By Joe St. Henry
Review Special Writer
Senior Matt Krause’s single-game, school-record 407 yards rushing against Chippewa Valley went for naught last Thursday, as Lake Orion lost to the Big Reds, 38-35, to open the 2014 football season.
Krause, a Division 1 college football prospect, sprinted to four touchdowns and finished with 426 all-purpose yards. In the end, however, Chippewa Valley’s passing game and the Dragons? 13 penalties spelled the difference in the game.
‘We were our own worst enemies,? said Head Coach Chris Bell. ‘At times we dominated and were in control, but we just let them hang around. Penalties killed our drives and our defense got beat by the deep ball.?
The Big Reds scored on their opening drive to grab the early lead, but Krause took the Dragons? third play from scrimmage a blistering 86 yards to the end zone to tie the game, 7-7. Later in the first quarter, Krause scored from 31 and three yards out to give the Dragons a 21-7 lead. He had more than 200 yards rushing in the first quarter alone.
‘That’s how good he is,? Bell said. ‘If you give him a crease, he’s gone. Our offensive line did a nice job opening holes for him.?
Chippewa Valley stole some momentum in the second quarter, capping a scoring drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 21-14. Lake Orion’s offense was stopped by penalties and the Big Reds cut the lead further with a field goal with 30 seconds left before halftime.
Rather than run out the clock with a 21-17 lead, the Dragons seemingly regained control of the game with a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Cameron Kostiz to junior receiver Jaylen Wiggins, who broke multiple tackles to score as time expired at the half.
Unfortunately, a blocking-in-the-back penalty negated what appeared to be a kickoff return touchdown to start the second half for the Dragons. This set the tone for the rest of the game.
?(The penalty) was huge,? Bell said. ‘Rather than putting up another score, we started out inside our own 15 yard-line. We were still able to move the ball, but then we had a couple of penalties that killed the drive.?
Chippewa Valley scored twice in the third quarter to take a 31-28 lead and then stretched it to 38-28 with about five minutes to go in the game on a fourth-down touchdown pass. Krause responded by scampering 70-yards on Lake Orion’s next possession and the defense forced a change in possession with about 45 seconds remaining.
But Dragon offensive penalties effectively ended Lake Orion’s chances for a comeback. Chippewa Valley intercepted Lake Orion’s final play, holding on to a 38-35 win.
‘We need to eliminate the mistakes on offense, especially the penalties,? Bell said. ‘Our passing game also must improve or teams are just going to load the box (with defenders) to stop the run.?
In addition to Krause’s big game, senior back Zach Serzo rushed for 69 yards on 12 carries. Bell also noted the strong play of Wiggins, as well as Jacob Thede, Logan Shadaia and Bay Smart on defense, slowing down Chippewa Valley’s rushing attack.
Next up for Lake Orion are the Troy Athens Red Hawks, who won last week, beating L’Anse Creuse North. The game is on Friday at Troy Athens, with kickoff at 7 p.m.
‘Athens has a great quarterback – a tremendous athlete with a strong arm,? Bell said. ‘We must do a better job on pass defense, pressuring him and locking down on their receivers.?