Outlaws come up short on lacrosse field

The Outlaws lacrosse team took on Bend High School at Hal Puddy Field on Tuesday, April 19, and were crushed in a final score of 17-1. On Friday, Sisters fell 11-6 at West Albany.

Sisters stayed close in the first quarter against Bend on Tuesday, but in the second period the Lava Bears opened the floodgates, scored nine goals, and went up 0-11 at the half.

“We got a little frustrated in the second quarter by our inability to gain and keep control of the ball, and that led to penalties against us, which only frustrated us more,” said Patton. “They took advantage of us being down one or two players and went on a 9-0 scoring run.

Gaven Henry scored the Outlaws’ lone goal in the third quarter. Bend tacked on three goals in the third and added two more in the final period and secured the win.

“Our boys learned they have to keep focused on playing better lacrosse when challenged by a strong opponent, and to not get rattled when things don’t go our way,” said Patton.

On a positive note, the JV squad beat the Lava Bears 6-5. Mason Sellers and Kyle Pilarski scored in the first quarter, and in the second, Cooper Merrill and Eli Palanuk scored to give the Outlaws a 4-2 lead at the half.

In the third, Gus Patton scored a goal for the Outlaws. Bend also scored and at the end of three the Outlaws held a 5-3 advantage. The Lava Bears scored twice in the final period, but the Outlaws got a goal from Bodie Schar that allowed them to hang on for the win.

The JV squad is comprised of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, for a total of 15, many of which also play on the varsity squad.

On Friday, West Albany got off to a great start, controlling the ball, and at the end of the first quarter

the Outlaws found themselves down 0-3.

In the second quarter, the Outlaws did get some offense going with Adam Maddox-Castle scoring three goals for a hat trick, one off a dodge and two off assists from Gaven Henry. On the flip side, Sisters struggled on the defensive end against the Bulldogs’ talented attack players. The Bulldogs scored seven goals in the second quarter, and at the half Sisters trailed 3-10.

Patton said, “We were lunging at the ball carrier and getting blown by causing the defense to have to slide to help, leaving other players open. They also had a good face-off guy, which created some fast break opportunities for them that were hard to defend.”

Sisters regrouped at the half, and played the Bulldogs scoreless in the third. The Outlaws possessed the ball more than West Albany, and had several shots that just missed the inside of the net.

The Outlaws’ defense kept up their improved play in the final period, and only gave up one goal.

Outlaws goalie Justin Blake had several big saves. Henry, Max Palanuk, and Wyatt Maffey scored a goal for Sisters in the final period, with Maddox-Castle credited for all three assists.

Several Outlaws were standouts in the contest, including Maddox-Castle who finished with three goals and three assists, and Maffey, who had a strong game at middie, and was especially tenacious on defense.

Patton said, “Finishing the game strong made us feel better about the game even though we lost. We just need to play more consistently for all four quarters.”

Sisters played without three of their key players, Ricky Huffman, Eli Johnson, and AJ Scholl, who were all participating in the Mr. SHS pageant and had to be at a final rehearsal before the event.

The Outlaws had to play their JV and varsity games with just 21 players. This meant several of the players got six quarters of action and were physically exhausted.

Sisters JV recorded a 12-1 win against a young and inexperienced West Albany squad. The highlight of the contest was freshman Bodie Schar, who scored five goals.

The Outlaws were to play at home on Tuesday, April 26, against Summit.