Outlaws fall to Hawks on the gridiron

The Outlaws fell 48-14 to the Hawks at La Pine on Friday, October 29, in their final league game of the season. The much bigger Hawk squad, with huge offensive and defensive lines, were more than the Outlaws could handle. Sisters had to punt on their first possession and the Hawks got the ball, marched down the field, and scored to go up 7-0.

The Outlaws were able to drive the length of the field to inside the La Pine five yard, with good runs from Wyatt Maffey and Griffin Gardner. Unfortunately, they couldn’t punch it in, and at the end of the first quarter the Outlaws were down 0-7.

In the second period the Hawks again went down the field, scored, and took a 14-0 advantage.

At that point, the Outlaws came to life. Quarterback Griffin Gardner threw a 10-yard pass to Jamen Schwartz, who sprinted the remaining 40 yards into the end zone. The extra point by Sean Alvarez was good and the Outlaws narrowed the lead to 7-14.

On the ensuing kickoff, Alvarez kicked it out of the end zone and the Outlaws were stoked. La?Pine got the ball, but the Outlaws were the more energized team and gang-tackled the Hawks. Just when it seemed like Sisters was really in the game, La?Pine hit a big pass play, followed by another, and then scored a questionable touchdown with 47 seconds left in the half.

The Outlaws got the ball and completed a big pass to Maffey, but on the next play Gardner was sacked by a couple of Hawks and did not return to the game. At the half, the Outlaws trailed 7-21.

In the second half, play was much the same. The Outlaws played well, but were just overmatched.

Sisters did get a touchdown in the final quarter. Adam Maddox-Castle ran for a touchdown halfway through the period. The drive included a steady stream of Maffey’s bone-crushing runs, and was topped off by a TD from Maddox-Castle.

The Hawks put up an additional 27 points in the final half and recorded the win.

Gardner went 4-8 passing for 104 yards and one touchdown. Maffey rushed for 65 yards and Schwartz recorded 50 yards receiving.

Maffey led the defense with 10 tackles (five solo), two tackles for loss, and one sack. Maddox-Castle tallied seven tackles (four solo), and Schwartz added six tackles.

Seniors Maffey and Griffin commented on what they hoped to leave behind for next year’s players.

Maffey said “I hoped I passed down my hard work. I think that’s what I’m most known for; for being a workhorse. I hope the guys know to fight through, even when games are not going their way, and just keep pushing.”

Gardner said, “I’m just realizing how much I’m going to miss this, and all the guys, and even the crappy parts, like conditioning. I’d still get on the line. For the guys coming up I hope I leave with them the energy of wanting to hit people every play, and then be able to get back up and keep going.”

Coach Clayton Hall commented on the season and what he hopes for the future.

“We’re a different team from last year,” said Hall. “This year, the guys had to learn a different system and they’re buying in and getting tougher physically. That’s made a big difference and it’s been fun to watch the kids evolve.

“We’re trying to build toughness, camaraderie, and strength,” added Hall. “We have a lot of work to do. That’s built in the weight room, and we’re hitting on that hard. The kids are getting stronger and that’s going to be the key to our success going forward. We’re going in the right direction. We’ve got kids coming back next year, and they’re buying in, and want to get stronger. Next year should be a very, very good year.”