Outlaws shut out Hawks on the gridiron

The Sisters Outlaws football team beat the La Pine Hawks 42-0 on Friday, September 27.

Prior to the contest Friday night the Outlaws honored local veterans on their annual Veterans/Military appreciation night. Veterans were escorted to center field by the La Pine ROTC honor guard. After the National Anthem both teams lined up and filed into center field to shake the veterans’ hands and thank them for their service.

When the game started, the Outlaws came out on fire against the Hawks. At the half the Outlaws were on top 42-0 and played under a running clock the final half. Every Outlaw player got into the game.

Sisters started with a strong drive, highlighted by a 26-yard diving catch by Landon Scott. The drive was capped by a six-yard touchdown (TD) run from Kayl Mock followed by a successful point-after-touchdown (PAT) from Reid Woodson.

The Outlaws held the Hawks to three-and-out on offense, regained possession of the ball and immediately scored again, this time when Mock broke through and ran up the middle for a 75-yard TD. Woodson’s PAT was good, and with seven minutes still left in the first period, the Outlaws held a 14-0 advantage.

After holding the Hawks to another three-and-out the Outlaws again took possession. Mock scored on a 40-yard run, and again Woodson’s PAT was perfect. The Outlaws dominated play the entire first quarter despite numerous penalties, and at the close of the first quarter held a 21-0 lead.

Just one minute into the second period, Mock scored his fourth TD of the night, this time on a 19-yard run. Woodson’s PAT was good and Sisters went up 28-0.

Sisters blocked a Hawk field goal attempt four minutes into the quarter and took back possession of the ball. Kolbi Cotner had a nice 24-yard run before being forced out of bounds. Dawson Roberson had a nice 25-yard carry, and a pass to Scott took the ball down field even further. Spencer Davis capped the drive on a well-blocked 22-yard run on a sweep for Sisters’ second score of the quarter. Woodson hit his fifth consecutive PAT and the Outlaws extended their lead to 35-0.

The Outlaws got a short field after a Roberson interception with just over two minutes left in the half. Hunter Bronson threw a 14-yard TD pass to the corner to Cotner and Sisters took a commanding 42-0 lead as the buzzer sounded to end the half.

Coach Gary Thorson told The Nugget that “the backup crew did a great job the second half and kept La Pine out of the end zone.” They also came up just short of another score when time expired and the Outlaws posted the win.

On defense, Sean Moffett, Tabor Garcia, and Kade Lindsey led the team with four tackles each. Moffett also made two great tackles on kickoff coverage, and was named Scout Player of the Week, and served as captain for the night.

Sisters got interceptions from both Roberson and Reese Moore, plus a fumble recovery from Atom Fetteroff.

Thorson said, “It was a group effort on defense, and every time you shut someone out it is a great night. Our defensive coordinator (Dave DeSmet) did a great job getting the players ready to play. Our defensive front and linebacker crew are relatively inexperienced (outside of Garrett Sager) and they showed improvement in their performances from the week prior.”

On offense, nine running backs combined for 336 yards on the ground for the game (291 in the first half) and were led by Mock, who had 168 yards on six carries. Davis followed with nine carries for 68 yards.

Bronson went five-for-six for 91 yards passing and the Outlaws finished with 434 yards of offense on the night.

Thorson had praise for his offensive line, backs, and receivers.

“The offensive line, led by senior Garrett Sager, continued to take big steps in becoming a force for the Outlaws. In the first half we had five runs that were for more than 20 yards and that is a reflection of the job being done by the offensive line, but also the back and receivers blocking so well for each other. The effort we see in the blocking is a direct reflection of the character of this team, who enjoy seeing each other have success just as much as their own personal success as well.”

The Outlaws are 2-0 in league and 3-1 overall. They will play on the road at Cottage Grove on Thursday, October 3.