Eric Knoblock didn’t touch the ball all that much Friday night against Clarkston, but when he did the Dragon senior made sure it counted.
Knoblock had short touchdown runs in the second and third quarter (on his only carries of the night), helping Lake Orion erase a 7-0 deficit and then hang on for a 17-14 win in rainy conditions over the visiting rival Wolves.
With the win, the Dragons finish the regular season with an 8-1 mark and an outright OAA Red title (7-0 in league play).
The team also secures at least two home playoff games, should they advance, starting this weekend against Utica Eisenhower (5-4).
‘Every week they’ve gotten better,? Coach Chris Bell said of his players, adding that the schedule forced the team to rise to the occasion late in the season. ‘Now we’re playing pretty good football heading into the playoffs.?
Phil Serzo led a strong defensive effort, with two sacks and a handful of pressures on Clarkston’s Tyler Scarlett. Charles Fleck and Kane Hayes helped out with eight and seven tackles, respectively. The Wolves were 30 points short of their season average.
‘It’s not the first time we’ve gone up against a big offense,? Serzo said. ‘We played Adams last week and gave up too many points in our book, so we just wanted to come back and shut them down like we knew we could.?
It was Clarkston that came storming out of the gate, though, getting an early stop on defense and driving right down the field on offense, finishing with a seven-yard Dakota Bender touchdown run.
The Wolves attacked the weak side of the Lake Orion defense before the Dragons made some adjustments. It was LO’s up-tempo offense that gave Clarkston similar fits.
‘We thought the tempo was huge,? Bell said. ‘It was about making them play at our speed. They couldn’t get their signals in and they were having a hard time lining up.?
That was evident on the 80+ yard scoring drive, which resulted in a five-yard Knoblock run on the first play of the second quarter, and again on Lake Orion’s next possession, a long drive that ended with a 31-yard Jeff Heath field goal. That gave the Dragons a 10-7 halftime lead.
Early in the third, the Wolves appeared to catch a break on a penalty call that went against the Dragons after, their coaches argued, the ball had been punted away. Clarkston ultimately wasn’t able to take advantage of the second chance and punted it away.
‘It’s usually a great (officiating) crew, but we fell like they blew the call in a pretty critical situation,? Bell said, then crediting his defense for coming up with another stop on that drive.
It was the ensuing possession where the Dragons took full control, doing so after a few penalties put them in a second-and-36 hole.
Senior running back Branden Oakes picked up 12 yards on the ground and 17 more on a screen pass, and then freshman Sean Charette hit senior Jeff Heath for 10 yards on a crucial fourth down. Knoblock capped the drive a few plays later with a 6-yard TD scamper.
‘Brandon made a couple of great plays and then, on the fourth down play, Sean made a nice throw on the bootleg to Jeff,? Bell said of the key sequence. ‘That’s just making plays.?
Clarkston scored midway through the fourth quarter (Bender’s second TD of the game) to trim their deficit to three. But the visitors failed to convert on a long fourth down on their next drive and Lake Orion was able to run out the clock.
The victory made Lake Orion the top team in their district, which features Clarkston and Romeo in addition to Eisenhower ? the same four teams that made up a district last season.
This time, however, Clarkston will travel to Romeo, while LO welcomes Ike. But the possibility of the Wolves and Dragons meeting for a second time for the fourth straight season is certainly a real one.
‘I don’t think either team really dominated,? Bell said. ‘When you win 17-14, you could easily lose the game 21-17. It’s pretty evenly matched.?
Eisenhower will come into Dragon Stadium as one of the few teams to get in with a 5-4 record. They played in the Macomb Area Conference’s Red Division, and sport a signature win over Romeo in week seven.
Senior QB Taylor Copacia and the Eagles went to the aerial attack for most of their yardage during the regular season.
Lake Orion is hoping to advance to the second round for the fourth straight season and win a district title for the third time in that span.
A potential rematch with Macomb Dakota could await in the regional championship, but Lake Orion, based on their playoff points, would again have to go on the road. Sterling Heights Stevenson is the other power team in Dakota’s district, and would also have home-field advantage should they and LO both advance.
‘With these guys, it doesn’t matter where they play,? Bell said. ‘They’ve shown they can win on the road and at home.?