Dragons look to compete for OAA Red title

By Joseph Goral
Staff Writer
jgoral@mihomepaper.com
ORION TWP. — The Lake Orion High School boys varsity cross country team will continue their season in the year’s first OAA Red Jamboree on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at Lake Orion High School.
The team’s goals for the season are to compete for the OAA Red league title, finish in the top 10 in Oakland County and qualify for the state finals, said head coach Andrew McDonald.
“We run in a very competitive league, and it prepares you for the season,” McDonald said.
Lake Orion finished fourth in the league last season.
The team currently has 32 members including five returning seniors – Aiden Callahan, Gabriel Hoffman, Raymond Lucero II, Trevor Meldrum, Blake Peardon and Brady Slattery.
Lucero and Peardon are returning all-league runners, and Peardon qualified for the MHSAA state finals last season.
“The seniors have provided leadership and understand what it takes to be a successful runner,” McDonald said.
Juniors Max Houvener and Alex Skakal return with varsity experience, while sophomores Zach McGee and Gavin Pittenger also return.
Joining the team are 18 freshman including Ricardo Guajardo, Aiden McDonald, Anderson Buckland, DJ Crowe and Ethan Christofferson.
“This is one of the younger teams that I have coached,” McDonald said. “(The freshman) are young and motivated to contribute to the team.”
Joining McDonald is assistant coach and former Dragon standout cross country and track runner Allison Sherman, who just finished up her running career at the University of Detroit Mercy. Sherman was recently selected as a Horizon League NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
Lake Orion will also host the Stan Ford Invitational on Oct. 11.