Before the Lake Orion High School varsity football team boards the bus and heads to Clarkston for their second meeting with their bitter rivals in as many weeks, hopefully these reminders will provide some perspective for Coach Bell and his team.
Perspective cannot be found in last week's cyber-bullying at the hands of the 9-0 Wolves. What Clarkston did in their 42-13 soaking of the fire-snuffed Dragons on their soggy faux turf was extract demons. Demons of frustrated seasons past.
Last season at Lake Orion, the Wolves' were treated as such, held to a mere seven points until a late touchdown closed the margin of defeat. Instead of wrapping up a league title, their dreams were shattered, and their season ended a week later in round 1 of the playoffs.
And in 2006, two weeks after upending the Dragons on their home field for the for the OSA league title, they hosted their rivals again. This time for the district championshiop. The Dragons coasted to a healthy lead before Clarkston mounted an all-out assault in the fourth quarter, melting the lead away and putting the game in the hands of their prolific offense. Victory and a spot in the district title gam was in their grasp, until. Until fourth and one at midfield with two minutes left, they were denied, stoned for no gain and Lake Orion moved on.
In fact, Lake Orion has moved on to the district finals each of the last three seasons, losing to Macomb Dakota in '06 and '07, then stunning Stevenson in the single greatest high school game I've ever witnessed last season on their way to Ford Field.
But those demons are dead. Tonight we see if they still have gas in the reserve tank. Because there's one thing about Chris Bell's teams. They don't take losing lightly. Especially within their own league, where they hadn't lost in two seasons before last week.
If they want to repeat 2006 and pay back Coach Kurt Richardson's Wolves on his own field, Lake Orion needs to do two things.
First, shut down their talented quarterback, Tyler Scarlett. The senior had his way with the Dragon defense the entire game last week, doing everything but picking the score. The senior signal-caller is the engine that makes that team move. He doesn't have the rifle arm of the Dragon's Sean Charrrette, but he can see the field as well as any QB in the Detroit area. He reacts to the defense, all night long. He needs pressure. Constant pressure. He needs two people on defense with the sole purpose of following #10 on every play. Even if he dishes the ball off or tosses a quick timing pattern pass, that kind of defensive mentality will still pay off in making opportunities. Fumbles, penalties, broken up passes. Maybe even a pick six, being that he loves throwing in the flat. Quarterbacks aren't as productive when they're constantly rushed, it's a fact. The Dragons need to make that happen or it's over.
And second, CONTROL THE BALL. It doesn't have to be pretty. All it has to do is move chains and run time off the clock. The longer Scarlett stands on the sidelines, the more pressure he'll be under to score every time he touches the ball. Pressure on Clarkston would be good.
If they are to move on in the playoffs beyond tonight, both of those objectives must be accomplished. I have a funny feeling the Clarkston Wolves aren't all that impressed with Lake Orion based on last week's debacle. And I have a sneaking suspicion they'll be in for a big surprise. Defending district and regional champions do not disappear easily. Especially when they're under-estimated. Go Dragons!
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