Outlaws sting Hornets on the gridiron

The Outlaws powered to a 53-31 victory over the Henley Hornets at home in a non-league game on Thursday, October 8.

Sisters started with a mishap when they fumbled on the first play of the game, but the Outlaws' defense held Henley to a three-and-out.

The Outlaws regained possession and went 74 yards on nine plays, capped by a nine-yard touchdown by quarterback Eric Carlson. Chase Klient was instrumental in the drive, carrying the ball three times for 45 yards behind the blocking of Drew Johnston. The extra point failed, but Sisters went up 6-0.

After both teams exchanged possessions, the Outlaws took over the ball on their own 35-yard line and went 65 yards in seven plays. Klient ran 37 yards for the TD, the extra point by Alex Novotny was good and the Outlaws took a 13-0 lead.

Henley answered back early in the second quarter and scored on a 20-yard TD pass. Bryce Alderman stuffed the extra point, but the Hornets narrowed the Outlaws' lead to 13-6.

Sisters went 66 yards in nine plays on their next possession. Klient scored on a 13-yard run behind the blocking of Max Stovall and Randy Ketchum. The extra point failed, but Sisters pushed to a 19-6 advantage.

The Hornets came back with a good drive and scored with two minutes left in the half. Again the Outlaws blocked the extra point, this time by Jared Nelson, and at the half Sisters held a 19-12 lead.

Henley took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and drove 65 yards for a TD that tied the game 19-19.

From that point on, the Outlaws took control.

In just four plays, Sisters went 57 yards for the TD. Carlson ran it in from the three-yard line, Novotny's PAT was good and the Outlaws went up 26-19.

Outlaws' defense held, forced the punt from Henley and Sisters took over the ball on their own 36-yard line. Sisters went 64 yards on 11 plays and Klient took the ball into the end zone from the three-yard line. Novotny's kick was good and Sisters extended their lead to 32-19. Carlson completed a pass to Jordan Hodges on fourth and four and completed a pass to Marteen Jiminez on fourth and five to keep the drive alive.

In the next series, Justin Duvenick forced a fumble which was recovered by Bryce Alderman. On the very first play, Carlson hit Jiminez for a 51-yard touchdown. Novotny kicked in the extra point and Sisters pushed ahead to a 39-19 advantage

Outlaws defense continued to stop the Hornets and again forced the punt. Sisters took the ball and went 49 yards in just two plays. Klient rushed 47 yards for the TD behind the blocking of Hayden Hudson, Nate Utley and Alderman. The extra point failed but the Outlaws surged ahead to a 45-19 lead.

Again, the Outlaws defense held Henley and Sisters took possession of the ball. Klient rushed 42 yards on one play for Sisters' final TD of the night. Klient ran it in for the two-point conversion and Sisters went up 53-19.

With nine minutes left in the game and Sisters holding a substantial lead, Coach Bob Macauley put in his reserves. Henley did mount a couple of good drives and scored twice in the final nine minutes of the contest. The game ended with Sisters defeating the Hornets by 22 points.

Macauley said, "The biggest thing for us tonight was that we played with confidence. We were focused and pretty intense and that's a tribute to their character. We've had a pretty tough start. But we've still got some things to fix to get better. We need to fine tune some fundamentals and techniques on defense and fine tune some things on offense."

Justin Duvenik recorded 13 tackles and forced a fumble and was the Outlaws' defensive standout for the night. Nathan Utley, Max Stovall, Jared Nelson and John Green each contributed seven tackles for the Outlaws.

Klient was the offensive star of the game, rushing 26 times for 303 yards and five touchdowns. Carlson completed seven of 11 passes for 120 yards and a TD.

The offensive line did an outstanding job creating holes for Klient the entire night. Drew Johnston, at fullback, had his best game of the year and led the team in blocking.

Daniel Wiegand had two catches for 18 yards and Marteen Jiminez had two catches for 75 yards and a TD.

Macauley said, "Henley's a good football team and they're looking at a playoff spot in their league, so it was a really good win for us. I'm proud of the way the kids approached the game this week and glad they got a win for their efforts."

The Outlaws will host La Pine on Friday, October 16, in a very important conference game. Sisters is currently 0-2 in league and 2-4 overall.