West Bloomfield up next on Friday

By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
ORION TWP. — Lake Orion head football coach Chris Bell has often said there are no easy games in the OAA Red division, the league’s highest division and one of the toughest in the state.
He was proven right yet again when the Dragons (4-1, 1-1 OAA Red) battled for a 28-25 victory over previously undefeated Rochester Adams at Lake Orion High School on Friday.
Lake Orion’s win over Adams (4-1, 2-1 OAA Red) comes a week after a 21-18 upset at the hands of the Oxford Wildcats.
The Dragons’ victory shakes up the OAA Red even more. None of the five teams – Lake Orion, Oxford, Clarkston, Rochester Adams, West Bloomfield – remain undefeated on the season, or in division play. Except for West Bloomfield with two division losses, the other four teams each only have one loss, making the next few weeks of play even more important as teams vie for a division title.
On Friday, Adams fumbled the ball on the opening kickoff of the game, giving Lake Orion good field position to begin its first drive.
The Dragons started the scoring early, with junior running back Jayden Borrero rushing for a touchdown just 50 seconds into the first quarter. Will Hoffman’s point-after-touchdown (PAT) kick was good, giving the Dragons a 7-0 lead.

“I’m proud of my kids. That was a rough week coming off a loss to Oxford, a very emotional game,” Bell said. “We started fast (against Adams), got a turnover on special teams and scored right away and I think that gave us a spark. And our kids played hard and battled. Adams came in 4-0 for a reason. They beat some great teams, we knew they were going to be very good, we knew they were going to fight to the end and we were able to make a few more plays than they did, so I’m so proud of my kids.”
Adams then had an 11-play drive over 70 yards and rushed for a touchdown on third-and-goal, tying the game 7-7 with 5:39 left in the quarter.
The Dragons started on their own 38-yard line on the next drive and got first downs from Jackson Vasquez and Kyle England off a pass from TR Hill to move the ball up field. Vasquez got another first down with 1:59 left in the quarter, Dragons’ ball on the Adams 16-yard line.

With 53.1 seconds left, Hill rushed to the outside for a touchdown. The PAT was good and Lake Orion took a 14-7 lead.
Adams was forced to punt and the Dragons got the ball back, marching down the field. With 7:59 left in the first half, Vasquez scored on a run from the 3-yard line giving Lake Orion the 21-7 lead.
Adams countered on a 25-yard run for a touchdown with 4:34 left in the half, making it 21-14.
Lake Orion had to punt their next possession and Adams took over on the Dragons’ 42-yard line. On 4th-and-9, Adams kicked a 40-yard field goal with 35 seconds left in the half to close the Dragons’ lead to 21-17.

With 2:34 left in the third quarter, Dragons on the 18-yard line, Hill completed a pass to Jamari Cooper in the end zone for touchdown, giving the Dragons the 28-17 lead after the PAT. The 72-yard scoring drive ate up 7:10 on the clock.
On the ensuing kickoff, Adams returned the ball to the 48-yard line. A pass completion put the Highlanders on the Dragons’ 38-yard line, 1st-and-10, with 1:35 left in the third quarter. Adams continued to run plays but failed to convert before the end of the quarter.
On 3rd-and-7 on the 7-yard line with 10:30 left in the game, Adams completed a pass to move to the 1-yard line. The Highlanders then scored a minute later on 4th-and-1 with a 1-yard rush, making it 28-23 Lake Orion.
Adams then went for and converted the two-point attempt, closing the gap to 28-25 to put the Highlanders within a field.
Lake Orion began its drive and moved the chains, but with 6:10 left in the game Borrero fumbled the ball and Adams took over on their own 43-yard line.

On fourth down with less than a yard to go, Adams made a first down with 3:54 remaining.
Lake Orion’s defense then stepped up, pushing the Adams quarterback into the backfield for a 2nd-and-25 after a sack by Dragon defensive lineman Brandon Nepjuk. The Highlanders failed to regain the yardage and gave the ball back to Lake Orion on their own 44-yard line with just over 2 minutes left.
Lake Orion was able to get two first downs and then let the time run out, taking a knee on the final play of the game to secure the 28-25 victory. The game was the 39th between Adams and Lake Orion, with Lake Orion winning 23 games and Adams 16.
“Brandon Nepjuk played great. That sack at the end might have been the play of the game, putting them way behind the sticks,” Bell said. “The defense played well. Adams, it’s hard to stop their offense, they’re so good at it and all you can do is hope to slow them down. You get a few stops here and there – and we did – to let us go up a couple of scores,” Bell said.
The Dragons also had three-year starting quarterback TR Hill back for the Adams game.
“Having TR (Hill) back makes all the difference in the world. He just adds another element to us when we can throw or run it, he’s such a weapon,” Bell said. “The guys in his absence – Brody (Thompson) and Anderson (Adams) – did a great job and they’re going to be great quarterbacks, but you can’t replace TR’s athleticism, his three-year senior leadership, his game. He just came up big.”
Bell also praised three-year starter Jackson Vasquez.

“Jacky’s a leader out there. Jacky plays his heart out every single game. He’s directing traffic sometimes and helping TR out there. He’s a guy we hang our hat on every single week,” Bell said.
While Bell was pleased with his team’s performance, he knows the Dragons need to improve each week to make a run for a league title, and a run in the postseason.
“We’ve got to do a better job with turnovers. Jaden ran the ball really well. We had a turnover there at the end and we had another turnover as well. Ball security is something to take pride in. That gave them a little bit of life there as well.”
Lake Orion travels to West Bloomfield to take on the Lakers (2-3, 0-2 OAA Red) for another OAA Red matchup. Game time is 7 p.m. On Oct. 11, the Dragons host Clarkston (3-2, 2-1 OAA Red) for Homecoming.
Adams plays at Oxford (3-2, 1-1 OAA Red) on Friday. The Wildcats beat Rochester High School, 28-10, in a non-division matchup last Friday.