FOOTBALL: Clarkston grinds out playoffs win over Lake Orion
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
Instagram: stickradtdan
CLARKSTON — Defense was the name of the game during Clarkston’s unexpected run to the Division 1 state championship last season.
The Wolves gave up only 38 points over five postseason games and yielded only 7.6 points a postseason contest.
Clarkston opened up its title defense in 2018 with another sterling defensive effort, topping rival Lake Orion for the eighth straight time in a 30-7 Division 1 pre-district victory.
Reaching the postseason 16 straight seasons, Clarkston has now won at least one playoff game in 12 of those 16 campaigns.
“I thought we played better as the game went along,” offered Clarkston coach Kurt Richardson. “I didn’t think we held them to a lot of three-and-outs in the first half. We played much better defense (in the second half).”
Locked in a 7-7 draw midway through the first quarter, Clarkston tacked on two more touchdown drives to go into the locker room up 21-7. The Wolves put the game away by adding three second-half field goals.
“Last year was last year. We’re taking it one game at a time,” said sophomore lineman Rocco Spindler, a key cog for the Wolves each of the past two years.
Clarkston scored on a pair of three-play drives to grab the lead for good late in the first quarter.
Jake Jensen’s 57-yard heave to Josh Luther with 8:51 to go in first quarter set the Wolves’ table for a 7-0 lead.
Lake Orion (5-5) knotted the game at 7-7 with 3:07 left in the opening quarter on Blaze Lauer’s 9-yard scamper.
Jansen countered by zig-zagging 22 yards for the touchdown with 1:42 remaining in the first quarter, then the Wolves put together another swift seven-play drive that was capped by Jake Honstetter’s 1-yard plunge 8:46 left before the half.
Tristan Mattson’s connected on field goals of 45, 30 and 34 yards in the second half to help Clarkston pull away. Mattson also converted on all three extra point attempts in the first half to account for 12 of the Wolves’ 30 points.
“Tristan Mattson was awesome tonight,” smiled Richardson.
Lake Orion outgained Clarkston 192-146 in the first half. The Dragons were held to only 65 yards of offense after halftime with only 21 rushing yards over the final 24 minutes.
“It’s a credit to their defense,” said Lake Orion coach John black stock. “They stepped up when they had to. They’re a great football team and great football teams play defense like the in the postseason.”
Both teams provided goal-line stands in the first half to keep the game close.
“We made a couple of key stops and we did move the football some (in the first half),” said Blackstock.
Honstetter finished with nine carries for 61 yards and Jake Billette added 46 yards on nine carries for the Wolves. Jansen finished 7-for-11 passing for 121 yards for Clarkston.
Lauer had 62 rushing yards on 11 carries and finished 9-for-20 passing for 90 yards for Lake Orion.
Clarkston will host White Lake Lakeland next Friday for the district title, which would be the school’s sixth in seven seasons.
Category: Clarkston, Detoit Demolition, Football, High School, High School (M-Z), Lake Orion, NOS reference, Prep Wraps, Sponsors, Top Stories, Uncategorized
