Outlaws break losing streak on gridiron

The Outlaws football team put one in the win column last week with a 14-6 victory over the White Buffaloes at Madras in a game that started on Friday, September 17, and finished on Saturday.

With four minutes left in the second quarter, lightning forced the teams to leave the field. There was a mandatory 30-minute delay and at approximately 9 p.m. the lightning knocked out a power station and the field went black. Teams headed home and the game resumed at noon on Saturday.

On Friday night the Outlaws got off to a fast start. On their second possession Ethan Luloff, on second and two, followed the blocking of Chandler Zenich and John Green into the end zone. Luloff went 69 yards through and around the White Buffaloes for the first touchdown of the evening. Jordan Hodges kicked the extra point and Sisters went up 7-0.

Quarterback Erik Carlson was key to the 65-yard drive. Standing in the pocket under tremendous pressure from the White Buffs' defense, he connected on a long pass to Connor Morgan, who hauled it in at the five-yard line for a 35-yard gain.

Two plays later, Luloff took a pitch from Carlson and ran in for the TD. Hodges was good on the PAT and the Outlaws went up 14-0.

Madras scored on their next possession and went for two. John Green sacked the quarterback and the score remained 14-6 until lightning forced the game to stop.

On Saturday, teams picked up where they'd left off the night before. The second half was dominated by defense and the White Buffs continued to pressure Carlson in the passing game.

"We missed several opportunities, with the ball slipping through the fingertips of our receivers," said Coach Bob Macauley.

In the fourth quarter Jared Nelson had a key interception that stopped a White Buffs rally, and late in the quarter Hodges intercepted the ball to seal the Outlaws win.

Macauley noted that the Outlaws defense did an incredible job, and had special praise for Bryce Alderman:

"Bryce had his best game as an Outlaw tonight. He started for us as a sophomore last year, and tonight he had eight tackles, two sacks and was the most physically dominant player on the field for both teams."

Macauley also noted the fine play of Sterling Ryan and Shane Groth at linebacker. Ryan and Groth both had stellar games on defense, and recorded eight and nine tackles, respectively.

"Physical success breeds confidence," the coach said. "The defense did an outstanding job; our hitting increased, our speed increased and our execution increased. Winning cures a lot of ailments. Our kids are working hard and we have a lot of talent, but we have a couple of key positions that need to get better quick."

The Outlaws, who are currently 1-2, will play at home on Friday, September 24, against Gladstone.