Football squad squashes the White Buffs

The Outlaws hosted the Madras White Buffs on Friday, September 8, and walked off the field with a 52-27 victory.

Prior to the game teams honored the veterans who were in attendance.

Madras kicked off to Sisters. After good runs from Justin DeSmet and Tony Gonzalez, Gonzalez scored on a 22-yard run. Reid Woodson’s kick for the PAT was good and the Outlaws quickly went up 7-0.

Madras came right back and scored an 88-yard run. Their two-point attempt failed, but they closed the gap 6-7.

Sisters regained possession and had nice runs from DeSmet, Kale Mock, and Ethan Eby that took them to the one yard line. Eby ran it in for the score. Their two-point attempt failed, but the Outlaws extended their lead to 13-6.

Madras answered quickly with a TD of their own. Their PAT failed and at the end of the first quarter Sisters held a slim 13-12 advantage.

Sisters scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, and held Madras scoreless. The Outlaws’ first TD of the quarter came off a three-yard run by Gonzalez, and the second on a 27-yard run from DeSmet. The first PAT was blocked and Woodson missed the second.

The final TD of the quarter was highlighted by a 51-yard pass to Landon Scott, and Kale Mock finished with an eight-yard run to score. Woodson’s PAT was good and at the half Sisters had extended their lead to 33-12.

Madras scored early in the third, and made good on their two-point conversion to close the gap to 20-33. Sisters regained possession, marched down the field, and ate up time on the clock. DeSmet scored on a six-yard run and Woodson’s PAT was good. At the end of the third period the Outlaws held a 39-20 advantage.

Sisters scored within the first two minutes of the final quarter when quarterback Hunter Bronson threw a 41-yard TD pass to Landon Scott, who ran it in for the score. The PAT was good and the Outlaws pushed to a 46-20 lead.

Madras took possession and Outlaws player Tristen Madron deflected the ball from the White Buffs receiver and Spencer Davis caught it for the interception. Kolbi Cotner ran nine yards for Sisters’ final TD of the night. Woodson’s PAT was good and the Outlaws wrapped it up with a big 52-27 victory.

The defensive leaders were: DeSmet and Dolan Pool with four tackles each, Kalvin Parker with three tackles, including a quarterback sack, and Davis with one interception.

Rushing leaders were: DeSmet with nine carries for 103 yards, Mock with eight carries for 65 yards and Eby with 10 carries for 65 yards.

Quarterback Hunter Bronson was four-for-six for 114 yards passing, and Landon Scott caught three passes for 106 yards and one TD.

The Outlaws finished with over 400 yards of total offense. Six different players scored, which shows the depth the Outlaws have at skill positions. Sisters received great blocking on the perimeter by the backs and the receivers and the offensive line was solid. Bronson threw the ball well and all five of their running backs (DeSmet, Gonzalez, Eby, Mock, and Cotner) had good runs. Up front, Jayden Vogt and Jozua Miller played well from their tackle positions.

Coach Gary Thorson said, “We are still making quite a few assignment mistakes and have a long way to go in that area, but overall we really improved from the previous week.”

The defense gave up several big plays. Thorson said that the key for them defensively is going to be how consistent and disciplined they can be with their reads and doing their jobs.

“Our team speed on that side of the ball showed at times and that is a strength for our team,” said Thorson. “We got some good run support from our outside linebacker positions (Kale Gardner and Kolbi Cotner) and they really helped on keeping the outside run game from Madras in check.”

Thorson commented on the game as a whole: “The team played very hard and kept their poise despite some rocky moments. Our youth and inexperience showed at times for sure and that led to some big moments for Madras, but I liked how we stayed together and didn’t panic. There is always big improvement from week one to week two, and we made some steps for sure. We also got the opportunity to get everyone in during the game, and that is always fun to watch.”

The Outlaws will host Elmira on Friday, September 15, at home at Reed Stadium.