By Joe St. Henry
Review Special Writer
Lake Orion’s varsity football team exorcised some of the demons from a tough season by beating the Farmington Falcons last Friday, 17-14.
The Dragons finished the year with a 4-5 record (3-4 OAA Red) and missed the state playoffs for the second straight time. Nobody likes a losing record, but Coach Chris Bell said he was very proud of how the team finished the season in the OAA crossover game.
Lake Orion’s defense, which surrendered big plays all season, made several key stops to keep the high-flying Falcons in check. Lake Orion’s offense, meanwhile, took advantage of good field position to put points on the board and keep Farmington on its heels.
‘Our kids played hard ? it was a very physical game on both sides of the ball,? Bell said. ‘We did a great job rushing and that’s a credit to our offensive line that played very well. Defensively, we knew Farmington had some weapons and we made some big plays to stop them.?
Lake Orion took the game’s opening drive to the Farmington 32-yard line before senior kicker Luke Bevilacqua nailed a long field goal to put the Dragons up, 3-0.
On the Falcons? first possession, ghosts of games past haunted Lake Orion. After a 45-yard kickoff return and 35-yard pass play, Farmington scored on a short run to put the visitors up, 7-3.
Lake Orion responded with its own big play 27 seconds later. A nice kick return put the ball at the Dragons? 38-yard line. On the second play of the series,running back Keith Fields sprinted 59 yards down the sideline before diving into the end zone just ahead of a Falcon defender. At the end of the first quarter, the Dragons were on top, 10-7.
‘When they scored our guys didn’t flinch,? Bell said. ‘They knew this was going to be a tough, four-quarter game.
‘Give them credit, they answered the score with a score and that has not always been the case this season.?
The second quarter belonged to Lake Orion’s defense. After driving the ball to the Dragons? one-yard line on a 13-play drive, the Falcons were stuffed for a loss on fourth and goal. It was but the latest goal-line stand for Lake Orion, which had made such stops multiple times this season.
On the ensuing series, however, Lake Orion had to punt from its own end zone, giving the ball to Farmington at the Dragons? 35-yard line half-way through the quarter. The Falcons? drive abruptly ended, though, when senior safety Drew Casey out-jumped a receiver for an interception near the end zone. Lake Orion’s three-point lead held.
When the teams returned to the field for the second half, the Dragons knew they had to raise their game, for letdowns in the third quarter had led to losses earlier in the season.
‘We told them they played a great first half and they had to continue to play at that high level against this team,? Bell said.
The Dragons listened. Aided by penalties, Lake Orion’s defense pinned Farmington deep in its own territory on its opening drive of the third quarter. The Dragons then took advantage of a poor punt and personal foul to take over at the Falcons? 15-yard line.
Lake Orion made Farmington pay, with Fields running up the middle for his second score that upped Lake Orion’s lead, 17-7.
Farmington’s running game got back on track later in the half and they built a 12-play scoring drive that cut Lake Orion’s lead to three points with nearly ten minutes left.
At that point, the game’s momentum seemed to be shifting, especially when the Dragons turned the ball over on downs at the Falcons 25-yard line, giving them five minutes to score.
But the cold night in late October belonged to Lake Orion’s defense. Farmington moved the ball, but a timely sack and incomplete pass on fourth down stopped the Falcon’s final drive at Dragon 29-yard line. After a couple of timeouts and victory kneel downs, Lake Orion had survived for the win.
The Dragon defense limited Farmington to 279 total yards. The Falcons went 3-8 on third down conversions and Lake Orion held them on all five of their fourth down attempts.
Offensively, as he did all season, Fields led the team in rushing with 141 yards on 21 carries. He finished the year with 1,202 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.
‘Winning always makes you feel better and I’m proud of how we finished strong,? Bell said. ‘It was a great win for our seniors and we also played a lot of younger guys against a good team. It showed them what they’re capable of moving forward.?