Cortez McKinley ran for 68 yards and three touchdowns, A.J. Palko added 59 yards and a score and the Lake Orion defense pitched a shutout as the Dragons rolled to a 35-0 win over visiting Lahser last Friday night.
Eric Knoblock scored on a 35-yard pass from Ryan Broth as well, but the talk afterwards was all about the Dragon ground game.
‘We have an experienced offensive line,? Dragon Coach Chris Bell said. ‘We have to start carrying the load up there.?
Bell added that he has a bevy of hard-running backs to mix in when things are going right.
McKinley scored first from 13-yards out, followed soon after by Palko’s 16-yard touchdown scamper, giving Lake Orion an early 14-0 lead.
Both drives started with turnovers inside the Lahser 20-yard line, the first on a fumble recovery and the second on a dropped snap on a punt.
In all, the Dragon defense pitched in by forcing five turnovers on the night, most of which turned the ball over to the offense on very short fields.
‘We’ve been struggling this season on defense,? senior co-captain Kevin Kelly said. ‘We just came out tonight, flew around and let it all hang out.?
Kelly had six tackles, while forcing three fumbles for the Dragon defense. Junior A.J. Gill added five tackles and an interception and junior Evan Gros recorded five tackles, including a sack.
‘The guys were attacking, causing things to happen, causing turnovers,? Bell said. ‘Good teams create their own breaks and opportunities.?
At the end of the night, Lahser had accumulated just 43 yards as the Dragons improved to 2-2 overall and 2-1 in OAA Red action, ending a two-game losing streak.
‘We’ve had to simplify some things,? Bell said after the losses to Troy and Rochester Adams. ‘We had a hard week of practice and we’re getting there. We’ve taken some huge steps forward.?
Lake Orion heads on the road for consecutive games at Royal Oak and Troy Athens and Bell said they would continue to take it one game at a time.
‘All we’re thinking now is Royal Oak,? he said. ‘We’ve got to have that one and we’re excited about it.?