Outlaws earn big win over Cottage Grove

The Outlaws played their best game of the year to defeat the Lions 33-21 at Cottage Grove on Friday, November 6, ending their season on a high note.

The Outlaws started off fast when Jared Nelson took the opening kickoff to the 45-yard line. Sisters didn't waste any time and went 56 yards in six plays with Eric Carlson throwing an 11-yard strike to Daniel Wiegand for the touchdown. Alex Novotny's PAT was good and Sisters took a 7-0 lead.

Cottage Grove's high-powered offense was quick to respond with a touchdown of their own, and with seven minutes left in the first quarter they tied it up 7-7.

Sisters came right back and took the ball over on their own 40-yard line. Eric Carlson completed three passes in a row for 35 yards and finished the drive by running the ball in from the six-yard line on a quarterback option. The extra point was blocked and the Outlaws held a 13-7 lead over the Lions at the end of the first quarter.

Novotny intercepted the ball to end the Lions drive early in the second quarter and gave the ball back to the Outlaws. Sisters took the ball on their own 20-yard line and went 80 yards in four plays. The drive was capped by a 28-yard touchdown strike from Carlson to Chase Kleint.

"Chase made a spectacular one-handed catch in the end zone with one defender draped on his other arm," said Coach Bob Macauley. "The defender was called for pass interference but the penalty was declined because we had the touchdown. It was an unbelievable catch!"

Novotny's kick for the extra point was good, and Sisters pushed to a 20-7 advantage.

Cottage Grove continued to battle and took the ball deep into Sisters' territory on an interception, and scored with 15 seconds left in the half. The extra point was good and at the half the Lions had narrowed Sisters' lead to 20-14.

The Lions went deep on their first drive of the third quarter, but the Outlaws held Cottage Grove out of the end zone with an interception by Marcus Arends in the back of the end zone which brought an end to the Lion's threat.

Sisters was sparked by the interception and went 80 yards, which chewed up the majority of the third quarter. The drive was capped by a 19-yard TD run by Kleint behind the blocking of Bruce Alderman and Hayden Hudson. Novotny got the PAT, and Sisters entered the fourth quarter with a 27-14 lead.

Outlaws defense continued to shut down the Lions running game which forced them to pass. Teams exchanged punts for the better part of the final quarter, until the Lions scored on a one-yard run with 7:00 left on the clock. The extra point was good and CG closed the gap to 27-21.

Sisters continued to run the ball and found themselves in a key second-and-13 situation deep in their own territory. Jordan Hodges took a reverse handoff 11 yards which created a third-and-two. On the next play, Kleint broke through the middle behind Max Stovall, Randon Beech and Randy Ketchum for a 26-yard gain which gave the Outlaws breathing room at midfield.

The drive continued and Sisters ran time off the clock. With 2:03 left in the game, Sisters faced third and eight on the Lions' 19-yard line. Kleint broke through the line following John Green and Drew Johnston for a 19-yard TD run. The extra point failed, but Sisters pushed to a 33-21 lead and held on to secure the win.

Quarterback Eric Carlson was key to the victory. Carlson was 7/11 for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Kleint rushed 30 times for 248 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Kleint also caught three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Jordan Hodges had three catches for 65 yards and rushed three times for 37 yards.

Rodney Warner led the defense with 11 tackles, and Marcus Arends recorded 10 tackles, two pass deflections and an interception. Jalen Miller contributed four tackles for the night.

Jared Nelson recorded six tackles and returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown, which was unfortunately called back because of clipping.

"The defense did an outstanding job," said Macauley. "The tackles were spread out evenly which indicates good team play."

Macauley added, "The win was a complete team effort and our best game of the year. I'm very proud of the kids and their character and work ethic. We were 1-4 to start the year and through hard work and good team play we finished the second half of the season 4-1."