Lake Orion can claim gridiron supremacy over the east side of Michigan this season, but not quite the entire state.
Rockford topped the Dragons for the second time in 2008, 26-14 in the Division 1 championship at Ford Field, capitalizing on a few Lake Orion mistakes to win their third title in five years. Rockford was one of eight teams from the west side of Michigan to take home a first-place trophy.
A huge crowd followed their Dragons downtown, as the team made their first ever finals appearance and put up a valiant fight.
‘It was a great experience and if we’re fortunate enough to get here again, we’re going to be better for it,? Coach Chris Bell said. ‘If you’ve been here before, you know what to expect. No doubt about it.?
Rockford was first on the scoreboard when Jordan Morren capped a 12-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run. John Chanthakhot blocked the extra point.
On the ensuing possession, the Dragons went 65 yards and scored on a one-yard Sean Charette bootleg. The extra point gave LO a 7-6 lead.
The final two minutes of the half, however, were not kind to Lake Orion. After 14 straight running plays, Rockford’s Tim McGee hit an open Nick Stokes for 47 yards and a go-ahead score.
‘It was a simple play fake and I think it froze our guys for a second and they got behind us,? Bell said. ‘We blew a coverage. It was miscommunication and we hadn’t done that all year.?
Just 70 seconds later, Jeff Heath’s punt was blocked, giving the Rams the ball back at the LO six-yard-line. Ryan Cochran scored on the next play, a run around right-end.
Down 20-7 at the break, Lake Orion drove 69 yards in 16 plays on the first possession of the third quarter, only to see the drive thwarted in the red zone by a Gabe Speirs interception.
Lake Orion got the ball back on the next play when Kane Hayes recovered Cochran’s fumble. They scored nine plays later, with Branden Oakes doing the honors on a two-yard plunge.
Oakes, a senior, finished with a game-high 95 yards on 16 carries.
The Dragon defense came up with a big stop on the first play of the fourth quarter, forcing Rockford to punt. On the second play of the next drive, though, Heath fumbled on the tail end of a 17-yard reception, a fumble the Rams recovered at midfield.
‘That was huge for us,? Rockford Coach Ralph Munger said. ‘I think we imposed our will on them at that point. It was hard-hat time.?
The Rams then marched 50 yards in 10 plays to essentially put the game out of reach. Ryan Darby capped the drive with a four-yard run with 6:07 left.
Lake Orion turned it over on downs on their next possession and Rockford was able to run out the remaining 4:40 to take the title.
‘I’m proud of my guys. They battled hard,? Bell said. ‘We made some mistakes and the game turned towards the end of the second half. Obviously, turnovers and the kicking game are huge in big games and I think Rockford won those two battles.?
‘There were enough mistakes across the board to share on our part,? he added. ‘The one thing our kids did is they played hard and battled. And I’m awfully proud of them.?
Season overshadows mistakes
The blocked punt, turnovers and dropped passes proved to be just too much to overcome for Lake Orion.
‘There were some things that I think we took advantage of and made some adjustments to move the ball,? Bell said.
‘We just didn’t capitalize.?
‘They’ve got great team speed and they do a great job up front,? he added of Rockford’s ability to put the game away. ‘Running room was tough to come by on both sides.?
When the Dragons reflect on this season at their team banquet this week, they’re more likely to remember the school-record 12 straight wins than the bookend losses to the state champion (Rockford beat LO, 17-7 at Eastern Michigan University in week one).
Few expected this version of the Dragons to advance to the season’s final day.
‘We lost a lot of guys last year. We knew we were going to be young in some positions,? Bell said. ‘The way these guys have come together and battled every week? it’s been one of those special seasons that coaches dream about. What a great group of young men.?
One of the youngsters to step forward was the freshman quarterback Charette.
‘He’s been phenomenal all year,? Bell said. ‘You saw him on the biggest stage playing like a senior. Most seniors would struggle to come here into this environment and play with the kind of poise he’s played with. Hopefully, this isn’t his only trip here.?
Charette finished with a line of 12 completions on 24 attempts for 135 yards and two interceptions, though he deserved a few more completions on that total. He said he treated this game like any other.
‘I get the butterflies before every game. It gets me pretty bad,? he said. ‘The first snap it gets right out of my system and I just run the offense. I looked up at the crowd a couple of times, but I blurred them out after that. It becomes me, Coach and just the team.?
See you in 2009?
There had been talk before the game of the similarities between both the Lake Orion and Rockford programs and their communities. That talk continued after the game.
‘Both towns love football,? Bell said. ‘Both towns are incredibly supportive. Lake Orion, the last five weeks, has been great. It’s been overwhelming and our players realize that too. All along, we adopted a season motto of ‘Win for Lake Orion? and this whole run has been for Lake Orion.?
The coach went out of his way to praise the Rams and their success in the past decade.
‘I hope to see these guys every year,? Bell said, ‘because, odds are, if we see them we’re doing pretty well.?
Rockford won’t be on the Dragons? schedule in 2009, though Lake Orion will return to Eastern Michigan to open the season.
Munger said Lake Orion’s rise to the top reminds him of the process his team went through years ago. The Rams are one of just three teams to win a Division 1 title in the past eight seasons (Detroit Catholic Central and Macomb Dakota are the others). Lake Orion would love to join that trio.
‘We’re proud of the season we’ve had, but I don’t think there’s a sense of satisfaction,? Bell said. ‘There’s more work to do.?
That work will begin in late December when the team returns to the weight room, and then in August with the 2009 kickoff. At that point, they’ll return to their mantra of one game at a time and hope it results in a return trip to Ford Field.
‘It’s all about five practices and one game,? Bell said.
Hudsonville’s on the board.