North Bend’s shot at upsetting top-ranked Sisters came up just short Friday night, as the host Outlaws escaped with a 50-46 win over the Bulldogs in the Class 4A football quarterfinals.

North Bend led much of the second half, but Sisters took the lead with just 1:07 remaining on a 15-yard touchdown run by Cory McCaffrey, who took an option pitch from quarterback Jarred Hasskamp and scooted around the corner into the end zone.

The play capped a comeback from what had been a 46-35 lead for the Bulldogs.

“I feel bad for the kids,” said North Bend coach Bill Masei. “The kids played their hearts out. It would have been nice to have kept playing, to keep this family together. I think that’s what burns me up the most — just breaking up the thing we built.”

While the loss was difficult to take, the Bulldogs left the field knowing they had given the top-ranked team all it could handle.

“This is probably the most proud I’ve ever been of a team,” said North Bend quarterback Ethan Ottemiller. “This is the best group of guys I’ve ever been with. They all fought hard. It was a huge family.”

With the temperatures in the mid-20s at kickoff, both teams wasted little time heating up on offense.

“We knew it was going to be an offensive battle,” Masei said. “We thought it was going to be a high-scoring game. We slowed the tempo down like we needed to. We had a chance to win it. It was close.”

The game started out with McCaffrey, who passed 3,000 yards rushing for the season during the first half, running 69 yards for a score on the first play from scrimmage.

But North Bend showed it belonged on the same field with the Outlaws by marching through the Sisters defense on a quick drive that ended with Shawn Mitchell’s 2-yard run. Alex Clark’s conversion kick sailed wide of the upright, leaving Sisters up 7-6.

Three plays later, Hasskamp connected with Nathan Jackson for a 42-yard score, and the Outlaws then forced a punt.

But instead of stretching the lead on the Bulldogs, Sisters gave up a defensive score. North Bend’s Elliot Adams forced a fumble by Hasskamp and Jeremy Shilts recovered for a touchdown. Clark’s kick cut the lead to 14-13.

Sisters scored again in the first quarter when Tanner Hodges pulled in a 30-yard touchdown pass by Hasskamp.

North Bend answered with a drive deep into Sisters territory, but Ottemiller threw an interception on a fourth-down play.

The Bulldogs responded with an interception by Cody Clark, just Hasskamp’s third pick of the season, and Ottemiller threw a touchdown pass to Bryce Weidman.

North Bend tried to tie the score, but Mitchell was stopped short of the goal line on the two-point attempt.

North Bend then recovered the ensuing kickoff and Kale Forrester gave the Bulldogs their first lead with a 1-yard run. Again, Sisters stopped the conversion run, but North Bend led 25-21.

Hasskamp then hit Carroll Gryder with a 45-yard scoring pass to push the Outlaws in front 28-25.

The teams traded turnovers before halftime, with Sisters intercepting a pass but then McCaffrey fumbling and Forrester recovering deep in North Bend territory in the final seconds before halftime.

The Bulldogs went back in front by scoring on the opening drive of the second half. Forrester finished the drive with a blast up the middle from 14 yards out with 7:56 to go in the third and Alex Clark’s kick put North Bend up 32-28. It was the first time all season the Outlaws had trailed after halftime.

The lead didn’t last long, as McCaffrey scored on a 64-yard run just 29 seconds later.

Again, North Bend responded. Mitchell scored from 33 yards out to put the Bulldogs in front 39-35 and then the defense came up with a huge play. On fourth-and-one, Cody Clark blasted through the line and hit McCaffrey for a loss, giving North Bend the ball at its own 10.

Two plays later, Mitchell scored on a 74-yard run and the Bulldogs led 46-35 with 9:27 remaining in the game.

“I got the ball and went to the outside and saw the corner getting blocked by (receiver Cameron Potts),” Mitchell said. “I just cut back and Brandon Huber hit some kid in front of me and I was gone off to the races.”

The Bulldogs expected to be able to run the ball.

“We watched them on film and their run defense didn’t look great,” he said.

But Sisters had too much firepower on offense.

The Outlaws scored again on a 23-yard touchdown pass by Hasskamp to Emery Myer and added a two-point conversion reception by Hodges to cut the margin to 46-43.

North Bend’s attempts to run out the clock were spoiled by a holding penalty, and the Bulldogs had to punt with 2:25 to go in the game.

Sisters took over at its 44-yard line and used a series of big plays, including a 15-yard pass from Hasskamp to Jackson and a big run by Hasskamp to North Bend’s 15-yard line, to set up McCaffrey’s score.

The Outlaws almost never got a chance at the go-ahead score. Potts nearly made a one-handed interception before Hasskamp’s big run, but couldn’t pull it in.

Even after the Sisters touchdown, the game wasn’t settled until the final seconds.

North Bend took over on its own 19, but Ottemiller connected with Luke Clark for a gain to the 41, then hit Lane Seals at the Sisters 30.

Mitchell gained 5 yards on first down and the Bulldogs used their final time out with 35 seconds to go.

But Otttemiller threw incomplete on three straight plays, the last one a pass to Mitchell in double coverage, and Sisters prevailed.

“We had our chances,” Masei said. “Sisters is a great football team, but we are, too.”

For the Bulldogs, who were blown out in the playoffs by Baker last year, going toe-to-toe with Sisters was a much better outcome.

“I’m very satisfied with how we played,” said Mitchell. “We came in ready to play. It’s a tough loss, but we showed up to play.”

Ottemiller said the disappointment in the locker room was nothing like last year.

“This has been our goal since seventh grade — to try to get to the state championship,” he said. “(Other than winning), I wouldn’t have wanted it to end up any other way.”