A steady cold rain and gusty winds may not be the best weather if you’re a Red Hawk, but if you’re a Dragon, apparently it’s ideal.
The Lake Orion High School varsity football team made the most of the night as they faced off against Troy Athens on Oct. 15 in Troy. The Dragons defeated the Red Hawks, 27-16, thanks in large part to Ryan Allison’s 208 all-purpose yards and two scores.
After 11 minutes of a scoreless first quarter, Athens struck first, scoring with less then a minute remaining in the first quarter, on a 16-yard Jeff Hurst run, to take a 7-0 lead.
But the Dragons wasted little time answering back on the next play from scrimmage at the Lake Orion 10-yard line, as quarterback Brad Hood hit Allison in stride for a 90-yard touchdown.
Dyan VanFossen’s extra point with 38 seconds left in the first quarter evened the score at 7-7.
Lake Orion stopped Athens? next drive at the Orion 19-yard line, forcing the Hawks to settle for a 29-yard field goal.
Again, the Dragons quickly answered the Hawks back, as Allison took the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for another score. Van Fossen gave the team a 14-10 advantage.
Athens closed the game’s first half with a 75-yard, seven-minute march that ended with a nine-yard scoring run by Hurst. The extra point was blocked by the Dragons, giving the Hawks a 16-10 halftime lead.
The second half belonged to Lake Orion, however, as the team scored on a Hood-to-Brian Hewitt, five-yard pass, to close out the third quarter, as the Dragon defense held the Hawks in check.
Orion’s final score came on a Jayson Bodo, seven-yard run midway through the fourth quarter. Bodo finished the night with 84 yards on 18 carries.
Despite the rain and strong winds, Hood finished the night 12 of 26 for 202 yards, and a touchdown. Allison had five catches for 118 yards, and Ryan Kelly hauled in four drive-saving passes for 52 yards.
Hewitt caught three for 32 yards, and in addition to Bodo’s 84 rushing yards, Joe Nowicki picked up 31 yards on two carries.
Hewitt led the defense with 10 tackles and an interception. Josh Allison also had 10 tackles, and Mike Smietana recorded nine.
Mike Burch and Troy Anderlie each had eight takedowns, while Burch also recovered an Athens? fumble.
With this victory, Lake Orion’s sixth, the team earned an automatic spot in this year’s post-season play-offs, while Athens (5-3) must beat rival Troy this week to advance.
The Dragons will travel to Clarkston on Oct. 22 for their annual regular season-ending showdown with the Wolves.
Clarkston is 5-3, and must win to qualify for the post-season.
The Dragons (6-2) will most likely need a win for a chance at a home post-season game to start their playoff run.