By Joe St. Henry

Review Sports Contributor

An old-fashioned slugfest broke out at Dragon stadium last Saturday, with Lake Orion outlasting Rochester Adams, 36-31, to improve to 3-0 (2-0 OAA Red) on the season.

The game was not decided until Dragon senior Sam Staruch caught a seven-yard pass for a first down with 1:30 left on the clock. Having no timeouts left , the Highlanders could only watch the Dragons take a knee three times as time expired.

The two teams combined for 724 yards of total offense – Adams 415 and Lake Orion 309 – and nine touchdowns. Together, they ran 112 plays on offense, including 45 first downs.

“It turned out to be a one-score game, pretty much what we expected,” said Head Coach John Blackstock. “You had two teams throwing their best punches. There were very good athletes on both sidelines.”

Lake Orion took advantage of an Adams turnover early in the first quarter, recovering a fumble at the Highlander 25-yard line and jumped out front 7-0 on senior receiver Drew Vanheck’s four-yard touchdown run.

The Dragons’ early lead held until halfway through the second quarter, when the Highlanders capped a 14-play drive with a two-yard touchdown run by their quarterback to tie the game.

A little over three minutes later, Lake Orion punched back and regained the lead, 14-7, on a 15-yard rushing touchdown by senior receiver Mitchell Howell.

A controversial call helped the Highlanders tie the game on the last play of the first half. The Dragons appeared to have stopped Adams inside the one-yard line with less than ten seconds left in the quarter and no way for the Highlanders to stop the clock.

The officials called a timeout, however, to untangle the pile of players. The pause enabled Adams to line up and their quarterback snuck into the end zone of the final play before the break. It appeared he fumbled and Lake Orion recovered, but the officiating crew ruled the ball crossed the goal line before coming loose.

“It’s hard to officiate a game,” Blackstock said. “Sometimes we see things differently than the refs. In the end, though, we came away with a win and that’s all that really matters.”

Lake Orion snatched the game’s momentum back early in the third quarter. The Dragons forced a punt on the Highlanders’ first possession, then moved into Highlander territory before senior quarterback Blaze Lauer scrambled and found Howell for a 37-yard touchdown. The score gave the Dragons a 21-14 lead.

After a pair of punts, Adams moved deep inside Lake Orion territory and made a 21-yard field goal to cut the lead to 21-17. But the Dragons took only 16 seconds to strike back, thanks to senior Sanai Pillot’s 98-yard kickoff return down the right sideline. That put Lake Orion up by 9 (extra point missed).

The Highlanders did not flinch and came up with their own big play a minute later on a 72-yard touchdown pass that cut the Dragons’ lead to a field goal after three quarters, 27-24.

“Going into the last quarter, we just told the offense to keep grinding out yards and making plays,” Blackstock said. “We had to keep the defense off the field.”

Lake Orion seemingly gained control of the game early in the final quarter, when Vanheck finished a 13-play Dragon drive with a short touchdown run (extra point missed).

The Dragon defense then came up with a big fourth down stop and on their next possession, senior Connor Ross nailed a 32-yard field goal. With five minutes left, Lake Orion had a 12-point lead.

Adams was not done, though, and with the help of three straight defensive pass interference calls they cut Lake Orion’s lead to five, 36-31, after a short touchdown run.

Both teams lined up for an onside kick and the Dragons came through with the recovery near midfield. But a personal foul once the play was dead backed up Lake Orion to their own 30-yard line.

If the Dragons could get a first down, they would run out the clock. On third and six, Lauer found Staruch for seven yards. That moved the chains and effectively ended the game.

Lake Orion’s rushing attack was led by Kobe Manzo, who finished with 106 yards on 12 carries – his third straight 100-yard rushing game. Howell ran for 32 yards and a score, plus two receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Vanheck ran for 19 yards and two scores.

“Multiple guys are stepping up when their number is called,” Blackstock said. “It’s great to know you can count on them at different times during the game.”

Defensively, the Dragons were led by senior Kaiden Beck and his ten tackles. Junior Kade Manzo had nine tackles and two pass break ups.

“We’ve got a lot of momentum, starting out 3-0 in this league,” Blackstock said. “We won a tight game against a quality opponent. We’re playing with confidence.”

This week, Lake Orion travels north to face rival Oxford (1-2). The Wildcats beat Bloomfield Hills last week for their first win of the season. From what he has seen, Blackstock expects a battle.

“They look very physical,” Blackstock said. “Their defense is tough and they’re running the ball well. It’s a typical Oxford team.”