Lake Orion chews up clock, controls Pontiac

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

LAKE ORION — What a difference two weeks can make.

Since a lopsided defeat to Oxford in the first week of the season, Lake Orion has grown up quite a bit. The Dragons continued to make strides Friday against Pontiac.

The defending Division 1 state champions graduated 18 starters but looked more like a seasoned ballclub against the Phoenix, rolling to a 40-12 OAA Red Division victory.

The Dragons have yielded only 19 points the past two weeks after being pounded by Oxford, 41-20, in Week 1. Lake Orion defeated Rochester 35-7 a week ago.

“I think we have come a long ways, especially on defense,” admitted Lake Orion coach Chris Bell, who is in his 14^th season with the Dragons. “Davis Rossman has really done a nice job stepping in to lead our defense. Andrew Shafkalis has been strong all along. He’s one of the few (returning starters) that we have back.”

Lake Orion (2-1, 2-0), which has scored 75 points the past two weeks, picked up 220 rushing yards and 163 passing yards, mixing up the offense to keep the Phoenix (0-3, 0-2) guessing. The Dragons controlled the clock, keeping their offense on the field for long stretches.

Sean Charette, Lake Orion’s fourth-year starter at quarterback, led a balanced attack and finished the night 11-for-17 passing for 163 yards and one touchdown against an interception. Jacob Miller chipped in with 79 yards on 18 carries and Charette also had 70 rushing yards on eight rushes for good measure.

Jeremy King had 56 receiving yards, Corey Easter added two catches for 50 yards and Robert Aiello also had two catches for 34 yards for the Dragons.

“Having Jacob Miller back is a big difference. He didn’t play against Oxford and he’s gained some experience last year,” noted Bell. “He’s probably our best (running) back right now.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Charette hooked up with Ester for a 33-yard scoring toss, while Andrew Shafkalis caused a fumble, setting up Jacob Gardner for a 51-yard return on the loose ball. Jeremy King made both extra points for a 14-0 halftime advantage.

Miller put the Dragons in control with a 2-yard scamper and a 20-0 advantage early in the third quarter.

After Pontiac got on the board with a 69-yard jaunt from Anthony Smith, Charette charged back and punched in a touchdown on a 1-yard plunge to push the advantage back up to 27-6.

Michael Upshaw (1-yard run) and Jacob Tepeau (11-yard interception return) capped the scoring for Lake Orion, which led 40-6 in the fourth quarter.

“I think the one thing we have done is that we have improved each week,” said bell.”Offensively and defensively, we have done the little things to get better.

“We’ve had a lot of kids step into bigger roles this season and they are doing a good job,” praised Bell. “Guys like Ethan Gros. He’s one of our younger guys who has come a long ways. When you lose as many starters as we did, you have to have some newer kids step in and I think we’re starting to see that a little bit.”

Johnny McKnight hooked up with Dominique Shaw for a 24-yard scoring pass late in the contest for Pontiac, which misfired on both two-point conversion attempts. McKnight was 7-for-15 passing for 98 yards and Shaw caught two passes for 70 yards for the Phoenix.

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Tags: football, high school football, lake orion football, OAA Red Division Football, Pontiac Football, prep football

Category: High School, High School (M-Z), Lake Orion, Prep Wraps