Lacrosse earns big win over Redmond

The Outlaws won 18-5 at home to Redmond on Tuesday, April 21 to notch their second league win of the season.

Sisters had lost 6-5, in overtime, the opening game of the season to Redmond and were ready to test themselves again against the tough Redmond squad.

The contest began in the Outlaws' favor when Max Quinn won the faceoff, raced down the field and passed to John Connolly. Connolly fed the ball to Jordan Kolb who scored Sisters' first goal at the 29-second mark.

"We controlled the ball on offense, but every time Redmond managed to get the ball on offense, they got off a good shot and scored," said Coach Bill Rexford.

Sisters entered the half with a 5-4 lead and felt good about their effort. The Outlaws understood they would have to control the ball on offense and do a better job of clearing the ball in the second half if they were going to go on and get the win.

The Outlaws accomplished both. Quinn won the faceoff to open the second half, raced downfield and scored in just eight seconds.

Redmond answered back with a goal to close Sisters' lead to 6-5. It looked as if the teams might trade goals for the remainder of the evening, but Sisters' defense tightened and the Panthers were unable to score again.

The Outlaws racked up 12 more goals on offense for an impressive 18-5 victory. Sisters outshot Redmond 50-16 in the game.

Jordan Kolb led the offense with eight goals, which broke Lucas Reitman's single game scoring record of six. Reitman set a new standard with eight assists in the game and also scored four goals. Ben Bremmer and Alex Novotny each scored two, and Quinn and John Connolly each contributed one goal.

Rexford told The Nugget that this is the first Outlaws team he has coached where he's been able to run three midfields equally. Rexford stated that all three midfield lines ran hard and contributed six goals in the game.

Rexford noted the strong play of his defensive players: Billy Sampson, Randon Beech, Nate Utley, Drew Johnson and Connor Morgan. Brennan Layne (goalie) was also noted for his great saves but was really praised for his amazing outlet passes that cleared the ball.

Three days later, the Outlaws lost 10-5 at home to Hermiston in a non-league game. The team was down seven players due to grade issues and others who attended the Reno Jazz Festival. The Outlaws went into the game with only 11 varsity players, which gave the JV players a chance to step up and get in some varsity experience and, according to

Rexford, they almost pulled it off.

Kolb took control on offense and was able to get off 14 shots in the game, three resulting in goals.

Rexford told The Nugget that Kolb was up against a hot goalie, which kept him from scoring more.

On defense, Connor Morgan, Drew Johnston and Billy Sampson played solid. With no substitutions, the players did get tired, but each one rose to the challenge and elevated their game.

Rexford said, "Connor, although just a freshman, is just a joy to watch. He is fast, smart and tenacious. Billy plays smart and picks his moments, and I see him getting better with each and every game. Drew, new this year, is also improving with each game. He just needs more game experience. He is learning and, most impressively, he is patient with himself and has a steep learning curve."

The Outlaws continued to battle to the end of the game. Four of their goals came in the fourth quarter.

"We never give up and I love that about this team," said Rexford. "They really do a great job of focusing on the next play and winning the challenge that is in front of them, or at least try to. One of our pillars is 'Sudden Change' and these boys do a great job responding. If the game was five quarters, we might have pulled

this off."

Rexford noted Wes Noone, Grayson Gould, Josh Brady, Andrew Goodwin, Marteen Jimenez, Jacob Akaka and Ryan Long, JV players who were pulled up for the game and performed well.

The Outlaws will play Harney County at home on Tuesday, April 28, and then play at Hermiston on Saturday, May 2.