Freshman Brenden Newvine threw the football as Lake Orion defense closed in.
Senior Chris Canada caught the 58-yard pass. He turned around and headed into the endzone, scoring five minutes into the second half of the game. Alex Barta kicked for the PAT.
“It was a nice throw and a nice catch,” said Wolves Head Coach Kurt Richardson.
Clarkston ended the game with their second loss for the season, 28-7, and taking second place in the OAA Red.
It was Newvine’s first varsity game, coming in for injured Nick Demattia.
“He came in and replaced the best from the get-go,” Richardson said. “He had to do it. He was okay.”
Newvine finished the night with 121 yards on 8-of-17 passing.
While offense inched their way to add more to the board, it was defense putting the pressure on Lake Orion.
“We knew they were very good,” said Chris Bell, Lake Orion’s head football coach. “They are returning a lot from last year. They play fast and they are hard to move the ball up.”
The Wolves kept the Dragons down to zero for most of the first half.
Lake Orion got on the board with 1:46 left in the second quarter when Demetri Hudson scored.
They added another touchdown in the third quarter, from Marquee Stevenson, moments before the Wolves added their touchdown.
Before Clarkston could add more ground Lake Orion added 14 more points to the board before the quarter closed.
“They outflanked us,” said Richardson. “They beat us outside a little bit. They are really well-balanced.”
“It was a hard-fought game,” said Bell. “We had a couple of breaks. I give my credit to Clarkston, they played hard. I know they have some injuries but they battled.”
Richardson added it is in the past and it is time to move on for the team’s next game for this Friday.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association announced on Sunday night Clarkston was drawn to play Grand Blanc (6-3) for the Pre-Districts round.
The Wolves head into the game with a 7-2 record.The Bobcats qualified for the playoffs after defeating Davison last Friday, 10-7.The game begins at 7 p.m. at Clarkston High School Stadium.