Sean McLean
For The New Era
The young Sweet Home Huskies got a glimpse last Friday of the other end of the spectrum, as the veteran Sisters Outlaws rolled into town, en route to what likely could be a second straight run at the state 4A title game.
The Huskies had few answers for the speed of Outlaw running back Cory McCaffrey. The state record holder in rushing yards (3,335 yards, 38 touchdowns last season) finished with 273 rushing yards, leading the Outlaws to a commanding 55-16 win.
“We came into the game needing to contain McCaffrey, and you really can’t stop him, you only can contain him,” coach Rob Younger said. “We didn’t want to give up the big plays, and that’s what you have to do if you want to beat Sisters.”
The Outlaws quickly jumped out to an early 12-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Quarterback Jared Hasskamp found Nathan Jackson wide open on the game’s opening drive for a 44-yard touchdown, and McCaffrey added a three-yard score to give the Outlaws an early lead.
The Huskies, however, put the brakes on Sisters’ momentum and responded with a 12-play, 68-yard drive that culminated with a five-yard touchdown run from junior Leif Erickson. After Amos Parmenter plunged in on a sweep to nail the two-point conversion, the Husky defense stifled Sisters’s attack and drove into Outlaw territory.
It would be, however, the closest Sweet Home would get to evening the score, as the Outlaws stopped them and forced a punt on the Huskies’ next posssession. On the next play, McCaffrey took it to the house on a 74-yard run, giving the Outlaws the lead for good with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter. Sisters would then go to the air on its next two scores, hitting Carroll Gryder and Jackson again to give the Outlaws a commanding 34-8 lead at halftime.
The inexperience of Sweet Home’s defense was exposed in the first two quarters.
“In my 28 years here, this is definitely one of youngest teams I’ve had,” Younger said. “It is going to be a growing process and I anticipate it for sure. We’re looking at this not like a journey but rather a final destination, and the guys are working hard to improve and get better.”
The tired Husky defenders couldn’t contain McCaffrey in the second half as well, as the senior added two more scores with runs of 32 and 57 yards. With a big enough lead entering the fourth quarter, he sat along with the majority of the starters.
Sweet Home got back on the scoreboard again in the third quarter after Erickson returned the kickoff to the Sisters 29-yard line. Nine plays later, senior Nick Pitts dove into the end zone on a one-yard run, but by that time it was far too late to stage a comeback.
The Outlaws racked up 471 yards of offense with McCaffrey and Jackson (four receptions, 118 yards, two touchdowns) leading the charge. The Huskies stuck to the running game, finishing with 223 rushing yards and 39 yards passing on the night.
Parmenter led Sweet Home with 84 yards on 18 yards, while Pitts’ 75 yards on the ground gave them a balanced rushing attack.
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This Friday, the Huskies will travel north to face Estacada in what will be the first of several tough road games this season.
For Younger, learning how to win on the road will be a big focus for his young team this week.
“I think that we need to learn how to play on the road because it will be a new experience for a lot of our guys,” Younger said. “It certainly will be a growth process, and it will be a good challenge for them.”
During the 55-16 loss to Sisters, Younger’s youthful lineup was exposed to one of the state’s top offenses. He believes though, that there were a lot of positives on both sides of the football.
“We are two teams that are at two different stages,” Younger said of Sisters. “They are returning the nucleus of their 13-1 team from last year and we are developing. But I saw a lot of good things, like our offensive line doing a great job and our running backs executing very well.”
On the offense, the Huskies moved the football with a very balanced running attack. Parmenter’s team-leading 84 yards rushing and Pitts’ 75 yards gave the Huskies a good 1-2 punch in the backfield. Although a few players stood out from the rest, Younger is still going to stick with the running back by committee this week against Estacada.
“Pitts came in and did a tremendous job, and I think he really provided some good energy for our team,” Younger said. “Amos had never run the football before, so it was pretty impressive how he performed out there for us. We will continue with the running back by committee because opposing teams won’t be able to key in on one guy.”
With another monster game by McCaffrey, Sweet Home gave up too many plays to the Outlaws, but Younger thinks that they handled themselves very well and can improve on the defensive side of the football.
And after seeing his team play a game, Younger has a good idea of what his team needs to work on this week in practice and throughout the course of the year.
“We need to definitely be more consistent on both sides of the football,” Younger said. “The consistency wasn’t there against Sisters, and there are other things too, so we will be going back to practice and working on those things for sure.”
The road back to the state playoffs will not get any easier this week, as the Huskies will take on an Estacada club that is coming off a big 26-7 victory last week against Banks. After playing Sisters, however, Younger said his team will be ready for the challenge of taking on another strong team on the road.
“They are pretty excited right now after beating Banks,” Younger said. “They have a new coach up there that has generated some excitement, so I think it will be a good challenge for our guys to go up there and learn how to win on the road.”
On Friday, it was Sisters’ McCaffrey who was the guy Sweet Home needed to contain, but this week Younger wants his team to have a different approach.
“We will come in with a whole new idea and focus on getting better,” Younger said. “We will stick to the basic sets and will take care of ourselves against Estacada.”
Game Summary
Sweet Home 16, Sisters 55
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
SHHS 8 0 6 2 – 16
Sisters 12 22 21 0 – 55
1st Quarter
Sist—Jarred Hasskamp 44 yd pass to Nathan Jackson (kick failed)
Sist—Corey McCaffrey 3 yd. run (kick failed)
SHHS—Leif Erickson 5 yd. run (Amos Parmenter run)
2nd Quarter
Sist–McCaffrey 74 yd. run (Hasskamp pass to McCaffrey)
Sist–Hasskamp 32 yd. pass to Carroll Gryder (Josh Marr kick)
Sist–Hasskamp 33 yd. pass to Jackson (Marr kick)
3rd Quarter
Sist–McCaffrey 32 yd. run (Marr kick)
SHHS—Nick Pitts 1 yd. run (kick failed)
Sist–McCaffrey 57 yd. run (Marr kick)
Sist–Taylor Davenport 11 yd. run (Marr kick)
4th Quarter
SHHS–Safety-Chase Kleintz downed in the end zone
Team Stats
Rushing: SHHS 60-223; Sisters 23-321
Passing: SHHS 39; Sisters 150
Sacks: SHHS 0; Sisters 1-(-7)
Total: SHHS 255, Sisters 471
1st Downs: SHHS 19; Sisters 7
Turnovers: SHHS 3; Sisters 0
Penalties: SHHS 9-79; Sisters 13-141.5
Individual Stats
Rushing: SHHS: Parmenter 18-84;Pitts 19-75; Erickson 10-28;
Delong 6-29; Puentes 3-4; Graville 4-3 Sisters: McCaffrey 13-273; Davenport 4-31
Passing: SHHS: Graville 4-7, 23; Sipe 1-2, 16
Sisters: Hasskamp 5-10, 150
Receiving: SHHS: Riggs 2-20; Horn 1-16; McGuyre 1-2; Pitts 1-1 Sisters: Jackson 4-118; Gryder 1-32
Punts: SHHS: Delong 3-81 (27 net) Sisters: 2-89 (44.5; 44 net)
Punt Returns: SHHS: Pitts 1-1; Sisters 0
Kickoffs: SHHS: Gutierrez 3-105 (35; 15 net); Sisters: Marr 9-392 (43.6; 25.6 net, 4 out of bounds)
Kick Returns: SHHS: Erickson 4-120; Pitts 1-11; Sisters: 3-60
Interceptions: None
Fumble Recoveries: SHHS 0; Sisters 3
Tackles: SH: Pitts and Gutierrez 4