Outlaws fall to Burns in home opener

Sisters fell 39-6 at home to Burns in their home opener on Friday, September 5.

The Outlaws played a mistake-filled first half that cost them on both sides of the ball. Sisters' defense was not sound; at times they misaligned. They gave up over 300 yards total offense in the first half to Burns, and 458 total yards for the game.

Sisters accrued 268 total yards. At times, the Outlaws' ground-game was effective, but mistakes and penalties stopped several drives. The team struggled with pass protection, throwing, and catching the ball.

Running backs Mitch Gibney, Chance Halley, and Logan Schutte, all ran well for the Outlaws. Schutte led the way with 94 yards on 11 carries, and scored Sisters' lone touchdown in the second quarter on an 18-yard run.

Will Luff, foreign exchange student from Australia, made his varsity debut, and Coach Gary Thorson told The Nugget that Luff did a good job in both punting and field duties for the Outlaws.

"He will only get better every week, and will be a weapon for us in the not-too-distant future," said Thorson.

Of the game, Thorson said, "The coaches were pleased with the effort on the field, particularly in the second half, though we never did establish a rhythm offensively. We had quite a few players play almost the entire game, due to our lack of depth, and I was impressed with their toughness in that regard, as it was the first game of the year.

"We have a long way to go in terms of our program understanding and perfecting the system," added Thorson. "I think we will be able to easily see the mistakes we made Friday night, and make corrections heading into our game next Friday at Madras."