11/27/2007 1:37:00 PM Outlaws come back for nail-biting win
Cory McCaffrey runs for the endzone in what would turn out to be the Outlaws’ winning touchdown in a thriller against the North Bend Bulldogs last Friday. photo by Gary Miller
The Outlaws line up to stop the Bulldogs, who gave the Outlaws a hard run in the quarterfinals last Friday. photo by Gary Miller
In what may have been the most exciting game in school history, the Sisters Outlaws pulled out a 50-46 victory over the North Bend Bulldogs in the final minutes of the quarterfinal playoff game at home on Friday, November 23.
The Outlaws overcame an 11-point deficit in the last nine minutes of the game to earn the victory and advance to the semifinals. A packed stadium endured the frigid 18-degree weather to cheer on the Outlaws in a contest which proved to be a nail-biter from start to finish.
Quarterback Jarred Hasskamp had one of his best games of the year, and the Outlaws rode his arm all the way to victory. Hasskamp completed 15 of 21 passes for 259 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Cory McCaffrey carried for 229 yards and three touchdowns.
The Outlaws took first possession and wasted no time getting started. On the first play from the line of scrimmage, McCaffrey followed Taylor Davenport and Tyson Edmunson, made a couple of cutbacks and raced 69 yards for a TD. Tanner Hodges kicked the PAT (point after touchdown) and with only 15 seconds off the clock the Outlaws took a very early 7-0 lead.
North Bend answered with a long drive which resulted in a TD. The Bulldogs missed the extra point but narrowed Sisters' lead to 7-6.
Sisters came right back on the arm of Hasskamp. Nate Jackson caught two passes for 60 yards, one a 42-yard TD pass. Hodges' kick was good, and just three and a half minutes into the game Sisters took a 14-6 lead.
In the second quarter the Outlaws pushed to their biggest lead of the night at 28-13.
North Bend was relentless and came right back with another long drive. The Bulldogs scored on a 13-yard pass play but missed the two-point conversion. Gryder and Dominic Nieri tackled North Bend's Shawn Mitchell to stop the Bulldogs on the conversion attempt. North Bend again narrowed the Outlaw lead to 28-19.
North Bend had an on-side kick which was misplayed by the Outlaws, and the Bulldogs regained possession. Kale Forrester capped a 44-yard drive on a one-yard run. NB missed the two-point conversion attempt but closed the gap to 28-25.
Coach Bob Macauley said the team was happy to get in at the half with a lead, despite the fact the Outlaws had four offensive turnovers. The Bulldogs turned three of those turnovers into touchdowns.
Sisters came out at the start of the third quarter, stopped North Bend and forced the punt. The Outlaws set up on their own 26-yard line, and on the second play of the series McCaffrey broke loose behind the blocking of Tyler Miller, Andrew Enger and Thomas Arends for a 64-yard TD run. The PAT was good, and Sisters climbed to a 35-25 lead.
The Dogs responded immediately with a time consuming drive for a TD and a PAT. With 7:56 left in the third, the Bulldogs narrowed the Outlaw lead to 35-32.
The Outlaws were forced to punt on a three and out, and NB went on yet another long drive that ate minutes off the clock. The drive ended in a Mitchell 34-yard run, and the Bulldogs took the lead for the first time in the contest at 39-35.
The Bulldogs opened the fourth quarter, and Mitchell raced 74 yards to score and give NB a 46-35 lead.
With 9:27 left in the game, the Outlaws recovered an onside kick and went 53 yards in five plays. The big play of the drive was a 32-yard strike from Hasskamp to Jackson. Hasskamp threw a two-yard pass to Emery Meyer for the TD and then a pass to McCaffrey for the two-point conversion. With 7:16 left on the clock, the Outlaws had narrowed the Bulldog lead to 46-43.
NB took the ball and marched downfield and went for it on a critical fourth-and-third. The Dogs attempted a reverse, but Miller and Davenport were there to record the tackle which resulted in a three-yard loss for the Bulldogs.
The Outlaws took possession on North Bend's 45-yard line with only one time out remaining and 2:15 left on the clock. Sisters marched down to the 15-yard line and with 1:19 left faced second-and-10. McCaffrey took an option pitch from Hasskamp and raced through four Bulldog defenders for the go-ahead TD run. The extra point was good, and with 1:07 left on the clock the Outlaws regained the lead at 50-46.
The offense bent but held. With 19 seconds left the Bulldogs were faced with a fourth-and-eight. One last desperation pass was knocked into the air by Nate Jackson. As the ball was coming down to a Bulldog receiver, Hodges dove over the receiver and knocked the ball down. The intense battle came to an end with the Outlaws on top 50-46.
The Outlaws defense did an extraordinary job against a huge NB offensive line, which boasts players at 6-feet-5-inches and 6-feet-6-inches and an average of 260 pounds.
Nieri led the defense with 16 tackles. Jackson and Gryder each recorded key interceptions, and Davenport and Marcus Gaboni each recorded 12 tackles during what proved to be a very tough night for the defense.
Jackson led all receivers with three receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. Gryder added five receptions for 55 yards and a TD. Hodges had three receptions for 36 yards and a TD, and Meyer had three receptions for 34 yards and a TD. McCaffrey had 22 carries for 229 yards and three touchdowns. To date, McCaffrey has passed the 8,000 mark with a total of 8,138 yards rushing (career) and has scored 108 career touchdowns.
Macauley was very pleased with his team's effort but had special praise for Hasskamp.
"Jarred showed incredible courage and composure tonight. He had the ball stripped, and he threw an interception, but he had the courage and composure to continue to throw extremely accurate passes all night. That truly is a sign of character," said Macauley.
Macauley added: "It was such an exciting game, and I'm so proud of how our kids believe in what they do. They played good football and never doubted or lost hope."
The Outlaws will face Ontario in the semi-finals at noon on Saturday, December 1, in Cottage Grove.
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Posted: Thursday, November 29, 2007
Article comment by:
Norman Harper
