By Joe St. Henry
Review Special Writer
Clarkston continued its dominance over Lake Orion on the football field last Friday, with a convincing 35-14 victory.
It was the Wolves? fifth-straight win over the Dragons in the rivalry.
The final score sent the two teams in opposite directions, with Clarkston (6-2, 6-1 OAA Red) qualifying for the state playoffs and Lake Orion officially knocked out with its fifth loss of the season.
‘There wasn’t a whole lot to feel good about,? Coach Chris Bell said.
Wolves senior running back Nolan Erickson showed why he is one of the best players in Oakland County this year, rushing for 197 yards and three touchdowns against the Dragons.
Lake Orion had an opportunity to seize the early momentum in the game on their first offensive possession, when they took advantage of a poor Clarkston punt and quickly moved the ball inside the Wolves? five-yard line.
The Dragons were stuffed, however, six inches short of a score on fourth down.
Clarkston then produced a 16-play, 99-yard-plus touchdown drive ? led by Erickson’s 90-yards on the ground – to grab the lead 7-0 halfway through the second quarter.
‘The whole game can be summed up in our failure to punch the ball in the end zone and then our inability to stop them on the long drive,? Bell said. ‘It seemed at that point we stopped playing.?
The Wolves increased their lead late in the first half on a 12-play, 52-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass with only 40 seconds to go. At the break Clarkston led 13-0.
Throughout the season, Lake Orion has been prone to giving up the big play and Clarkston took full advantage of this in the third quarter.
The Wolves only passed three times during the game, but a 44-yard completion on their first possession of the second half put the ball inside the Dragon ten-yard line. Erickson scored his second touchdown of the night three plays later. A two-point conversion put Clarkston up 21-0.
After stopping the Dragons on fourth down the Wolves struck again minutes later, when Erickson sprinted 42 yards for his third score of the night to up Clarkston’s lead, 28-0.
On Lake Orion’s next possession, the two-time defending state champs put the finishing touch on the rout when they blocked a punt inside the Dragons? 20-yard line and ran it in for a touchdown to go up, 35-0.
During the final quarter, both teams played many of their back-up players. Lake Orion finally got on the scoreboard when junior running back Chris Wilson scored from one yard out.
The Dragons finished the scoring in the waning seconds of the game, when backup quarterback senior Max Horneffer passed three yards to junior receiver Scout Ciora for a touchdown.
Starting running back Keith Fields was limited to 76 yards rushing on 13 carries, while first-string quarterback Caden Prieskorn finished 10-17 through the air, for 102 yards.
Lake Orion finishes the 2015 football season with an OAA crossover game against Farmington (5-3, 4-3 OAA White).
The Falcons need a win to qualify for the state playoffs, while the Dragons are playing for pride. Bell expects his team to be motivated.
‘After our performance last weekend, we are determined to get back to playing Lake Orion Dragon football the way it’s supposed to be played,? he said. ‘We have an opportunity to make a statement about who we are as a football team, both the players and coaches.?