BY NORM MCKEE
Special to The Review
The Lake Orion varsity football team rebounded from their emotional loss to Rochester Adams last week by dismantling Southfield Lathrup on Sept. 16, 57-13, in their first home game of the season.
Jumping to a 28-0 first quarter lead, the Dragons dominated from the opening kickoff.
Capitalizing on aggressive defensive play, resulting in exceptional field position, Lake Orion rotated possessions between two quarterbacks and used nine different running backs in the game.
Orion picked up 302 rushing yards, as senior Joe Nowicki started the team’s scoring on their first possession, with a 33-yard touchdown run.
Lathrup fumbled the ensuing kickoff at the Orion six-yard line, setting up another Nowicki touchdown-run.
Senior Andy Miller scored on Orion’s third possession of the night, on a three-yard run, and Nowicki found the end zone with 1:40 left in the first quarter for his third score.
Combined with Dylan VanFossen’s 4-for-4 first quarter extra point performance, the Dragons led 28-0 at the end of the period.
With the ball deep in their own territory, Lathrup opened the second quarter by committing a safety. Orion took the resulting kickoff and marched to Lathrup’s eight-yard line, where junior Cody Vettraino took it in for the score, and a 37-0 Orion advantage.
After Lathrup turned the ball over to the Dragons again on a mishandled kickoff, Orion quarterback Brad Hood found David Wurst in the end zone for a 15-yard scoring pass, putting Orion up, 43-0.
The Dragons closed out the first half scoring, when quarterback Chris Lum found Bryan Clouse open for a five-yard touchdown pass.VanFossen’s extra point put the Dragons up 50-0 at halftime.
Lathrup mounted an offensive drive on their second possession of the third quarter, culminating in Anthony Miller’s 19-yard scoring run.
However, the extra point was blocked, and Orion answered with a drive of their own, ending with a 34-yard scoring run by junior Jamal Landry.
Alan Ford’s extra point put the Dragons up, 57-6.
Lathrup would score just once more, with 8:16 remaining in the game, when quarterback Denmark Gibbs connected with Andre Rison, Jr. for a 28-yard scoring strike.
Josh Allison led the Dragons? defensive attack with six tackles, including three sacks. Nick Dunstan had four tackles and an interception.
Shaun Vernon and Scott Avery also picked up four tackles, and Avery also collected a fumble recovery.
Troy Anderlie had three tackles and an interception, while James Monko had three tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery. Kyle Krause recorded three tackles.
Offensively, Hood and Lum each had a touchdown pass, with Hood completing one pass for 15 yards and Lum connecting on four of five attempts for 41 yards.
Nowicki carried the ball just four times, collecting 61 yards and three touchdowns. Miller had seven carries for for 72 yards and a score.
Aaron Allen carried three times for 48 yards, Landry had four carries for 56 yards and a score, and John Findlay carried six times for 23 yards.
Also getting carries for the Dragons were Vettraino (two for 10 yards and a score), and Pat Pawlak (four for nine yards).
Clouse had three for 14 yards, and Evan Smith had a carry for nine yards.
The Dragons return to OAA-I play on Friday, traveling to West Bloomfield.