The Lake Orion High School Varsity Football team will kick their season off at home against Southfield on Aug. 28, and head coach Chris Bell said the chances that his team will be a winning one this season are very good.
“We return six starters on offense and five starters on defense,” he said. “We have talent, size and speed. We have a chance to be very good.
“If we stay healthy, continue to work hard and pay well, we will be a very good team,” Bell said. “My concerns are our new starters and that our young players will be ready.”
Lake Orion returns some heavy hitters in OAA I football to the field this season. Back for the Dragons are senior running back/linebacker Roger Allison, who had over 1,600 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior. He led the team in tackles and has already committed to play football for Michigan after he graduates next year.
Senior Will Johnson has also committed to Michigan, and led the team in sacks with 11 last season. The Dragons will see action again this season from senior Trent Varva, committed to Penn State, who is an offensive and defensive lineman and a three-year starter.
Also returning to the varsity team: senior quarterback and three-year starter Nate Recknagel, who threw for 1,246 yards and had 19 touchdowns as a junior; senior Tom Paulsen, one of the team’s leading tacklers last season; senior Palmer Schoening, a returning starter; junior Mike Burch, a returning starter; and junior Ryan Allison, a returning starter.
Also back are junior Brian Hewitt, a returning starter; senior Chase Moore, who averaged over six yards per carry in 2002; junior Ryan Kelly, who saw time on the varsity squad in 2002; and senior Mike Ripari, who was injured for much of the 2002 season but is healthy and ready for this year.
“Roger Allison is one of the best football players in the state,” Bell said. “He’s an old-fashioned tough smash mouth player. He’s a great running back with 4.6 speed and a dominating linebacker who is always around the ball. He finishes plays.”
Bell called Varva a “dominating and explosive offensive lineman.”
“He’s a big, strong guy who plays hard. He led the team with 84 knockdown blocks last season, and he’s the best high school lineman I have ever seen,” he said.
Bell said Will Johnson is “a big, strong guy who can run and plays hard.”
“He dominates half the field, whichever half he is on,” he said. “Nate Recknagel also has a big, strong arm, and runs well with the ball. He’s a major league baseball prospect as well.”
Tom Paulsen has impressed Bell as well, and he said Paulsen “hits like a linebacker and is very athletic.”
Bell is going into his sixth year as head coach at Lake Orion, with a record of 40-14. Last year the varsity team went 9-2 overall, and were 6-1 in OAA I as the league co-champions.
Bell predicts a first place finish in the league for his team this season, followed by Farmington Hills Harrison, Troy, Clarkston, Rochester Adams, Waterford Mott, Rochester and Troy Athens.
The varsity team is assistant coached by Dave Tooley, John Blackstock, Jason Larson, Chris Fritszching, Jared Wood, Derek Mazur, Ron Sliwinski, Jeff Howell, Mike Heath, Doug Corliss, Eric Jennings and Ryan Irish.