It was unclear in the first half who would be the victor, but the football Wolves pulled out a 37-27 victory over Troy on Friday, Sept. 26.
It brings Clarkston to 5-0 on the season, but coach Kurt Richardson is still not comfortable with the quality of play.
“Troy just took it to us,” Richardson said of the first half, “and we were just not ready to play. We kind of took over in the second half, but we still have to play four quarters.”
Clarkston touchdowns were scored by quarterback Sam Palace on a 52-yard run, Aaron Powell on two passes (34 and 21 yards, respectively) and Nick Blackstone on a seven-yard run. Mark Thornberry scored a field goal and four extra points.
Powell’s pass receptions earned specific praise from Richardson, as did Palace’s field leadership, Thornberry’s foot and Addison Turk’s defensive strength.
As the Wolves prepare for Homecoming Friday, Richardson fears Waterford Mott’s potential, even with an 0-5 record. The Corsairs have defeated Clarkston the past two years, and they have extra motivation for Friday’s contest.
“They’ll throw everything they’ve got at us,” he said. “They’ll want to spoil our Homecoming.”
In addition, the season is beginning to take its physical toll on the Wolves. Mike Kittle is out for two weeks after suffering a concussion, for example, and Blackstone was scheduled to have an MRI on his knee to determine whether he can play Friday.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has started to publish playoff point averages, and Clarkston has earned 96 points as of the Troy victory.
Richardson, however, says any talk concerning the post-season is premature.
“It’s way too early for that,” he said. “I’m just worried about Mott right now.”