nose of the football. It was a big first down for us," said Macauley.

Sisters gained three yards on the first down and then another four yards on the next play. The Outlaws were faced with a third and three on the eight-yard line and had zero timeouts remaining. Sisters hustled to the line of scrimmage and spiked the ball to stop the clock. With 24 seconds left in the contest SH called a timeout and Macauley was able to talk with his team.

"We were very determined and positive in the huddle," said Macauley. "We came out and did a little hard fake to the left side and Chase (Klient) had an excellent fake and bootlegged out to the right. He threw a great pass into the open field to Lucas (Reitman) who ran it into the end zone to win the game."

Again, Jiminez was good on the extra point and the game ended with a 21-18 Outlaw win.

"It was a very exciting, tense and stressful game combined into one," said Macauley. "The kids were prepared and disciplined and worked hard to meet the challenges. It was great to have the crowd behind us. That's always an advantage and they just exploded when we scored at the end. It was a moment of exuberance and so exciting. It was a lot of fun and I feel fortunate to have been a part of it."

On the offensive side, Chase Klient had 14 carries for 98 yards. Klient completed six of 12 passes for 40 yards throwing and a touchdown.

Running backs Jared Nelson and Nick Head combined to rush for over 100 yards. The Outlaws finished the game with a total of 240 total yards.

Macauley told The Nugget that Reitman and Tyler Miller were "absolutely huge" on defense.

"Tyler had an exceptional game. He not only dominated at left tackle but he was instrumental on defense. Tyler had two knockdown passes on big downs and two big sacks, one of which ended the game. He started and finished it for us," Macauley said.

The Outlaws will play in a non-league game against Burns at home on Friday, September 5.