Outlaws grab win in first game

The Outlaws defeated Burns 34-29 to notch their first win of the season.

The Sisters team took on the Highlanders at Burns on Friday, September 4. The victory was sweet, as it marked the first win in football against Burns in seven years. A large contingent of fans decked out in black and white made the long trek to lend support to the Outlaws.

Wet and windy conditions caused problems for both teams. Sisters fell behind early, and trailed the Highlanders 14-0 at the close of the first quarter.

Sisters scored twice in the second quarter. Mitch Gibney scored on a three-yard run, and Logan Schutte scored on a 13-yard run. The Outlaws decided to try for two after both touchdowns, and Gibney and Schutte both scored on the running effort to give Sisters 16 points in the quarter. Burns also scored a TD, and at the half Sisters trailed 22-16.

The Outlaws were bogged down by turnovers, and gave up several big plays in the first half due to poor execution and assignments on defense.

The offense stepped up. In the third quarter, Schutte sailed down the field and scored on an 85-yard run. Later in the period, Gibney scored on a two-yard run. Both attempts at extra points failed. The Highlanders tacked on a TD in the period, but the Outlaws closed the gap, and trailed by just one point with the score at 29-28.

The game went back and forth in the second half with several lead changes. Late in the game, Sisters took possession of the ball on a blocked punt. After several plays, Gibney was able to pound the ball in for the win.

Sisters rushed over 350 yards on the night, and the offensive line executed well. Schutte finished the game with 198 yards rushing and two touchdowns and Gibney had three rushing touchdowns.

The Outlaws started two linebackers who had not played football in a few years: junior Ryan Cook, and senior Hayes Moore, who both did a good job on the field. The secondary had some bright moments, and knocked down a handful of passes on the night. Gibney and Devin Slaughter also had some big plays from their defensive end positions. Sophomore Zach Morgan did a great job punting, and the special teams played solid all night.

"It was a good win for the program," said Coach Gary Thorson. "Burns is a very well-coached team that has a lot of pride in tradition in their program, so this was a good test for us. I'm extremely proud of how our team pulled together and showed some great character, battling back from a disappointing start. We made a bunch of mistakes on both sides of the ball, but a lot of that is correctable, and we look forward to going back to work and improving."

The Outlaws play at home against Madras on Friday, September 11.