Jackson Baer
For The New Era
The Huskies followed up their near win against Cottage Grove with a road victory at Sisters.
The win improved their record to 2-3 in league play and 3-6 overall. It also closed up the regular season and allows Sweet Home to live to play another week. With the win, the Huskies will travel to Central in a No. 1 vs. No. 4 seed play-in game.
Sweet Home hosted the Panthers, now ranked No. 2 in the state, in the third game of the season but was beat handily, 40-7. The Huskies kept the game close in the first half, though, before Central pulled away in the second half.
“We played tough against one of the best teams in the state for one half of football,” said coach Dustin Nichol. “In the second half we didn’t play our game and got beat pretty bad. We moved the ball inside the 15-yard line two times and fumbled two times. You can’t turn the ball over and beat a good football team.”
This week’s game against Sisters wasn’t as close as the 27-20 final score indicated. The Huskies dominated the Outlaws in nearly all offensive and defensive categories but had to hang on at the end.
The first quarter started with a three-and-out by Sisters, something that would be a common theme for most of the first half. Senior running back Patrick Long continued his progression at the position with another fine game running the ball. In addition to Long, Sweet Home had other key contributors in the running game in Kyle Sorenson, Keenan Martin and Hunter Bidwell.
Long had two nice runs of 13 and 20 yards respectively on the first drive but Sweet Home was unable to find the end zone. On the following possession, sophomore Mitch Keenon collected another interception at the Sisters 16-yard line.
Long burst through with a 11-yard carry and the drive was capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Keenan Martin with 5:51 remaining in the first quarter. Martin, who stepped up in the second half of last week’s game, continued his playmaking abilities against the Outlaws.
Sweet Home added three points as the second quarter began on a 22-yard field goal by Alex Santana.
Up to this point in the game Sisters was without a first down on offense and the Huskies were beginning to cruise. Sorenson cut through the middle with a 14-yard run of his own, and Martin, not to be outdone, followed with a 32-yard run on a quarterback keeper.
Long finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run at the 8:30 mark to Sweet Home a 17-0 lead.
Sisters responded with arguably its best drive of the night, capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Eric Carlson with 3:35 remaining before halftime.
On the Huskies’ first play on the following series Martin exploded for a 36-yard run. Later in the drive, faced with a fourth and long from the 29-yard line, Santana tried for a 46-yard field goal but came up just short.
The Huskies stopped the Outlaws and got the ball back with a chance to score once more as the half wound down. Martin hit Santana for a 15-yard completion and followed with a 20-yd run to the 2-yard line. Sweet Home had a touchdown called back on an illegal procedure penalty, one of only four penalties committed all evening. Backed up to the 7-yard line, Martin ran for the touchdown as time expired, extending the Husky lead to 24-7.
Sweet Home came out in the second half and looked as aggressive as they did in the first half. Martin connected with fellow senior Zach Miller for a 16-yard completion, but would have to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Santana with 5:10 to go in the third quarter.
Sisters returned the kick-off for 55-yards to the Sweet Home 37-yard line, giving the Outlaws their best field position all night. Eric Carlson found tight end John Green for a 9-yard touchdown completion at the 2:37 mark. The extra point failed closing the score to 27-13.
Sweet Home was able to move the ball on the next drive but was unable to convert on a fourth and nine to end the drive at the Sisters 30-yard line. The Huskies wasted no time getting the ball back on a recovered fumble by junior Alex Armstrong.
Sisters made a few adjustments after halftime and Sweet Home was stopped scoreless again but still had a comfortable lead. Sisters quarterback Carlson rushed for 18 yards and it looked like the Outlaw offense was beginning to move the ball with some success. But Patrick Long came up with a huge 10-yard sack to force a punt and shift the momentum back to the Huskies.
Hunter Bidwell followed a nice punt return with a 42-yard rush to get the Huskies in scoring position once again. Stopped on third down at the 4-yard line, Sisters blocked a 21-yard field goal attempt by Sweet Home to keep the score at 27-13 with only 4:09 left to play.
The Outlaws drove the ball all the way down the field and finished their scoring drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Carlson to Jordan Hodges with 2:01 remaining.
The onside kick was recovered by Sisters and all of the sudden the hosts had a chance to tie or even win a game that they were never really in.
The Outlaws took over at the 49-yard line and had just under two minutes to complete an improbable comeback.
But on the first play, Carlson’s pass was intercepted by junior Scottie Stockman, who came flying across the middle of the field and laid out in full stretch to haul in the ball at the 32-yard line.
The Huskies were able to hold on and won the game 27-20.
This was a game where the statistics showed Sweet Home’s dominance but Sisters managed to make it a game at the end. The Huskies did not turn the ball over and out-gained the Outlaws 393 yards to 252.
Martin said the win was “something we desperately needed to happen.
“We knew Sisters wasn’t going to be a push-over but we knew if we came out and played our game, that we could win.”
“The win meant another week of football and another game for us and some more memories,” Long said.
The Central game starts at 7 p.m. at at Central.
Central defeated Newport 29-20 this past Friday, 29-20, the Panthers’ sole loss this season coming at the hands of Scappoose, 29-18.
Huskies players and coaches say they have reason to be confident.
“Any time you put on pads you’ve got a chance to win the football game,” said Nichol. “We are going to play hard-nosed football and if we do that all four quarters we’ve got a real chance to win the game. We almost beat a very good Cottage Grove team last week and that was only playing one half of football.”
“I think our chances against Central are pretty good,” said Stockman. “No one is expecting Sweet Home to come out and make it a close game, but Cottage Grove didn’t think we were up to the challenge either.
“We held them to their smallest point margin for a win all season. Our defense is incredible and Keenan (Martin) on offense has enough talent and ability to throw deep or have an amazing running game. It should be close.”
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
SH 7 17 3 0 27
S 0 7 6 7 20
Team Statistics
Rushing: SH 50-363; Sisters 28-127
Passing: SH 3-12-0, 30; Sisters 11-21-2, 125
First Downs: SH 23; Sisters 11
Penalties: SH 4-25; Sisters 5-32
Turnovers: SH 0; Sisters-3
Total Yards – 393
Rushing –363
Passing – 30
Individual Statistics
Rushing – Keenan Martin 15-156; Patrick Long 16-74; Kyle Sorenson 12-63; Hunter Bidwell 4-55; Zach Jackson 2-8; Kris Newport 1-7.
Passing – Martin 3-12-30-0
Receiving – Alex Santana 1-15; Zach Miller 1-16; Kyle Sorenson 1- (-1)
Interceptions – Mitch Keenon; Scottie Stockman
Fumble Recoveries – Alex Armstrong