Mighty Dragons Stop Fordson Cold, 38-0... next stop, Ford Field!

"Destiny" has become a popular explanation for that which cannot be explained. Largely because the term itself isn't easily explained.

Yet with each successive victory, we're left with fewer ways to make sense of the Lake Orion Dragons' improbable run through the 2008 Michigan High School playoffs. From a long touchdown run in the final minute of a scoreless tie with Utica Eisenhower in round 1; to the rally from a 13-point halftime deficit against Romeo the following week; to the 9.2-second drive and 49-yard game-winning field goal last Friday against a Sterling Heights Stevenson team who had come back from a 28-point third quarter hole.

Add to the list last night's astonishing 38-0 dismemberment of Division 1's Goliaths from Dearborn Fordson on the frigid field turf of Troy Athens High School, and even the thinnest traces of reason go "poof!"



A team so youthful its starting quarterback barely qualifies for a learner's permit, the Dragons drove over top-ranked and seemingly unbeatable Fordson the way monster trucks would drive over traffic. What's ironic here is that the team nicknamed the Tractors happens to be the one with tire tracks on their chests.

The tone was set just moments after the pre-game coin toss. On the game's first offensive play, Lake Orion's John Chanthakhot stepped in front of a hurried Ali Baidoun screen pass and returned the interception 26 yards for an instant 7-0 lead. Moments later the Dragons forced a Fordson fumble (see pic), leading to a nine-play scoring drive capped by Branden Oakes' two-yard plunge. Hypothermia had barely set in, and already the Dragons were up 14.

That was all the stingy Lake Orion defense needed in recording their second shutout of the playoffs. Truth be told, the 38-0 final doesn't reflect how severely Fordson's once-prolific offense had been dominated. Even the zero seems generous. The Tractors didn't so much as threaten to score all evening, any brief sign of momentum thwarted by friendly fire--five turnovers in all, compared to Lake Orion's zero. Halfway through the third quarter, most of their fans had already abandoned the icy aluminum grandstands and headed back to Dearborn, freeing themselves from the dream that had stuck with them since the sweltering days of late August.

So now, one more challenge stands before the Lake Orion Dragons. One to be faced at room-temperature, thankfully, on the biggest stage of all: Ford Field. Awaiting them is a rematch with the Rockford Rams, the only blemish on Lake Orion's 12-1 season. This Saturday at 1:00pm, they will have the opportunity to settle the score and avenge their only defeat by winning their first-ever state championship.

There's a word for that, isn't there?

[The ok-quality photos from these Lake Orion Dragon posts are mine. The spectacular quality ones come from MarkROakes, Nick Couretas and Studio C, and Photo Impressions. If you appreciate good photography from people who know what they're doing, I encourage you to look at their work, as it's pretty amazing. No plugging here--these are my words. Although these pics speak for themselves.]