For the second time in three years, Lake Orion can celebrate a district championship in football ? and can do so at the expense of their rival.
Lake Orion erased a halftime deficit for the second straight week and topped host Clarkston 30-27 on Friday night.
Ryan Broth scored all four of Lake Orion’s touchdowns, including two in the third quarter, as the Dragons took a 30-20 lead.
Clarkston scored early in the fourth quarter, to cut it to 30-27, and was driving in the final minute, but failed to convert on a fourth down and 10 from the Lake Orion 20 yard line, as Erik Thompson was tackled five yards shy of the marker.
The game marked the third time in as many years that the two squads played in the district final, and gave Lake Orion a bit of revenge for a loss at home last year.
The Dragons move on in the MHSAA Division I playoffs and will travel to Macomb Dakota next Friday (come back Friday for a full preview).
They also avenge a 21-19 loss just three weeks earlier at Clarkston.
‘It’s much harder coming in the favorite,? Lake Orion Coach Chris Bell said. ‘When you’re the top dog and the league champion it’s difficult. It’s much easier being the underdog with nothing to lose and coming in here swinging.?
‘It’s a great rivalry,? he added. ‘Winning here is always special.?
Lake Orion set the tone early, springing Branden Oakes for 53 yards on the first play from scrimmage, a run that set up a first and goal from the seven. The Dragons couldn’t punch it in for the touchdown, settling for a Jeff Heath 20-yard field goal.
Clarkston responded with a 13-play drive that took nearly six minutes off the clock and ended with a Nick Shamoun quarterback sneak from a yard out.
The Dragons responded with a one-play drive that accomplished the same goal, getting a Chris Lum to Ryan Broth connection to go 61 yards and put LO back in front 10-7.
‘They were committing safeties to the run, especially after we hit that first big run,? Bell said. ‘When we saw those safeties, that’s when we went with a play-action pass.?
Clarkston returned to the lead early in the second quarter, courtesy of a 67-yard hookup from Shamoun to Julius Porter.
Down 14-10, the Dragons put together a five-and-a-half minute drive that went 65 yards in 11 plays and ended with a twist, as Ryan Broth scored from 10 yards out on a reverse.
Clarkston secured the halftime lead by going on an 84-yard drive, capped by a nine-yard Popp scamper. Thompson’s point after went wide right, leaving the game at 20-17 at the break.
That set up what was easily Lake Orion’s best quarter of the season.
‘We have a goal to always win the third quarter,? Bell said. ‘Last week we were down seven and this week we were only down three. You just have to keep playing for four quarters.?
It started with a hold by the defense, leading to an 82-yard drive. Ryan Broth caught a 23-yard strike from Lum to put LO back in front (Heath’s point after was blocked).
Up by three, the Dragons were beneficiaries of the game’s only turnover, as Kane Hayes came up with a Jimmy Popp fumble, giving Lake Orion the ball back on a short field.
Late in the quarter, the Dragons were faced with a fourth and seven from the Wolves? 43 when Bell made a big decision to leave his offense on the field.
It paid off as Lum hit Chad Nieswand for 16 yards, keeping the drive alive.
‘It was due to complete respect for their offense,? Bell said. ‘We felt like we could get some stops, but we wanted to keep the ball out of their hands.?
The Dragons converted just two of their eight third down situations into first downs, but were a perfect two-of-two on fourth downs.
‘Against Romeo we had some huge fourth downs,? Lum said. ‘It’s just another play, that’s how I look at it. Chad made a great catch.?
Five plays later, Broth scored on a nine-yard run that gave the Dragons a 10-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
Clarkston’s final scoring drive was aided by a bizarre unsportsmanlike penalty against a Dragon defender that converted a punting situation into a first down.
‘He was just celebrating and as he was getting up he bumped a kid and they called it unsportsmanlike,? Bell said.
Clarkston’s Chad Blackstone finished off the drive with a 16-yard scoring run.
The Dragons then went three-and-out, giving their rival plenty of time to score, with over half of the quarter still to go.
The drive, which started from their own 20, included two third down conversions and a big fourth down reception by Porter, setting up first and 10 from LO’s 20.
They advanced the ball to just inside the 15 in three plays and brought the field goal unit onto the field, but some confusion resulted in a delay penalty that moved them too far out of Thompson’s range.
‘We were bringing on the field goal unit and they got caught up in what was happening and I think they thought we were going for it,? Clarkston Coach Kurt Richardson said.
The fourth down try with under a minute left was completed, but several Dragons made sure Thompson wouldn’t sniff a first down, ending Clarkston’s hopes.
‘I don’t know if you could see a better high school football game then what you saw tonight,? Richardson said. ‘It was like two heavyweights standing toe to toe. The kids played hard and that’s all you can ask of them.?
For more on The Dragons, see this week’s Lake Orion Review.