Each season, new chapters are written in the book of Clarkston and Lake Orion sports rivalries. Last Thursday an entirely new entry was filed under lacrosse.
Lake Orion’s David Wurst did his best to keep the Dragons in the game, scoring four goals, but a seasoned Clarkston team took an 8-5 win in the inaugural contest.
Both teams? coaches are optimistic about the future of the lacrosse incarnation of the legendary rivalry.
‘It’s going to be a terrific rivalry. We’re already talking about getting a traveling trophy or plaque for next year,? Clarkston coach Brian Kaminskas said.
With the addition of lacrosse to the Dragons? athletic calendar, Wurst has now become a four-sport athlete for Lake Orion. In the fall, Wurst plays football, hockey in the winter, and track and lacrosse this spring. This spring has been a revival of sorts for Wurst, who hasn’t played lacrosse competitively since learning the game from Lake Orion coach Nik Banda as a middle school student.
‘He’s a superior athlete. He’s the backbone of the team, the go-to-guy. You can see he’s emotional. He’s got a wit and he can play the ball with both hands and he hasn’t picked up a (lacrosse) ball since eighth grade,? Banda said.
‘That’s four years and he can do that. That’s amazing.
‘He’s unselfish. You won’t see him trying to just go in there and rip the ball. He’s looking for other guys and that’s what’s great about him. He’s knows he can do it, but he’s unselfish for the rest of the team.?
Getting the program running has been made much easier with the help of his assistant coaches and other programs at the school, Banda said.
‘They’re coming out here from 6:30 to 9:30 every night and I can’t get them off the field until 10:00 at night.
‘A lot of coach (Chris) Bell’s football players have discipline’I appreciate the kids? attentiveness. They’re like sponges, they want to learn.?
The game was, barring playoff pairings, one of the last times each school’s senior classes will face one another. The Dragons (3-3) did well keeping Clarkston (8-6) within sight each time the Wolves looked to edge ahead. The Wolves didn’t have the win secured until Andrew Schram scored with 2:44 left in the game. Wurst had scored two goals within 20 seconds, prior to Schram’s clincher, to give Lake Orion a chance with 7:30 remaining.
‘Our attack did the job we expected them to do. We made an adjustment at halftime to make sure the ball is on their stick, to possess the ball and go to the cage when they thought they had the opportunity,? Kaminskas said.
The Wolves had a tough start out of the gate against the Dragons due to an exhausting 7-6 double-overtime win over Plymouth Canton/Salem two days prior.
‘The guys worked like crazy for that game,? Kaminskas said.
‘We were afraid we were going to come in flat, which is exactly what we did. We held on, we did the things we needed to do right to win the game.
‘We talk about making the smart plays’and we didn’t do a whole lot of that today. We were forcing the ball when we shouldn’t have and we weren’t communicating,? he said.
‘We want to do better on the basics.?
Wurst got the Dragons on the board first in the game, scoring with 8:14 left in the opening quarter. Clarkston then outscored Lake Orion 5-1 in the second quarter, with two goals by team scoring leader Chris Salo, to take a 5-2 lead into halftime.
Salo finished with three goals and Schram scored two for the Wolves. Dylan Van Fossen added a goal for Lake Orion.
The Wolves wrap up the regular season at home against Lincoln Saturday at 6 p.m. and Monday at Rochester Adams starting at 7 p.m.