Ken Roberts
Sports Writer
Sweet Home and Sisters. On the road. Most likely for the league title. Perfect football weather. This was the big build up, but sometimes these games never live up to their billing.
Not so this one. It was just as advertised, a hard-hitting, physical game, one that will stay in the memories of players and fans alike for a long time. Especially Husky fans as Sweet Home’s stingy defense shut down the Outlaws 19-0.
Unfortunately, the celebration afterwards was short-lived as the Huskies discovered that the injury at the midway point of the third quarter to quarterback and kicker Donny Cliver will keep him off the field a minimum of six weeks. The diagnosis was a broken fibula, broken in two places just above the ankle.
With Cliver in the game, the Husky offense eventually ignited in the second quarter. But in the first quarter, each team let one scoring opportunity get away. The game started as it had all year for the Husky defense. Cliver opened with a kickoff into the end zone and the defense held Sisters in check. After a short Outlaw punt was nearly blocked, Sweet Home already had captured field position, starting at their own 44, despite a ten yard penalty, one of many on the night, for an illegal block on the return.
Sisters was also ready defensively with extra players up on the line of scrimmage, daring the Huskies to throw. The Huskies managed two first downs, one on a slant from Cliver to Ricky Howe for 17 yards, but the drive stalled at the 17 yard line. Cliver was unsuccessful on his 34 yard field goal attempt.
“They showed us a little different defense than we anticipated,” said coach Rob Younger about Sisters’ initial stand. “They were coming off the corners and from the weak side a little bit harder.”
On Sisters’ next possession, Sweet Home’s defense forced them to punt again, and this time Brandon Miner blocked the kick and Chad Smith recovered it on the Outlaw 17. But Sisters denied the Husky offense again, starting with a seven yard sack of Cliver, the first of four in the game.
Sweet Home almost got the first down anyway, but a pass from Cliver to Howe came up a yard shy.
From their own 8 yardline, Sisters began its only threatening drive at the end of the first quarter. Most of that came on a screen pass by Adam Summerfield to Sean Igoe for 50 yards to the Husky 19 yardline. But the Husky defense rose up again and the Outlaws were forced to attempt a 38 yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter. But Howe snuffed that hope when he partially blocked the kick which Tim Matuszak picked up to try to return. Another blocking penalty, however, would leave the Huskies just outside their own 1 yardline.
“I jumped over the center and got there early,” said Howe of his effort. “I just got my hands up. It’s something I’ve wanted to do all year.”
Howe’s block prevented the Outlaws from taking the lead, something no opponent has done all year. His block inspired the offense as they set out on a 99 yard drive in eleven plays. A critical play was another slant pass on third and nine from Cliver to Howe. Then on another third and long play, Brandon Miner found a single seam on a sweep and raced 61 yards to the Sisters 18.
“They were screaming out the play before the snap, so I thought it was going nowhere,” said Miner. But he found the narrow opening and his speed took him to the outside. “The drive was the starting point of our offense. That sparked everything.”
Once more though it came down to converting a long third down situation. This time the Huskies would not be denied as the Cliver-to-Howe combination connected again for the 14 yard touchdown.
Another quick stop by the Husky defense along with Howe’s 19 yard return of Sisters punt put the Huskies immediately on the attack at the Outlaw 40. In this series, Cliver completed two more passes, one to Tyler Emmert and the other to Mike Severns, before Seth Graves shook free from several tacklers on a 19 yard run for the touchdown.
Sweet Home had nearly an identical situation just moments later when the defense manhandled Sisters and Howe returned the punt to the Outlaw 39. This time, however, Sisters was ready for the passing attack. Cliver threw two incompletions and then, after another illegal blocking penalty, under threw a pass to Howe that was picked off.
Sisters changed to their passing quarterback as they completely disdained the running game. Only a Husky roughing the punter penalty kept their drive temporarily alive as Nic Morton found the going tough, completing only 1 of 7 passes with Graves picking off the last one just before halftime.
In the third quarter, defense made the difference. Sisters had to adjust to the Husky passing game, which loosened up the running game somewhat. Sweet Home had to defend against the
Outlaws passing game, which it did brilliantly. Sisters ran only two plays, both quarterback draws the whole second half, but the Husky secondary held Morton to just 3 of 12 passing with two more interceptions. The Outlaws never penetrated beyond the Sweet Home 45 yardline.
The biggest test was adjusting to Cliver’s injury in the third quarter, one that came on a late whistle as he was being sacked by four Outlaws. Howe was hurried into duty as the punter and managed only a 21 yard punt. But the defense passed the first test, as Tyler Emmert intercepted Morton’s first pass and nearly took it into the end zone. But that return too was negated by an illegal blocking penalty.
Then Tim Matuszak, who hadn’t practiced at all during the week because of a strained neck, took over the reins of the offense.
“Initially, I didn’t think Donny’s injury was that serious,” said Matuszak. “I just looked the team in the eye and they looked right back, and we knew we could get it done.”
It took until their second possession to get comfortable, and that is when Graves began to break out on a couple of long runs even though Sisters stacked the line of scrimmage again. In their final 73 yard scoring drive at the end of the third quarter, Graves had gains of 21 and 38 yards. Then he capped it off with a two yard run.
“It was pretty tough,” said Graves, who gained 160 yards in the game, 120 of that in the second half. “Right before the snap of the ball, they would stunt and fill that hole. Somehow I managed to slip out of their grasp.”
In the second half, Younger said that depth played a key role.
“Some of their two way starters were getting tired,” he stated. “We started taking control of the line of scrimmage on both sides.”
The fourth quarter was left up to the defense, which only gave up one big passing play, a 30 yarder to Jhet Schafer, that put the Outlaws into Sweet Home territory at the 49. Matt Zollman, who has a history of making big plays this year, intercepted the next pass and nearly broke it before being tackled at the Sisters 28 yardline.
“You can’t have a big play without someone else starting it,” said Zollman. “With all that hustling around and pursuit to the ball, that’s what happens.”
And hustling was evident for the defense all night long, the dominating factor according to Coach Younger.
“Coach Nichol did a great job of keeping things very simple because they had so many multiple sets,” said Younger. “He just let our kids play.”
After watching film and preparing in practice for their tendencies, the Huskies put pressure on both Summerfield and Morton, which led to three interceptions, three sacks, and constant hurries. The tackling was crisp by the front wall, led by the linebacking crew of Brandon Martin and Zollman and the outside rush of Miner and Tomas Rosa.
“I think the defense gets a little bit better each game,” said Zollman. “After we’ve done that to a team like Sisters, there is no reason anyone else should score on us.”
Younger estimates that Sisters had not lost on their home field since 1996 and he couldn’t remember when they had ever been shut out before. And the defense will be called on to do that in their next two league games and into the state playoffs as they adjust to the loss of Cliver.
The adjustment period started Monday in practice and the first results will be seen in the home game Friday against Stayton.