BY NORM MCKEE
Special to The Review
The Lake Orion Dragons varsity football team qualified for the post-season by defeating Troy Athens, 46-7, at home on Oct. 14.
The Dragons will close out their regular season at home on Friday, playing against cross-town rival Clarkston.
Against Athens, Lake Orion jumped out to a 26-0 first quarter lead, as senior Andy Miller started the scoring on a nine-yard run on the team’s first possession.
The Dragon defense forced Athens to punt on their first possession, and senior Joe Nowicki returned the punt 46 yards to put the team up, 12-0.
With just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Nowicki scored again from 10 yards out. Dylan Van Fossen’s extra point gave Orion a 19-0 advantage.
With under one remaining, Pat Pawlak recovered an Athens? fumble and raced 32 yards for the score. Van Fossen’s kick made it 26-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Cody Vettraino added scoring runs of two and 13 yards, and Pawlak added a fourth-quarter scoring run of nine yards for Orion.
Sophomore Cortez McKinley led the Dragons? ground game, picking up 145 yards on 15 carries.
Vettraino gained 46 yards on seven carries, Jamal Landry added 19 yards on five carries, and Nieman Williams gained 16 yards on three runs.
The Dragon defense held the Red Hawks to negative yardage through most of the game, led by Josh Allison, who had seven tackles and three quarterback sacks.
Scott Avery had five tackles and two sacks, while Shawn Vernon had five tackles and a sack.
The Dragons (6-2 in OAA I) can move into a three-way tie with Clarkston and Farmington Hills Harrison for second place in OAA I, with a victory over the 7-1 Wolves.
Also, the outcome of the game will help determine home-field possibilities for both teams as they open the play-offs.
Due to traffic tie-ups from M-24 construction, fans are encouraged to arrive early on Friday for the clash between the Dragons and the Wolves.
A full house is expected, and the game begins at 7 p.m.