By Jim Newell

Review Editor

The Lake Orion girls varsity track and field team looks to challenge for a top spot in the OAA Red division this season and at the league championships next month.

They’ll face tough competition in Oxford, one of the best teams in the OAA, and Rochester Adams, another top contender.

But head coach Stan Ford likes the win the girls had against the Rochester Falcons on Wednesday and their weekly improvement.

“They’re doing the things they need to do to get better and that’s kind of the emphasis.”

Ford’s goal is to make sure that his teams are getting better consistently and that he is putting them in the right events for them to be most successful and maximize scoring opportunities for the team.

Lake Orion opened the season against Oxford, losing decisively, 80 to 48. Ford said the Dragons knew that Oxford would be one of the toughest teams in the league this year.

The Dragons second dual meet against rival Clarkston was a heartbreaker, with the girls losing by just four points, 53-57.

On April 20, the team got a much-needed boost and downed the Rochester Falcons, 75-53, to earn their first dual meet victory and improve to 1-2 on the season.

The Dragons will compete in the Elmer Ball Invitational at Oxford on Saturday, and take on the Adams in the last dual meet of the season on May 4.

The OAA Red-White Championships combines the teams from the two divisions, making it a 10-team competition with the best runners from teams that the Dragons did not race against in dual meets.

Lake Orion vs. Rochester H.S.

Senior Alayna Tisch won the 100m dash, the 300m hurdles and was on the winning 400m and 800m relays, along with senior Natalie Keogh (200m dash winner), Maddie Slocum and Mecayla Long.

Sofi Sally won the 100m hurdles and was on the winning 800m relay with Cadence Teasley, Tisch, and Slocum.

In the field events, Bella DeLong led a sweep of the shot put with Elizabeth Hoffman and Madison Boos-Niespolo. And then Elizabeth Hoffman led a sweep in the discus, with Bella and Madison taking 2nd and 3rd.

Senior Bella Monterosso won the long jump, nailing a top jump of 15 feet, 4-and-a-half inches.