They're not flashy. They don't attempt double-reverses or hook-and-ladder pass plays or Boise State statue of liberty plays. They go for it on fourth down, but it's more of a conservative move than you would think. A preference for field position and, more likely than not, the odds of a successful conversion, to a risky center snap, hold and field goal attempt.
This year's Lake Orion Dragons football team has the makings of being among the best in school history. Each Friday they've taken out their opponent with a lethal dose of venom and the oxygen-depriving squeeze of a python. The teams are lulled into the second quarter feeling like they're actually providing competition. Then a Dragon dive play bursts wide open and becomes a 40-yard touchdown run. A mishandled snap here, a misguided pass there, and turnover turns into points, a broken tackle turns into another score. And it's over by halftime.
Here's how the Dragons' season has gone so far. Their first game renewed a rivalry with neighboring Oxford after a 27 year hiatus. I've never seen so many fans gathered around the Lake Orion field; there was not one empty seat to be found anywhere. The "Battle Of Lapeer Road" reached 31-0 by halftime and didn't stop till the score hit 45-6. Lake Orion traveled to Rochester the following week and showed little mercy in drubbing the Falcons, 36-7. Lake Orion visited Pontiac the following week and blew open a tight contest for a 44-13 win. And tonight, the host Dragons sent West Bloomfield, well, west, with a 56-14 dismemberment and subsequent wood-chipping.
Four opponents. For embarrassments. I've seen cockroaches stand up to steel-toed boots more successfully.
The party rolls on, next Friday at Royal Oak High School, then a home-and-home with the Troy teams (hosting Troy High and travelling to Athens) before the "Cross-over Team To Be Named Later" and their final home game, October 22 against their other neighboring rivals from Clarkston. Expect an Oxford-like crowd.
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