Outlaws fall to Estacada in playoffs

The Outlaws fell 26-6 to No. 5-ranked Estacada on Friday, November 4, bringing their season to an abrupt and disappointing end.

Estacada grabbed an early lead on their opening drive when Doug Kirchofer broke free and went 50 yards on a run up the middle for the touchdown. The Rangers scored again on another quick TD due to an interception. Sisters' quarterback, Johnny Gurney, was hit on a pass attempt, and the ball fell short and into the hands of Estacada's Wyatt Riedel, who ran untouched for the Rangers' second touchdown.

At the close of the first quarter, Estacada held a 14-0 lead. The Rangers scored in the second quarter on a 16-yard pass, which pushed them to a 20-0 advantage at the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, both teams scored a touchdown in the fourth period. Tanner Head scored Sisters' lone TD on a one-yard run, and the conversion attempt failed.

The Outlaws were plagued by turnovers and mistakes throughout the contest.

"Defensively, we were plagued by mistakes on the rushing attack of Estacada, whose triple-option [caused] us to play assignment football, and we had numerous breakdowns in this area, and allowed several big plays," said Coach Gary Thorson.

Sisters gave up over 250 yards on the ground, which was very uncharacteristic of their defense. Tyler Head was the Outlaws' leading tackler, with five tackles and three assists.

Thorson said, "It was obviously a very disappointing way to end the season, but we were once again proud of how hard our players played, even when we were down. They kept their poise and represented their school

well.

"This was a tremendous team in terms of how well they worked together, and their effort and focus in practice was exceptional. This group did some great things for the program, both on and off the field, and I am pleased by what they accomplished. I can't say enough about the senior leadership we had this year, and in 20-plus years of coaching it was probably the best I have had on any high school team I was associated with. They are an outstanding group of young men who were a pleasure to coach [and] will be greatly missed in our program."