Outlaws put up tough second-half fight

The Outlaws football team outscored Elmira 18-13 in the second half of Friday's football game in a strong offensive effort, but it just wasn't enough to make up the deficit from the first half. Sisters lost the contest 41-18.

Elmira made a big play at the close of the first quarter to take a commanding 22-0 lead. Elmira had the ball inside the five-yard line when Sisters forced a fumble. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, the ball bounced in the end zone and the Falcons fell on it for the touchdown.

Elmira intercepted the ball for a touchdown in the second quarter, and at the half held a 28-0 lead.

Sisters battled back in the second half.

The Outlaws scored midway through the third quarter on a pass from Shane Groth to Cole Moore. The PAT failed but Sisters was on the scoreboard, 28-6.

Elmira answered back with a 67-yard run for the touchdown and went up 34-6.

Moore scored again in the fourth quarter on a 16-yard pass from Groth. The two- point conversion failed but Sisters narrowed the Falcon lead to 34-12. The Outlaws scored their final touchdown with about two minutes left in the game. Groth threw a 52-yard pass to Connor Morgan who ran it in for the score.

The Falcons were able to sandwich in a 14-yard run plus the PAT between Sisters' two fourth-quarter touchdowns and the game ended in a loss for the Outlaws.

Sisters had 151 yards of total offense compared to the Falcons 376 total yards.

Groth went 9/16 for 176 yards and was involved in 15 tackles, including five for losses. Ethan Luloff rushed for 81 yards on 19 carries.

Coach Clyde Powell said, "We've been struggling the last few weeks. We've had kids hurt and kids sick and we're still not sure what we can do offensively with the personnel we have. We've been struggling to get some continuity, and finally in the last 30 minutes of the game we felt like we got it. Those last 30 minutes of the game we played as good of football as we've played in several weeks.

"Our goal is to carry over the consistency we started having offensively tonight into next Friday's game," added Powell. "It was fun to see the guys excited about what they'd done in the second half and we want to keep that energy and positive mentality into next week."

The Outlaws will celebrate homecoming with a game at home against the Cottage Grove Lions on Thursday, October 13.