As the Dragons celebrated their perfect season and awaited the announcement of the playoff pairings at the Wooden Eagle on Sunday night, there were plenty of smiles to go around.
But when the team was announced on TV, the loudest cheers came not from the players, but the parents and friends of the program sitting in another section of the restaurant.
It’s not that the players weren’t excited – they did, after all, cheer. They just weren’t carried away with all of the hoopla that surrounded them.
And that, my friends, is precisely why this team is undefeated.
If you don’t believe me on that, just look at what three of their ‘team leaders? have done this season.

The eyes of a quarterback
There were a lot of impressive numbers put up in the Dragons? win at Clarkston last week, but the most impressive number in the eyes of Lake Orion junior quarterback Chris Lum was zero.
‘I didn’t get sacked one time on Friday night,? Lum said, deflecting credit (as most of the Dragon playmakers have done this season) to his offensive line.
That allowed Lum to be his usual efficient self in the first half, completing six of his seven passing attempts for 95 yards and a touchdown.
And, as has been the case for Lum, he got plenty of practice handing the ball off in the second half.
‘As quarterbacks go, he’s a coaches dream,? Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Chris Bell said. ‘In his eyes, he can never do enough. He’s constantly throwing and constantly working on his game.?
Bell has worked closely with plenty of talented Lake Orion QBs over his nine years as head coach, but Lum could be the best when all is said and done, if he’s not already.
‘The thing that makes Chris special is that when things break down, he makes things happen,? Bell said. ‘He’s a special, special talent.?
Lum said his job is made easy by the great wide receivers he has at his disposal in seniors Cole Moore and David Wurst.
‘It seems like we just have this connection,? he said. ‘They both have great hands.?
As for his relationship with Bell, Lum said he has input into the gameplan that not very many other high school quarterbacks have.
‘We watch film together and usually come up with a pretty good game plan,? Lum said.
‘His eyes have to become my eyes and we’ve developed that,? Bell said. ‘We’re on the same page.?

Doing it all, with pride
The man in the middle, Shaun Vernon, has become so much more in his final year at Lake Orion.
A linebacker at heart, Defensive Coordinator Dave Tooley said it’s Vernon’s can-do attitude that helped transform his defensive unit from a good one to a great one.
‘He’s been a three-year starter for me,? Tooley said of Vernon. ‘He’s very coachable and he plays the most demanding position, mentally, in our defense.?
Tooley has been particularly impressed by Vernon’s ability in coverage, meaning he has not needed to sub for the linebacker on obvious passing downs.
‘Coach Tooley is a great coach,? Vernon said. ‘If I was at any other school, I don’t think I’d be as good of a player.?
Vernon said limiting their mistakes this season, particularly lining up correctly, is the biggest reason the defense has grown to prominence.
‘We’ve taken it play, by play, by play.?
Vernon, meanwhile, has been on the field for play, after play, after play, getting the rare opportunity at Lake Orion to play on both sides of the ball.
‘I hadn’t started both ways since I was a freshman,? Vernon said of the opportunity to play some offense this season.
‘When we want to get bigger at fullback, he brings an element to our power running game that no one else on our roster can,? Bell said.
Though usually charged with the task of closing a hole in a hurry at linebacker, Vernon has relished the chance to open up some holes on offense.
‘Shaun takes a lot of pride in that,? Bell said.

The sackmaster’s returns
Josh Allison’s 25 sacks last year were one shy of a state record. He also had 93 tackles.
But don’t think for one second that his lower numbers this season mean its been an off year for the soon-to-be Minnesota Golden Gopher.
‘The Ws are all that matters,? Allison said. ‘I’ve had the best time of my life.?
‘When your best players are your hardest workers, you have something special,? Bell said of the senior defensive lineman. ‘Josh never takes a play off. He’s always going at 100 percent.?
Tooley agreed with Bell’s synopsis.
‘It holds other players to a higher standard,? he said. ‘Other guys look at him and say, ‘If a nose guard is out there doing it, why can’t I???
‘What makes Josh a good football player is that he has a motor that is running more than any other player I’ve coached,? Tooley added.
Tooley said he’s worked Allison and Vernon harder than anyone else on his defense because they are his best.
Allison said all the hard work has certainly paid off.
‘All we wanted to do was go to the Wooden Eagle in October and look at that TV at 9-0,? he said.
Bell said similar things after the Clarkston victory, but quickly noted that the team has ‘much bigger goals now.?
And what, exactly, are those new goals Josh Allison?
‘We’re just going to take it game by game,? he replied.
That sounds like something a leader would say.

A lot of Dragon football players played in their final game last week.
Sure, some will come back as juniors and seniors next year and play on.
Others have basketball and baseball season to look forward to.
A few will even play next year at the college level.
But for a large group of players, let’s face it, last Friday’s 34-14 loss to Clarkston meant the end of their football playing days.
There’s no shame in losing in the playoffs. Most teams don’t get in, and of the 256 that did make it throughout the state, only eight can end with a win.
There’s no shame in losing to a one-loss Clarkston team. A team that had to play its best game in years in order to win.
There’s no shame in losing to your rival. Especially, when you’ve beaten that rival three times in just over a year and six times in the previous seven meetings.
What’s sad is not that Lake Orion lost last Friday night. It’s that sometimes one loss can make you forget the great memories that were created beforehand.
The 2006 version of the Dragons tied a team record for wins in a season, won the OAA I outright for the first time in school history, set a school record for points (410), and outscored their opponents through 10 games by 300 points.
That’s right, 300 points.
When these players reflect on this season, eventually, they’ll remember ‘The Clarkston Game? as a 32-8 win on the road, not a 34-14 loss.
They’ll remember celebrating a 9-0 regular season and a league championship that they truly earned and deserved.
For comparison’s sake, my high school team, which will remain unnamed, won just 12 games in the four years I was there.
The Dragons won ten this year alone. Did I mention that tied a school record?
I hope they won’t be remembered for the one game in the bunch that they didn’t win.
Oh, and they’ll be back, too.
My ONTV broadcast partner Andy Schramek said it best: ‘At Lake Orion, we don’t rebuild, we reload.?
They ‘reload? because of the Dragon pride that many of the outgoing seniors have instilled in their understudies.
On paper, the ‘loaded? Dragons looked like they would cruise to a championship this year, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
‘There’s a reason you play the game,? Coach Chris Bell said after he walked off the field for the final time this season.
Next year, when his Dragons host Clarkston again, there will be one more reason to play.

I always hem and haw when asked to pick a favorite sport. But picking a favorite time of year on the sports calendar is easy.
Nothing can top the last couple of weeks in March (known to some as March Madness), where 65 teams are whittled down to a select few in just a matter of days.
Now this might not be the best way to determine the best team, but it surely is the most exciting way to arrive at a champion.
And for those of us lucky enough to live in Michigan, we get November Madness during the high school girls basketball season ? for now (the changing of a few sports seasons is a debate for another day).
Unfortunately, the madness for the Dragons ended at the hands of Chippewa Valley on Monday night (see the front page), but that doesn’t mean we can’t reflect on how maddening the tourney run was. (By the way, this ‘madness? is a good thing in basketball, for some reason).
Though Clarkston might beat Lake Orion in a seven game series, November Madness ensures that the better team on one given night moves on.
It puts more pressure on every dribble, pass and shot.
As a result of November Madness, you get players like Bethany Watterworth, who scored 47 points in 52 hours, including a 19 point, 15 rebound performance in the district final.
You get unsung defensive performances from players like Courtney Zott and Brittany Daenzer, who held the star players on multiple teams well under their season average (see Mount, Katie and Kouri, Chelsea).
You get a 10-point effort in the first half from players like Melanie LaMerato (who came off the bench against Lapeer East) and six points in the third quarter from Trisha Dalrymple (all from the same spot on the floor) to hold Mott at bay.
You get a formidable guard rotation that applies pressure on the opposing team for 32 minutes a night, denying passes to the low post, starting fastbreaks, and irritating the heck out of a guard for Waterford Mott (who, for some reason, thought punching Watterworth would be a good way to handle the situation). Hey, at least when she sat on the bench for a few minutes, she didn’t have to deal with the Dragon guards.
And most importantly, you get a Dragon team that played their best three games of the season, over four nights, to claim a district championship.
This is a team that didn’t even win its league ? and, thus, wouldn’t be considered in some BCS-like formula used in other sports (the ‘C? is optional).
‘Playing games is what everyone wants this time each year,? Coach Steve Roberts said after the Dragons win against Mott.
Even after their loss on Monday, there’s still no debating this: these Dragons earned every game they played.

I thought I was late.
Holiday music has been playing on one local radio station for over a month.
Sales have been ongoing at area retailers for over two months.
And my outdoor strands of lights have been in place for over a year.
Ok, that last one is due to sheer laziness from last year, but the point is simple:
It’s the first full week of December and the holiday season is in full gear (if not over-geared).
With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at some holiday wish lists of the sports world, and a few others, with reasoning provided in parentheses?
New Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio: a successful tenure at MSU (so that he’ll be confused with Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni in both name and record).
Sylvester Stallone: a new character to play in the movies (Rocky IX: The Geriatric just doesn’t sound that intimidating).
Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn: another year of college eligibility (so he won’t get drafted by the lowly Lions).
All expecting celebrity couples: a book of real baby names (not varieties of fruit or a fictional Beagle/Civil War battle).
The University of Michigan football program: that Florida gets completely routed by Ohio State (so they can say ‘I told you so? to the BCS formula ? by the way, you can’t spell BCS without the BS).
Madonna: all the attention she wants (so that she won’t have to adopt an unsuspecting child to get some).
New Tiger Gary Sheffield: that his arrival in Detroit sparks a result similar to the last time an ‘outspoken? athlete came into town (can you say Rasheed?).
And, of course, the Lake Orion High School Athletic Department: a state title in 2007 to join the 1990 wrestling squad in the rafters.
***
In two weeks, ‘Bounces? will take a look back at some of the stellar Lake Orion athletic achievements of 2006.

Three individual state title winners and a slew of other fine performances capped the 2006 sports year in Lake Orion.
Being how it’s difficult to rank athletes that play different sports, here is The Review’s list, in alphabetical order, of the top 15 (or so) athletes this past year…
Josh Allison: The talented defensive lineman followed a 25 sack season with a ho-hum 17 to go along with over 100 tackles in 2006. Allison was a leader on a staunch Dragon defense that gave up 96 points during the regular season.
Rachel Bemman: By far the leading goal scorer for the girls soccer team last season, Bemman was an All-State second team selection.
Lee Dickinson: Was a winning pitcher for the Dragons in both district and regional games last year, where he also delivered some clutch hits. Dickinson is among the team’s all-time leaders in innings pitched, wins and saves.
Kristen Fleming: With a 10th place finish in the slalom and 13th in the giant slalom, Fleming helped the Dragon girls finish fourth as a team at the skiing state finals.
Brandon Figurski: Claimed the Division I diving state title as a junior. Figurski already set a pool and varsity record on the diving board this season.
Alex Hartley: The state champ in the discus, Hartley also finished third in the shot put, capping a fine LOHS career in field events.
Allie Hock: An all-state selection this past cross country season as a junior, Hock finished 25th at the state meet.
James Hubbard: The senior skier took the slalom state title and placed seventh in the giant slalom, helping lead the boys team to a fifth place finish.
Kristin Larsen: In addition to being a volleyball standout, Larsen was an All-State selection (along with teammate Lauren LaPine) as a power-hitting third-sacker for the softball team.
Chris Lum: An All-State selection at quarterback, Lum directed a Dragon offense to over 400 points this past season.
Drew Maynard: Scored nearly 20 points a game as a sophomore and already is considered one of the top basketball players in the county.
Darby Peters/Britney Hamilton: Golfing duo finished second and ninth, respectively at the state finals. Both are now seniors that will play collegiately next year.
Rob Shinouskis/Drew Collette: Distance running duo finished third and sixth, respectively in the 3,200 run at the state meet.
Katrin Vetter: A pair of top-five finishes at the state meet capped a strong season (her only on the team) for the senior swimmer.
Bethany Watterworth: Had a strong end to the season, particularly in district play victories. Teammate Cortney Kimmel joined Watterworth on the OAA III All-League team.
*Next week we’ll look ahead at some budding stars that could make this list come the end of 2007.

Last week, we looked at some of the top performers from 2006. Now it’s time to look ahead.
Many of these Lake Orion athletes have already made names for themselves, but look for them to really shine in 2007.
*Note: Those that made last week’s list of top performers in 2006 were not eligible for consideration on this list (consider them ‘givens?)…
Joe Barnes: A three-sport athlete, Barnes is already in the top-10 in many statistical categories on the diamond (including home runs and RBI’s) with one year still left.
Josh Deeg: As a sophomore, Deeg might have been the Dragons? best postseason pitcher. He’ll be the team’s ace as a junior.
Jenna Dorey: Placed 13th at the state diving competition this year, and fourth at the county meet as a junior.
Danielle Dunn: As a freshman, Dunn delivered on the mound, helping lead the softball team to a league title. She’ll be counted on to do even more this year, with many of the talented bats having graduated.
Ricky Forrest: The senior distance swimmer could already be on the ‘best of? list, but Coach Paul Fairman said the MSU recruit will only get better, especially at the college level. He should be in the mix for a state title this year too.
Reed Losee: Coach Erick Pfeiffer said he compares favorably to Billy Weaver (a Mr. Soccer recipient from LOHS). Losee led the team in scoring as a freshman.
Ashley Shugar: Goalkeeper was third team All-State last year, and has talented players returning in front of her like Jenna Hill (second team All-State), Shannon Doyle and Kaitlin Denton, along with Rachel Bemman.
Allen Sigler: The start to his 2006-07 season has been impressive, though wrestling teammates Evan Gros, Spenser Grzadzinski and Jake Varilek also deserve space on this list.
Kelli Skarritt: Bowler is already off to a hot start in the 2006-07 campaign, leading the Northern Lakes Division in average, and her team is off to a 3-0 start as well.
Jason Stross: The sophomore has solidified the goalie position on Coach Pat Cherry’s hockey squad. Stross already has one 40+ save performance this season for the OAA II leading Dragons. Transfer Peter Levandowski becomes eligible in January and could see time in net too.
Ryan Ziolko: Placed 13th at the cross country state meet, improving every time out. Ziolko will lead a talented CC team with big aspirations in the next couple of years.
Courtney Zott: Bethany Watterworth and Cortney Kimmel got the attention as all-league players in ?06, but juniors-to-be Zott and Melanie LaMerato are the key players if LO wants to build on its district title next season.

Bouncing around some thoughts on some of the sports news making national headlines…
Should Mark McGwire be in baseball’s Hall of Fame?
I’m still not sure how I’d answer this question, even now that the voters themselves said a resounding ‘no.?
To make McGwire the poster boy for steroids, when the governing body of the sport (Major League Baseball) just twiddled their thumbs and smiled during his race to 70 with Sammy Sosa, just seems wrong.
Maybe McGwire doesn’t deserve to be in, but does the sport deserve to have itself cleared of his mess by the Hall of Fame voters? I don’t think so.
Hell, the best way to make baseball and Bud Selig suffer might be to elect both McGwire and Pete Rose, at the same time.
Let that hang over the sport for a while.?
The saddest part of the whole thing is that McGwire’s entry/non-entry debate overshadowed the entries of Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr.
The pair had a chance to become the first ever unanimous Hall of Fame picks, but the steroids cloud hanging over their era gave some voters a chance to submit empty ballots in protest ? and at least one voter admitted to taking advantage of it.
(For some reason, the thought of Gwynn being on steroids makes me chuckle.)

As much as Florida Gator Football Coach Urban Meyer might have been wrong for politicking for his team’s birth in the BCS Championship Game, he was right.
Watching Florida dismantle Ohio State on Monday reminded me of why college football is slightly more entertaining than the pros.
Boise State’s victory over Oklahoma a week before reminded me of why college football is way more entertaining than the pros.
Sure, some plays in both Boise State’s and Florida’s playbooks might be considered ‘gimmicky.? But when you have no idea what’s coming next, I call that ‘exciting.?
At the very least, I’d rather watch either of those two teams before I’d choose our beloved Detroit Lions. What’s the next play with them, the interception play or the fumble play?

Speaking of the BCS, which stands for Bowl Championship Series, where is the ‘series??
As far as I can see, there is one game that really matters and four others that have interest only if they come down to the wire (ala the aforementioned Boise State game).
When those in charge come to their senses and realize they can have some form of a series/playoff and still pad their pockets in the process, we can then call this BCS thing a ‘series.?
I say go back to the traditional bowl format, and let there be co-champions. Those debates were always the best anyway.

I’ll get back to local stuff in the coming weeks, but promised a couple of readers that I’d address these two national issues this week?
Want to play some soccer for $250 million?
Well, that’s just wishful thinking unless, of course, your name is David Beckham.
The English footballer (that’s soccer player to you chum) signed a five-year deal last week worth a reported $248 million to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
Beckham is not the first global soccer star to come to America, but the MLS is hoping that he’ll be the first to be a star here.
Perhaps the greatest athlete of all time, Pele came to New York to play for the Cosmos in 1975, but that experiment fizzled out after one year.
Like Pele, Beckham is largely considered to be past his prime, but his five-year deal means that someone thinks he has a few good bending kicks left in his foot.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber called Beckham a global icon who will ‘transcend the sport of soccer in America,? to which many Americans responded ‘there’s soccer in America??
The league hasn’t caught on with the masses, primarily for two reasons.
First, we have little room on our sports plate for anything outside the four major professional sports, not to mention college athletics and, for some, NASCAR and the PGA.
Keep in mind that no other country embraces its college and high school sports like we do.
Consider this: the biggest sports story of the year, France’s Zinedine Zidane head butting an Italian player during the World Cup final, was a blip on our radar.
But, perhaps even more important than soccer not being on America’s radar is the fact that America is not even on the radar of soccer (or should I say football?).
We’ve gotten close in the past decade, but a majority of Americans don’t care about global sports until we’re at the top.
We paid attention to the Tour de France when Lance Armstrong starred, but attention was only minimal beforehand. With this in mind, it’s unlikely that soccer will garner the attention it deserves here until our national team at least reaches a World Cup final.
Even David Beckham can’t help with that.

I wrote about the Hall of Fame last week, but like many of the voters have done in years past, I overlooked one thing: some of our beloved Tigers that deserve entry.
I’ll save the Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker debates for another day and focus on a third Hall candidate.
Here are career pitching stats for three pitchers, two of which are in the Hall and one that isn’t:
Player 1: 15 years, 224 wins, 2,012 strikeouts, .574 winning percentage
Player 2: 14 years, 209 wins, 2,486 strikeouts, .557 winning percentage
Player 3: 18 years, 254 wins, 2,478 strikeouts, .577 winning percentage
Players one and two are deserving Hall of Famers Catfish Hunter and Don Drysdale, respectively.
The third players is Jack Morris, who, based on voting trends in recent years, will need a lot of people to change their minds in order to get in. His best chance is likely through the Veteran’s Committee.
In addition to having better numbers than some Hall pitchers, Morris was one of, if not, the premier pitcher of his generation.
As a Minnesota Twin, he was the winning pitcher in the best-pitched game of the modern era, defeating Atlanta 1-0 in 10 innings in game seven of the 1991 World Series.
That, by the way, was the second of three different Series winning teams on which Morris anchored the pitching staff.
Quick, name one other pitcher to do that?
That’s what I thought.

My father, who has spent most of his working life in the restaurant business, managed two restaurants that were both in business for well over a decade.
That’s a rather long time by restaurant standards.
So, what then do you do with a business that is working on its 126th year in operation?
As I step into a new role this week as editor of The Lake Orion Review, I’m looking for an answer to that question myself.
To be around as long as this paper has been means that some things, most things in fact, must be going right.
That, however, doesn’t mean there won’t be changes here and there. But that’s where you come in.
This is ‘your community newspaper? after all. So, while I will take on a new responsibility as editor, I challenge you to take on a new responsibility as reader.
I need to know what works and what doesn’t. And here are six handy-dandy ways to reach us, which I am putting in here for you to print, cut and paste onto your refrigerator (feel free to use a magnet if you don’t have paste).

– Call us at (248)693-8331
– e-mail us at lakeorionreview@sbcglobal.net
– Fax us at (248)693-5712
– Stop by 30 N. Broadway in downtown LO
– Provide reader comments with any article
posted at www.lakeorionreview.com
– Come to any big event in town and find me
(hint: I’ll be the one with a notepad and camera)

The tendency might be to complain about what’s missing from the paper, and that’s fine, I’ll listen. But don’t forget to tell us the things we’re doing that you like, so that we’ll continue to do them.
After all, we media types like to pat ourselves on the back enough. Isn’t it time to let someone else do it?
A fellow journalist told me just the other day how tired his arm was getting from all that back patting (See Rush, Don).
Ok, I’m just kidding, but I couldn’t, in good conscience come to my new home here on Page Six, without offering a little zinger to my new page partner. Nice to be here, but I sure will miss all of those non-bearded folks over on Page Seven.
Anyway on to the important stuff…
(Admit it, when I said ‘important stuff? you immediately went to look at all the mug shots on Page Seven for beards, didn’t you?)
Starting this week, The Review will offer website updates three times a week. To make this work, however, is going to take a commitment from our readers.
As usual, you can read most of our hardcopy issue beginning at noon on Wednesday.
In addition, we will now offer a ‘What’s on tap?? feature on Friday, which will include events coming up on the weekend as well as any news that has broken since the hardcopy version was printed.
On Monday we will feature a ‘To be Reviewed? piece, which will preview the upcoming issue and include a brief rundown from the previous weekend.
Both new features will be available in the afternoon and may also include some opinions from our staff that go beyond what you may have seen in a column.
I encourage all readers to check out these new features and add your own thoughts by accessing the newly updated reader feedback option.
And, finally, to those of you that think I’m over my head in this new position, I promise that I will edit tings as better as me posSibley can.

Six sports are set to change seasons at the high school level next year.
The Review profiled the change last week and have talked with several Lake Orion coaches impacted by the change.
Feedback has generally been mixed, as two sports move from fall to spring, two sports from spring to fall and volleyball (now fall) changing places with girls basketball (now winter).
Volleyball is the sport that likely benefits the most from the switch.
It was after all, a group of volleyball parents that got the ball moving on the sports season litigation back in 1998.
Essentially, the sport will get better billing in the fall, and could add athletes that previously bowled, skied or cheered in the wintertime.
It is also possible, though, that they will lose some athletes to cross-country, swimming and (now) golf, only time will tell.
Many golf and tennis coaches said they prefer the fall season, as they can hold tryouts in warm weather and schedule tournaments before school even begins (so students don’t miss as much class time).
In the case of golf, it is also much easier to get course time in the fall season than in the busy spring season.
In any event, both sports are typically recruited in summer tournaments as opposed to the school season, so recruiting (the main reason for the lawsuit in the first place) is only minimally impacted.
The sport likely to see the biggest impact is basketball, for both boys and girls.
A number of new problems will take shape because of the two seasons running concurrently (though other states have managed to make this system work for years).
‘There may be some coaching changes at the sub-varsity levels because we do have basketball coaches that will not be able to coach boys and girls teams,? noted Lake Orion girls coach Steve Roberts.
Finding enough referees might be tough too, as many refs were able to work both seasons before the change.
To cope with these changes, many leagues have devised tentative schedules for next season. For example, some leagues will have boys play away games while girls play home games against the same opponents, and vice versa. Others will have their two varsity squads play doubleheaders.
The OAA might have the best plan of them all, scheduling only one team or another on a particular night (thus preventing fans from having to choose which team to watch or missing part of a doubleheader).
When one team plays league on a Tuesday and Friday in a given week, the other will play on Thursday. The schedule will alternate every week.
It’s hard to say at this point how everything will shake out next year, but, as Roberts put it, ‘It is what it is, it is time to move on, accept it, and make the most of the change.?