Outlaws hold Philomath scoreless

The Outlaws took care of business on the football field with a stingy defense and a balanced rushing attack in a 16-0 win on the road against Philomath on Friday, October 18.

Despite the rain and mud, Sisters had their way with an undermanned Warriors team. The shutout included a safety, a few sacks, and several tackles for loss. The rushing attack came in waves up the middle by Hunter Spor and Ethan Martin, while Eli Gurney and Taylor Fendall made the Warriors pay with tosses and sweeps to the edge.

Both teams had defensive stands in the first quarter, with the score 0-0 at the end of the frame. A couple minutes into the second quarter the Outlaws got on the scoreboard. They marched down the field and came up short of the goal line, but then proceeded to tackle the Philomath running back in the end-zone for a safety, which was shared by Anthony Randolph and Joe Scholl.

Sisters had momentum on their side, and took the ball from their own 30 with nine minutes left in the half, and drove down the field with Gurney, Martin, and Fendall recording consistent yards on the ground, which was capped off by a six-yard keeper by Fendall with 1:11 left in the first half. The extra point attempt trickled back to Garrett Kersavage, who was holding. With no chance for a kick, Kersavage ran it into the end-zone for a two-point conversion.

At the half, Sisters held a 10-0 lead.

The Outlaws continued to control the ball, the flow of the game, and wore down the Warriors as the clock continued to click down the minutes. The third quarter was full of balanced play, as Gurney’s toss runs to the outside opened things up for the interior runs. Fendall had some crafty runs through the quagmire, and ran for a 43-yard score with a failed PAT with 1:58 left in the third.

Sisters continued to stifle the Warriors’ attack in the final period. The Warriors had no answer for the Outlaws’ relentless pursuit, which was led by constant disruptions from Randolph. Anthony’s non-stop motor and determination fueled the defense. Liam Allesio played a solid game and interceptions by Nate Weber and Garrett Vohs proved to be too much for the home team, and the Outlaws recorded the victory.

Spor finished the night with 11 rushes for 61 yards, Gurney rushed 10 times for 87 yards, and Fendall recorded 12 rushes for 76 yards and one touchdown. Liam Allesio recorded seven tackles (three solo), and Randolph tallied five tackles (three solo), two tackles for loss, a safety, and one

sack.

Offensive linemen Cam Wessel and Damien King both did a great job in the trenches for the Outlaws.

Wessel said, “We wanted to make sure we read their overhang, and pound it away from the overhang and just right down the middle every single time.”

Gurney added his thoughts: “We had really good perimeter blocking and the linemen were doing a great job getting out to our slots, especially Gator Haken, who was blocking guys 15 yards downfield, which let me run the ball.”

Coach Neil Fendall said, “Our game plan was to be conservative, not turn the ball over, and make them earn it. Most of the game the kids called. We gave them a play, but they picked where it looked

best.”

The Outlaws will host Stayton on Friday, October 25, in their final league game of the season.