By Joe St. Henry
Review Special Writer
Lake Orion and Chippewa Valley opened the 2015 high school football season for the second consecutive year last Thursday, with the Big Reds outlasting the Dragons, 35-28, in the Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State University.
The game was knotted at 28-28 halfway through the fourth quarter and not decided until Lake Orion fumbled on its last possession with only a couple of minutes left, enabling No. 5 state-ranked Chippewa Valley to run out the clock and hold on for the win.
The Dragons? performance, however, did answer a number of questions about this year’s team. Most notably, as Coach Chris Bell predicted before the season, the offense was more balanced than in recent years.
Lake Orion ran for 158 yards, led by senior Keith Fields? 133 on 24 carries, while new quarterback sophomore Caden Prieskorn threw for 163 yards and three touchdowns. After the game Bell said his players now know they can play with anybody.
‘We’re very proud of how the team competed,? he said. ‘We made some great plays on both sides of the ball against a very good team. Everyone was frustrated, though, because we felt this was a winnable game. There were five plays we would’ve liked back. They were missed opportunities that could have been game changers.?
The two teams played to a 14-14 tie at halftime. After falling behind in the first quarter, Lake Orion tied the game on Prieskorn’s first varsity touchdown throw, a 68-yard strike to senior receiver Jaylen Wiggins. In the second quarter, the Dragons took the lead on a one-yard touchdown plunge by senior Danny White.
On the next Big Reds? possession, the Dragons? defense dug in and stopped Chippewa Valley from scoring on three straight plays inside the Lake Orion’s five-yard line. After forcing the Dragons to punt from their own endzone, however, the Big Reds took advantage of great field possession and evened the score on a short quarterback run just before the break.
The Dragons struggled all night to contain the Chippewa Valley signal caller, who ran for 69 yards and two scores, plus passed for 249 yards. This included a 55-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter that put the Big Reds back on top, 21-14. The Dragon offense responded, though, and tied the game on Prieskorn’s second touchdown throw at the start of the fourth quarter, this time for two-yards to senior receiver Tyler Barkeley. But just over a minute later, the Big Reds struck again on another long pass play to snag the lead back, 28-21.
Undaunted, Prieskorn and Wiggins connected a second time on the Dragons? ensuing possession – a nine-yard scoring pass to knot it up with seven minutes left. At that point one wondered if the last team with the ball would win. Chippewa Valley answered with another quick drive, capped by a short quarterback run to take the lead yet again. Unfortunately, Lake Orion turned the ball over on a backward lateral pass recovered by Chippewa Valley with two minutes to go. The Big Reds? quarterback took a knee on the last play to end the hard-fought game.
Despite the loss, the head coach was impressed with the play of his young quarterback. ‘Caden had an outstanding night, considering this was his first varsity game against a highly ranked team away from home,? Bell said. ‘But he knows there’s a lot of room for improvement ? the ceiling for him is very high.?
Bell also pointed out the strong play of senior safeties Connor O’Dea and Drew Casey, who led the defense and played very physical. Lake Orion caused two turnovers, but the head coach said when you give up 400 yards it is hard to win a football game.
‘The defense played really well at times, but you can’t give up big plays,? he said. ‘They know it and I expect them to play better as the season progresses.?
The Dragons play their first home game this Thursday, against Troy Athens. The Redhawks also lost their first game of the season to L’Anse Creuse North.
Bell said Troy Athens has installed a new defense this year designed to bring a lot of pressure on the quarterback. On offense, they are running more misdirection plays, which will force Lake Orion to be patient defensively to track the football.
Game time is 7 p.m.