A win is a win… It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it… They gave us a big scare…
You can pick your clich? to describe Lake Orion’s 21-14 victory over host Troy Athens last Friday night, but the bottom line is that the Dragons moved one win closer to qualifying for the playoffs and remained entrenched in the OAA Red race.
Athens scored two second half touchdowns to erase a 14-0 deficit, but Lake Orion scored late to eek out a win that was anything but art, and truly bizarre.
‘They won a big, emotional game last week against Royal Oak,? Coach Chris Bell said. ‘And we had an okay week of practice and it showed.?
‘I’m proud of our guys for battling back,? he added. ‘Give (Athens) credit, too. They made some plays down the stretch to stay in the game. Athens always plays hard.?
On their opening drive, the Dragons went 79 yards without attempting a pass, capping things with an 18-yard Cortez McKinley scamper.
The teams exchanged some uneventful possessions until the final two minutes of the half. Athens missed a 43-yard field goal and the Dragons started to move the ball until Ryan Broth threw an interception at the Athens 30 yard line.
On the very next play, however, Athens quarterback Joe Simony fumbled and Brock Knowles returned the ball to the one yard line.
McKinley scored on the next play with no time left in the half, giving Lake Orion a 14-0 lead.
Athens fought back, putting together back-to-back drives of 11 plays and nine plays, the first resulting in an A.J. Purnell 10-yard touchdown catch and the second (after a Dragon punt) in a JoVaun Parker leaping 11-yard grab.
With 9:09 left, the game was tied.
On the ensuing drive, the Dragons got a 33-yard Broth to Mike Nelson connection on third-and-long to put them in scoring position.
However, an A.J. Palko fumble ended the drive deep in Athens territory.
Like the end of the first half, the Dragon defense came up big, as Charles Fleck recovered a fumble at the Athens 35 yard line on the very next play.
Palko would go from goat to hero a few plays later, scoring on a seven-yard scamper, most of which involved his entire offensive line pushing the pile to the end zone.
‘The team just got behind me,? Palko said. ‘I just kept moving my feet, I don’t know what happened. I just closed my eyes and went forward.?
‘We know A.J.’s going to battle,? Bell added. ‘He fumbled when he was trying to make a play and nobody felt worse than he did. But by the same token, we didn’t lose confidence in him and went right back to him.?
The Lake Orion defense preserved the win with two sacks (including one by Palko on a rare defensive appearance) and a pass deflection on the ensuing drive.
‘I thought our defense did a great job tonight,? Bell said. ‘They set up the win. A turnover set up our second score and then the turnover at the end set up our last score.?
‘The guys are attacking, they’re playing fast,? the coach added. ‘We didn’t do that at the beginning of the season. It’s learning how to play together.?
Palko finished with 111 yards on 15 carries and Cortez McKinley added 70 yards on 15 carries for LO.
The Dragons improve to 4-2 overall and 4-1 in OAA Red play with the victory.
They’ll host Pontiac Northern on Friday in the annual homecoming game (come back on Friday morning for a game preview with Coach Bell).
Dragon fans will also be keeping a close eye on the results of the Troy/Clarkston game, as the Wolves (who will host LO next week) are 6-0 in league play and Troy is tied for second with Lake Orion.