By Joe St. Henry

Review Sports Contributor

As far as rivalry games go, this year’s gridiron battle between Lake Orion and Oxford was a dud, with the Wildcats rolling over the Dragons, 51-27, last Friday.

The loss dropped Lake Orion’s season record to 1-3 (0-2 OAA Red). There is no shortage of intensity when the two rivals meet, but this year Oxford seemed to start with more focus and a sense of urgency. The winless Wildcats kept the Dragon offense scoreless in the first half and enjoyed a two-touchdown lead at halftime.

When Lake Orion’s offense finally got in gear in the third quarter, Oxford’s went into overdrive, exploding for 37 points in the second half to thwart any Dragon comeback.

The Dragons finished with 379 total yards of offense, including 257 yards passing and 122 rushing, but were only 6-17 on third downs and committed three turnovers. They also committed nine penalties.

“All of us are frustrated with how we played as a team,” said Head Coach John Blackstock. “Too many mistakes, missed assignments, blocks, tackles – we all have to own it as a team. But you have to give credit to Oxford. They were the better team this week.”

Lake Orion actually got the game’s first break when they recovered a fumble on an Oxford punt return early in the game. But the Dragon offense could not take advantage of the opportunity.

The Wildcats then scored on their first drive of the game on an 11-yard touchdown pass to take the lead, 7-0. The Dragons, meanwhile, finished the quarter without a first down. Both teams played sloppy, combining for seven penalties

(Lake Orion was flagged for four false starts.)

In the second quarter, more penalties and mistakes plagued both teams. Oxford missed a field goal and Lake Orion turned the ball over on a fumble. The Wildcats did score their second touchdown on a ten-yard pass with 15 seconds left before the break to go up 14-0.

Oxford picked up where it left off in the third quarter, taking the opening possession and stretching its lead to 21-0 on a 52-yard touchdown pass.

Lake Orion responded, however, by opening up its passing attack and quarterback Kyler Carson put Lake Orion on the board with 19-yard run to cut the lead to 21-7.

After a successful onside kick, the Dragons struck again, mounting another scoring drive, capped by Carson’s three-yard plunge that brought Lake Orion within seven points late in the quarter, 21-14.

“We came out (in the third quarter), made corrections and gained some momentum,” Blackstock said. “We got the onside kick, scored to cut their lead to seven points. Then the wheels fell off.”

Oxford snatched back control of the game on a 59-yard touchdown pass and then a seven-yard touchdown run to close out the final few minutes of the third quarter, to go up 35-14.

The second-half shootout continued on Lake Orion’s first possession of the final quarter, when Carson connected with receiver C.J. Witt on a 36-yard scoring pass to make the score 35-20 (PAT missed).

Hope of a comeback came to an abrupt end,

however, when Lake Orion’s second onside kick was scooped up by an Oxford kick return player at midfield and returned 50 yards for another Wildcat score (PAT missed), to put them up 42-20.

“That really hurt,” Blackstock said. “The Oxford player broke to the ball, got a nice bounce into his hands and he was gone.”

Oxford tacked on ten more points during the quarter on another touchdown run and 40-yard field goal. The Dragons finished the scoring on a nine-yard run by halfback Dorian Hill.

After four games, Blackstock said Lake Orion’s offense is still looking for its identity.

“It’s been tough,” he said. “I thought we figured it out the first game, with a strong running attack, both inside and on the perimeter. But the last couple of weeks, we’ve been able to pass, but we can’t run consistently.”

The Dragon receiving corps were led by C.J. Witt’s four catches for 88 yards and Jack Wellman’s four for 54 yards. Raymond Payne had 46 yards rushing and Billy Roberson picked up 35.

Defensively, Blackstock said the team is still making too many mental mistakes, especially on pass coverage and containing the quarterback. He also noted Lake Orion is struggling to make third-down stops. Oxford was 6-12 on third down conversions.

Blackstock did call out defensive lineman Judah Kinne for his strong game against Oxford, which included six tackles. “He is really playing at a high level right now,” he said. “Judah is a really good player and he is still growing.”

In addition to Kinne, other Lake Orion defenders with notable games included C.J. Witt with seven tackles and Stephen Brown with six.

The schedule does not get any easier this week, with defending state champion West Bloomfield (3-1, 2-0 OAA Red) visiting Lake Orion. The head coach knows this will be another big test for the Dragons.

“I think we’ll have a heart-to-heart talk to see where we’re at as a team,” Blackstock said. “Let’s see how we deal with adversity this week. Things can be rough in life. You have to face a challenge and get through it.”