Clarkston Coach Kurt Richardson wouldn’t comment when asked if his team was motivated by Lake Orion’s celebration on the Wolves? home turf two weeks prior.
His players did all the talking that was needed on the field, where they stunned a Dragon Stadium crowd by walking off with a 34-14 victory and a District Championship.
‘We didn’t talk about it,? said Clarkston tight end Bren Bergquist. ‘We just knew we needed to come out and play.?
And play they did.
Coming into the contest, the Dragons had trailed for only a few seconds all season. It was an early 7-0 deficit against Rochester Adams that was turned into a 21-7 lead in roughly ten minutes.
When Clarkston took an early 7-0 lead on an Eric Ogg 16-yard touchdown pass to Bergquist, it was evident that this game was different.
Ogg, a senior, did his best impression of Lake Orion quarterback Chris Lum in the first half, completing 10 of 12 pass attempts for over 100 yards. He added 39 hard-earned rushing yards as well.
His 11-yard touchdown pass to Erik Thompson capped the half and gave the visitors a 21-7 edge.
But the Dragons weren’t ranked number one in the state for nothing.
Lum hit David Wurst on a 59-yard hook-up to cut the deficit to 21-14 midway through the third quarter. Wurst scored LO’s first half TD on a 10-yard pass from Lum on a fourth-down play in the second quarter.
The Dragons defense came up with its second fumble recovery of the quarter to give the ball back to the offense, but LO went in the wrong direction.
Clarkston’s offense did its job on a short field after a Joe Barnes punt and Jimmy Popp’s goal-line dive on fourth down gave the Wolves a 28-14 lead with under eight minutes left.
After the Dragons turned it over on downs, Popp added another TD to put the final touch on the Clarkston upset.
‘We have good speed and we didn’t really use it in the first game,? Ogg said. He finished with 176 yards passing.
The balanced Clarkston attack also picked up 175 yards on the ground.
The win ended a three-game losing streak for the Wolves, dating back just over a year. The Dragons won by 24 to secure the OAA I title on Oct. 20.
‘The effort was there, they prepared great, we just didn’t play very well,? Coach Chris Bell said of his team after the loss.
‘It didn’t work out the way we wanted it to, but sometimes that’s the way it goes,? he added.
The coach hugged each of his players as they made their way off of the field for the final time in 2006.
‘It’s a hard burden for these kids to carry,? he said. ‘To say ‘this is the year, this is the year,? but they played their hearts out.?
‘We knew going into the season that anything short of getting to Ford Field would not be considered a success. But it’s a credit to our kids that that is the expectation.?
Bell gave credit to Clarkston’s defensive front for stopping his team’s running game.
‘They made plays when they had to,? he said. ‘My hat’s off to them.?