By Joe St. Henry

Review Sports Contributor

Lake Orion’s second half comeback fell short and the Dragons fell to Utica Eisenhower, 27-20, in the MHSAA District Championship football game last Friday.

After falling behind 27-10, Lake Orion quarterback Blaze Lauer connected with receiver Mitch Howell for a four-yard touchdown pass with :23 left in the third quarter. A 19-yard field goal by Connor Ross cut the Eagle’s lead to seven points with 2:32 remaining in the game.

A Dragons’ onside kick failed, however, and Utica Eisenhower ran out the clock for the second-round playoff victory. Lake Orion finished the season 9-2, its best record since 2012.

“It felt like we struggled in all phases of the game and never got into a rhythm, especially in the first half,” said Head Coach John Blackstock. “I’m not sure why. We had a great week of practice in the cold weather. Of course, Ike had something to do with that.”

Lake Orion’s offense was kept in check in the first half. The Dragons’ only points came on a Ross field goal on their opening possession, set up by a fumble recovery, and a short touchdown run by senior Kobe Manzo after an interception deep in Eagle territory.

Utica Eisenhower turned over the ball four times during the game, but the Eagles offset those mistakes with an aerial attack that the Dragons had not seen all year. Their quarterback passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

“We knew their passing game was a strength coming into the game,” Blackstock said. “Their quarterback made plays. Ike’s offensive line also did a really good job of keeping pressure off of him, especially in that first half.”

The Dragon offense was limited to 264 yards of total offense, more than 100 yards short of their season average. Lake Orion’s rushing attack did account for 193 yards, led by Manzo’s 108 on 22 carries and a score. But most of those yards came in the second half.

Against Utica Eisenhower, Lauer was 10-19 passing for 72 yards, one touchdown pass and an interception. He also ran for 44 yards on 20 carries.

“Nothing came easy,” Blackstock said. “Their defensive front seven played really physical and made things really challenging for us – nobody else did that to us all season.”

The head coach was proud of how his team played in the second half, despite falling short.

“Our kids were resilient, battling to the end,” Blackstock said. “We played much better as a team in the second half, but it was just too much to overcome.”

As disappointing as the playoff loss was, Blackstock said this was a special team that performed beyond his expectations going into the season. The head coach was wary of the opening five games, in particular, and the Dragons started the season 4-1.

“If someone would have told me in August that we’d be 9-1 and playing for the district championship at home in November, I’d sell my soul to the devil and take it,” he said. “I knew we had a pretty good team, but we had a dominating season.

“This was a special class of juniors and seniors who played well together and for each other.”