Outlaws football represented in all-league selections

Sisters had a tremendous amount of talent on their football squad this season, and numerous players earned all-league recognition. Every member of the offensive line received an award, which says a lot about that group.

Senior Devin Slaughter was a unanimous first-team selection, and junior Jacob Gurney earned honorable mention at the guard position.

"The athleticism of both of these guys from their guard position benefited us greatly in our ground game, from their ability to run and pull in our Wing-T-Offense," said Coach Gary Thorson.

Seniors Rory Peterson (unanimous first-team pick) and Austin Cantwell received first-team all-league recognition at tackle.

"Rory has a great commitment to excellence in everything he does, and has provided leadership on the offensive line through his work ethic, and his dedication to the program," said Thorson. "Austin is arguably one of our most improved players in the program from last season, has become a student of the game, and athletically is one of our best linemen."

Sophomore Brady Wessel earned honorable-mention recognition at center.

"Brady is our strongest lineman on the team," said Thorson. "His ability to handle defensive linemen one on one has been crucial to our success this fall in the run-game."

Junior Tyler Head was a first-team pick at tight end. Tyler leads the team in receiving yards, and has become a good threat in the Outlaws' passing game. Thorson noted that Tyler has blocked well for the Outlaws this season, even though he is under-sized at his position.

All three of the Outlaws' senior running-backs received all-league recognition. Logan Schutte was a unanimous first-team selection, and was also named the Sky-Em Player of the Year. Mitch Gibney and Chance Halley both earned second-team honors.

"These three have combined for well over 2,000 yards rushing this season, and have been a handful for the opposing teams to contend with," noted Thorson.

"Each brings something different to the table, with Logan being a great natural running back, with great vision and cutback ability.

Logan is also an example of someone whose off-season work ethic helped to build him into the player that he is, and a good student of the game.

Mitch has given us a tough inside and off-tackle running game through his running and blocking ability.

Chance also is a big threat running the ball, but has been a big plus coming out of the backfield as a receiver as well.

All three worked extremely hard in the off-season, and it has paid off for them."

Junior Tanner Head received honorable mention at quarterback.

"Tanner has steadily improved over last season, and is a dual threat at quarterback, from both his passing ability and running ability. We have not thrown the ball much this season, but when we have, we have hurt people for big yards through his passing and execution of the offense," Thorson said.

Zach Morgan was an honorable-mention punter in the special-teams area, and was a major part of the reason the Outlaws' special teams performed well all season.

"Zach has punted well all season, and has punted great under pressure deep in our territory," said Thorson. "Just a sophomore, he is only going to get better over the next few years, and that is a big plus for us."

Also in special teams, Logan Schutte received honorable mention as a return-specialist. Schutte handled the punt-returns for the Outlaws, as well as returning kickoffs.

"Logan is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball," said Thorson.

The defense was also well-represented and earned some top spots. Heading the bunch was Sky-Em Defensive Player of the Year, linebacker Jacob Gurney.

"Jacob (junior) is a two-year starter for the Outlaws and a leader on a defense that was key to the team's success," said Thorson. "Jacob has a tremendous work ethic, and is a self-starter as well as a great leader on the defense. The play by our linebackers all year long was very good and a definite strength on that side of the ball."

Fellow junior linebacker, and twin brother Johnny Gurney, nabbed second-team honors at linebacker. Johnny is another player who has drastically improved his game from last year, and Thorson told The Nugget that his athleticism and speed at linebacker has been a big plus for the squad.

The Outlaws grabbed a pair of first-team selections at the outside linebacker position as well. Chance Halley, who also played some defensive back, and Tanner Head.Both had great plays for Sisters all season long.

"Both of these guys are very good run-defenders, who made it difficult for teams to run outside of, and they played well for us in pass-coverage also," said Thorson.

On the defensive line, another strong point for the Outlaws, Devin Slaughter was a first-team unanimous selection. Mitch Gibney was a first-team pick as well.

"The two of them have been the pillars for us the past two seasons at those defensive spots, and both were well-respected and feared throughout the league," said Thorson. "The seniors both possess a great combination of size, speed, and strength, and are difficult to block. More important than their physical attributes, I believe it is their attitude and motor that they bring every Friday night that makes them special."

Logan Schutte rounded out the defense, and was named first-team free safety for the second year in a row. Thorson stated that Logan was a consistent performer all season long from that position, and provided leadership and experience to the secondary.

And on top of all the player awards, Coach Gary Thorson was named the Sky-Em Coach of the Year. Thorson was very humble about the recognition, and gave credit to his entire staff.

"I truly believe this is a staff award over an individual award," said Thorson. "I might get more praise or criticism because my name is at the top of the list of the staff as a head coach, but the reality is everyone on the staff has helped put us where we are. It is everything done behind the scenes by our coaches that are not seen Friday night that makes the difference. The coaching in the weight room, the counseling and recruiting of kids, relationships with the community, and the hours of film-watching and practice, is what makes the difference, and it can't be done alone by any one coach. This is done by an entire staff, and that is why to me it should be a staff award."