And the streak goes on?
Lake Orion won their 21st consecutive homecoming game Friday, dominating Troy Athens from start to finish in a 35-0 victory.
The win was the second straight shutout for the Dragons, who saw 20 different players record at least one tackle on the night, along with two interceptions from senior Charles Fleck.
‘This week, all of our guys, one through 84, had a great week of practice,? Coach Chris Bell said. ‘They show up and work hard so it was great to see every kid play and everyone get an opportunity, and that’s the way they practice all week, offensively and defensively.?
It was the offense that really had Bell excited, as they continue to progress in the new spread system.
The Dragons scored on four of their first five possessions, with different players doing the honors each time.
Kim Bruce scored on a one-yard dive halfway through the first quarter; Mikael Lott on a four-yard run late in the quarter; Vinnie Booker on a 13-yard scamper early in the second; and Mike Nelson on a five-yard pass from Sean Charette five minutes before halftime.
‘For the first time this year, I felt like we were clicking on all cylinders,? Bell said. ‘We could run it, we could throw it, we weren’t making many mistakes. I felt like we were sharp and I think it showed.?
Bruce capped the scoring with a touchdown run 56 seconds into the second half, and a running clock was instituted from that point forward.
The defense preserved the shutout, as Athens finished with under 100 yards of total offense, with their best drive resulting in a Paul Udocon interception.
With the victory, the Dragons improve to 4-0 in OAA Red play (4-1) overall. Coupled with Clarkston’s 46-45 loss to visiting Southfield-Lathrup, Lake Orion now sits alone atop the league.
‘I think one of the biggest things now is the kids know the expectations,? Bell said. ‘The kids now understand what it is that we are trying to do, the tempo we’re trying to play at, and I think that was probably our biggest area of improvement tonight was the tempo.
‘We were trying to use the fact that we got a lot of kids, can roll guys in to our advantage and that’s the whole thing, you play fast,? he added. ‘We keep our guys fresh and you wear down the defense.?
The Dragons travel to second-place Troy (4-1) on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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Game Notes
*The winning 50-50 raffle prize from last week’s game went unclaimed. The ticket ending in 8190 is the big winner. If you have the lucky ticket, contact Ron Peshl at (248)802-3703.
*The team again played without running back Branden Oakes, though they hope to have him back against Troy.
*Troy High School is located at 4777 Northfield Parkway, off of Long Lake Road and between Coolidge and Crooks Roads.
Former Review staff writer Cathy Kimmel contributed to this article.