The Lake Orion football team trailed for the first time this season against Rochester Adams last Friday.
But some five to 10 minutes later the Dragons were putting the finishing touches on their third straight scoring drive, putting them up by 14 and allowing normalcy to return to Dragon Stadium.
Lake Orion went on to a relatively easy and anti-climactic 42-21 win over the visiting Highlanders.
It was the Dragons? first win over Adams since 2002 and put LO in an early first place tie with Clarkston (3-0) atop the OAA I standings.
The Highlanders opened the scoring on a 39-yard pass play, but calmness remained on the Lake Orion sideline.
The Dragons responded by capping a long drive of their own with a Cole Moore touchdown catch on a fade route.
That 70-yard drive was just the start for LO.
Nick Dunstan blocked an Adams punt on the ensuing possession, givinig the Dragons great field position for a second score.
A few plays later Moore took advantage of an Adams defensive back not wanting to be burned by another fade. He ran a slant route and Lum had the ball delivered in the end zone with no one even close.
The drive following, Moore served as a decoy, with David Wurst sneaking in behind for an easy TD grab in the corner of the end zone.
In the first half alone, Moore had 141 yards receiving and Wurst added 72.
‘Those two are some touch matchups down there,? Coach Chris Bell said. ‘We talk about adjustments and those guys make them.?
After that, the Dragons took the game to the ground.
Aaron Allen punched in a touchdown to give LO a comfortable 28-7 halftime lead. Allen finished the game with a career-best 203 yards.
Lum added to his 265 passing yards by scoring on a quarterback sneak in the second half, which came after an Adams score and again put LO up by 21.
The Dragons didn’t even complete a pass in the second half, but with solid blocking on the offensive line, they didn’t need to.
‘I’m proud of my guys up front,? Bell said. ‘We needed to do that.?
The Dragons finished with 605 total yards, but Bell might have been even more proud of his team’s defensive effort.
‘It all starts with defense,? the coach said. ‘If we play great defense, it allows us to be aggressive offensively and take some shots.?
Shaun Vernon and Josh Allison had identical numbers, each recording 10 tackles and a sack. Dunstan added an interception to his earlier punt block.
Late in the game, with the outcome no longer in much doubt, the Dragons had a scary moment when defensive back and punter Joe Barnes went down with a tailbone injury.
Bell said the play, which took place right in front of him on the sideline, ended with Barnes taking a knee awkwardly in the tailbone area.
When Barnes said he felt a numbness, Bell said the trainer immediately called for EMS as a precautionary measure.
There was a long delay as Barnes was carted off, but Bell said the senior was in good spirits as he left.
He was diagnosed with a bad bruise and will almost certainly miss this week’s crossover game at Southfield. At press time, however, Bell said that Barnes could be back in the Dragon lineup as early as the following week.
Kickoff at Southfield is set for 7 p.m. on Friday with the Dragons then returning home for a Thursday kick with West Bloomfield.