Football preview: Outlaws host Cove in playoff opener

Published 3:30 pm Thursday, November 2, 2023

ENTERPRISE — The Enterprise Outlaws open the 1A 8-man playoffs at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3 with a home game against the Cove Leopards. Here’s a preview of the game:

Enterprise (6-2 overall) carries the No. 7 seed into the Friday game and has on a four-game winning streak. Since the Outlaws finished second to St. Paul in the district standings, they were forced to play in the first round of the tournament and missed the bye.

Enterprise brings a potent offense into the game: The Outlaws have scored at least 46 points in each of its victories and has averaged 56 points a game over its last four contests.

Cove (5-4 overall) is the fourth team from Special District 2 still in state contention, and won its final game against Elgin to make the playoff field. The Leopards can put points on the board as well: They’ve scored at least 50 points in three of their victories, including 54 last week in the win over Elgin.

The Leopards, seeded No. 10, hosted a jamboree in late August in which Enterprise and Cove took the field against each other. No scores were kept, and both teams have changed dramatically since that sunny day.

As the calendar shifts into November, weather increasingly can be a factor. The forecast for game time in Enterprise calls for partly cloudy skies with a possible wet field.

The winner of the Enterprise-Cove game will need to make travel plans for the far reaches of Harney County for a game at Crane scheduled for Friday, Nov. 10. The time for that game has yet to be determined. 

In the 1A 6-man playoffs, Joseph earned the No. 4 seed and earned a bye into the second round. The Eagles will play the winner of a game between Harper Charter and Eddyville Charter. The time for that game, on Friday, Nov. 10, has not yet been determined.