By Joe St. Henry

Review Sports Contributor

In a game that will be undoubtedly remembered as one of the most exciting in Lake Orion football history, the Dragons fell in four overtime periods to West Bloomfield last Saturday, 59-52.

Lake Orion could not convert on fourth down during their final possession in overtime, giving the Lakers a dramatic comeback victory.

The Dragons held a two-touchdown lead with under five minutes left in regulation time, but West Bloomfield’s playmakers stepped up on two frenetic drives to tie the game, 31-31, with less than 20 seconds left.

It appeared the game’s momentum had swung in Lakers’ favor, but the Dragons rallied. They traded punches with West Bloomfield in the overtime periods, where a total of seven touchdowns were scored between the two teams.

Players on both sides made clutch plays to extend the game. Lake Orion senior Mitch Howell’s four-yard highlight catch in the back of the end zone put Lake Orion up in the first overtime.

The Lakers responded with their own score, but Dragon quarterback Blaze Lauer connected with senior Drew Vanheck twice for scores in the second and third overtimes to keep the pressure on. The Lakers did not fold, matching the touchdowns, including a fourth down scoring pass to tie the game at 52-52 and extend the game into a fourth overtime.

In the end, the Lakers made one more play to secure the win. The Lakers sit in the top spot in the OAA Red standings at 3-0 (3-1 overall). Lake Orion is 3-1 in league play, 4-1 overall.

“We obviously wanted to win, but I could not be prouder of our kids,” said head coach John Blackstock. “Our team learned a couple things. First, we can play with anyone. Secondly, we saw how important the small details are on every play, for you never know which will be the most important one in a game.”

Lake Orion held a 17-7 lead when lightening suspended the game three minutes into the third quarter on Friday night.

The Dragons took their opening drive 60 yards in six plays and scored on Lauer’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Howell three minutes into the game. West Bloomfield showcased its big play capability less than a minute later on a 61-yard touchdown run that tied the score 7-7.

Lake Orion struck back late in the first quarter with its own big play, an 82-yard touchdown sprint by senior Kobe Manzo that put the Dragons back on top 14-7. They added a 22-yard field goal from senior Connor Ross late in the second quarter to go up by ten points at the break.

The explosive Laker offense was kept in check by the Dragon defense, which caused three fumbles in the first half – all recovered by Lake Orion.

“Our defense played with great effort, especially in terms of the physical matchups,” Blackstock said. “We went toe-to-toe with them. We made some mistakes, recognizing things on the field but, for the most part, we contained them.”

West Bloomfield moved inside the Lake Orion ten-yard line to start the third quarter when the storms moved in. They finished the drive the next day with a field goal that cut their deficit to ten points.

The Dragons seemingly took control of the game, however, over the next 16 minutes. Lake Orion’s defense forced a punt and Lauer capped a 17-play drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge that put Lake Orion up 24-10 in the third quarter.

After the Lakers cut the lead and gained some confidence with a long fumble return for a touchdown, the Dragons snapped back with a 13-play drive, finishing with Vanheck’s three-yard touchdown run to put Lake Orion on top 31-17 with 3:39 on the clock.

That is when West Bloomfield’s offense woke up and scored on consecutive drives to tie the game. After the Lakers cut the Dragons’ lead to seven points, Lake Orion recovered the ensuing onside kick. The Dragons had a chance to run out the clock and thwart the comeback, but they failed to convert on fourth and one play with 1:20 on the clock. That gave the Lakers a chance to tie the game – and they did with just seconds left.

It then took four overtimes to decide the game.

“We really did not have to tell our kids much to get them ready for overtime,” Blackstock said. “We’ve practiced these situations many times, putting the ball on the ten-yard line and challenging our offense to score and defense to stop them. They were ready and it showed.”

Lake Orion finished with 480 yards of total offense. Manzo led the way with 176 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Lauer ran for 79 yards and a score. He also completed 15-21 passes for 175 yards and four touchdown passes.

The Dragon defense was led by junior defensive back Kade Manzo’s nine tackles and three pass break-ups. Senior Ari Curtis had five tackles and two quarterback sacks, while senior Isaac Kinne had six tackles and one sack.

This week, Lake Orion travels to Bloomfield Hills, which lost to Southfield A&T last week and is winless on the season. Despite the Warriors’ struggles, Blackstock said the Dragons will not overlook this team.

“We’ve got to get back to work and just get to Friday,” he said. “We all want to get the taste of the loss (to West Bloomfield) out of our mouths.”