Rochester High School’s first mistake came in the pre-game coin toss, when they elected to kick to the Dragons in the varsity football contest at Rochester on Sept. 25.
Things got worse quickly for the Falcons after the opening kick, as Lake Orion’s Adam Martin returned Rochester’s opening kickoff 95 yards for a Dragon touchdown.
Lake Orion (5-0, 3-0 in OAA I) were able to hold Rochester in check the entire game, as the Falcons found moving the ball against the powerful Orion defense nearly impossible. The Dragons recorded six quarterback sacks, courtesy of Jay Jucaet and Mike Burch, with three sacks each.
Defensive lineman Trent Varva and linebacker Roger Allison gave Rochester’s starting quarterback an early exit in the first half, when the two Big-Ten-bound defenders sandwiched the senior signal caller, rendering him unable to return to the game.
Following Orion’s early score, the Dragons forced Rochester to punt, and began their second scoring march, capped by a Chase-Moore-49-yard-touchdown run. Quarterback/kicker Nate Recknagel added a 23-yard field goal at the end of the first quarter for a 17-0 Dragon lead. Midway through the second quarter, Recknagel found Ryan Allison for a 54-yard touchdown and a 24-0 halftime lead.
After forcing the Falcons to punt after their first possession of the second half, Lake Orion put together another scoring drive, as Roger Allison ran the ball in from three yards out. The Dragons scored again with just five seconds remaining in the third, on a five-yard pass from Recknagel to Brian Hewitt, and a 38-0 Orion lead.
Backup quarterback Bobby Clouse scored the Dragons’ final touchdown on a 23-yard keeper with two minutes remaining in the game.
Recknagel had another efficient passing and kicking night, connecting on 10 of 16 pass attempts for 195 yards and two touchdowns, along with kicking a field goal and being successful on four of five extra point kick attempts.
Ryan Allison caught three passes for 102 yards and a score. Hewitt had two catches for 36 yards and also scored a touchdown, while Ryan Kelly caught two passes for 39 yards. Aaron Todd also had two grabs for 28 yards.
Moore led the Dragons’ rushing attack, gaining 109 yards and a touchdown on just three carries, while Roger Allison carried 10 times for 79 yards and a touchdown. In addition to Martin’s 95-yard kick return, he also carried twice for 21 yards, while Andy Miller carried seven times for 33 yards, and Clouse had two carries for 34 yards and a score. Rick Martin carried twice for 12 yards.
Next up for the Dragons is a Homecoming visit from the Troy Colts on Friday at Lake Orion. The Colts are coming off a 37-27 loss to Clarkston. A win gives the Dragons an automatic playoff spot with six wins, while Troy must win all of their remaining game to qualify. Game time is 7 p.m.