Rain or shine isn’t just a postman’s motto, as the Dragons faced off against the Colts of Troy High School last Friday in the rain.
The Dragons, who managed a solid 38-0 victory, were unfazed by the weather according to Head Coach Chris Bell who said the victory may not have been as pretty as other wins, but was nonetheless probably their best performance of the year. The team, which utilizes more running plays than passing, were at an advantage in the wet weather.
‘Troy is well coached and they’re good at what they do. They made us work for it,? he said. ‘They came in with (a record of) 3-1 but we played very well defensively. It was probably our best defensive work of the year against a good team. Defensively and with special teams we were playing great and offense was in the right place.?
Leading that offense was senior Jacob Miller with 142 yards (including a 70 yard run followed by a touchdown), junior Corey Ester who had another 70 yard touchdown run and 90 yards total and junior Zach Arnold with 84 yards and two touchdowns.
The weather was less kind to passing, with only two completed passes on seven attempts from senior starting quarterback Derek DeLaura, who threw for 33 yards to Ester. Throwing was much more frequent on Troy’s side, with a total of 24 attempts (14 completions) and led to more than one early turnover.
‘The key was the turnover battle,? said Bell. ‘We did not turn over a ball and had three interceptions on the day. It was probably out best performance in all three phases for the year.?
Next up is Rochester, who beat Troy by four points in week two of the season. Bell expects the Falcons to be a bit better and their 4-1 record shows how much they’ve improved.
‘Their offense is similar to what we’ve seen,? he said. ‘They’re more about power and misdirection and run a 3-4 defense, but we’ve seen it before. But they have come good kids and good power up front.
The game, which is at home on Friday, will be Lake Orion’s homecoming game.