By Joe St. Henry
Review Special Writer
An angry, hungry hoard of Dragons feasted on the Troy Colts last Friday, as Lake Orion picked up its first win of the 2015 football season, 37-3.
After dropping their first two games on their schedule, the Dragons physically dominated the Colts from the start, scoring 23 points in less than nine minutes to start the game.
Lake Orion’s offense generated 358 total yards. The Dragons rushed the ball 37 times for 298 yards, led by junior Keith Fields 197 on 23 carries, including a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Caden Prieskorn completed four of eight passes for 60 yards, including two touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, Lake Orion’s defense gave up 113 total yards of offense. The Colts only gained 33 yards on the ground for the night.
‘When you lose a couple of games everyone’s confidence gets shaken, so it was great to get off to a fast start,? said coach Chris Bell. ‘Once we got it going we put the pedal down. From the top to bottom it was a great team win.?
The Dragons wasted little time to put the Colts down. Lake Orion won the coin toss and on its second play from scrimmage Fields sprinted 62 yards to the Colts? four-yard line. Two plays later he plowed into the end zone to put Lake Orion up 7-0 less than two minutes into the game.
‘Fields has great vision,? Bell said. ‘He follows his blockers, finds the open alleys and gets through them quick.?
The Colts could not get a first down on their first possession and, after punting the ball back to the Dragons, Fields was off to the races again, galloping another 62 yards on the drive’s first play before being tackled inside Troy’s ten-yard-line. It was then junior running back Danny White’s turn to score, this time from one yard out to put Lake Orion up 14-0 halfway through the first quarter.
‘We did a great job blocking people,? Bell said. ‘It was our offensive line’s third game and they are getting progressively better and playing more physical up front.?
Lake Orion’s defense made it an official rout a minute later when senior linebacker Bay Smart intercepted a tipped ball on the next Troy drive and ran it back 55 yards for the defensive score, making it 21-0. The Dragons then scored a safety when they pinned the Colts deep inside their territory and a high punt snap sailed through the back of Troy’s end zone.
‘Our defense played great all night, getting to the ball quick and making tackles,? Bell said, noting the strong play of senior defenders Smart, Jack McClear, Drew Casey and Cameron Shadaia.
Penalties slowed down Lake Orion’s offense during the remainder of the half, until Prieskorn found senior wideout Jaylen Wiggins across the middle for a 31-yard touchdown pass just before the break. The Dragons went into the locker room with a commanding 30-0 lead.
Troy got on the scoreboard on the first play of the fourth quarter, thanks to a 30-yard field goal. Lake Orion responded by methodically driving 71 yards for its final touchdown, this one a 16-yard scoring pass from Prieskorn to junior receiver Brody Kreutzer.
Next on the menu for the Dragons are the Wildcats of Oxford, who visit Lake Orion on Friday night for the teams? annual grudge match. Oxford, 1-2 on the season, is struggling to score having been shut out twice.
It is no secret the Wildcats will try to run the football. Bell said stopping them on the ground is the key to the game.
‘If we stop the run, we beat them,? he said. ‘If they can run on us it will be a long night. They are very physical and like to play old fashioned football.?