FOOTBALL: Double ‘O’ my, Horneffer, Lake Orion outlast Oxford 52-35 for rival trophy
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
LAKE ORION — Max Horneffer certainly came of age Friday night.
The Lake Orion senior scored on runs of 8,8, 14 and 17 yards and also grabbed a 38-yard reception for another score, as the host Dragons outlasted neighboring rival Oxford, 52-35, in an OAA Red Division contest and stake claim to the Double-O trophy in the series rivalry.
The game also served as the second annual Make A Mother’s Wish foundation cancer research fundraiser.
Lake Orion (2-2, 2-1) clung to a 38-35 advantage in the fourth quarter, until Dylan Frank, who only had one previous carry, broke free for a 43-yard sprint and a touchdown to push the lead back up to 48-38 and swing the momentum back in the Dragons’ favor.
“I thought Max played great — the whole offense played great,” praised Lake Orion head coach Chris Bell. “Max was hurt most of last year, but he’s coming along. Our offense is starting to figure it out a little bit. But it was Max’s best game by far, same for our quarterback Jonathan Marshall.”
Horneffer scored his fifth TD of the contest with 3:10 to play, followed by Parker Blust’s seventh extra point on the evening to cap the scoring for Lake Orion and end the wild affair.
After upsetting defending Division 1 state champion Romeo in the opener, Oxford dropped its third straight. The Wildcats (1-3, 0-3) scored three touchdowns in under four minutes to make a game of it, although the rally stalled out in the fourth quarter.
“We knew Oxford was dangerous,” added Bell. “We kept saying all along that there was a lot of football left. Some of the big plays that they needed to happen, happened. Their special teams had us on our heels a little bit. But we put together a long drive there (in the fourth quarter), then scored again to finish them off. That’s just Oxford. They are going to battle you for four quarters. You can never let up.”
Oxford’s Dallas Winkleman scooped up an on-side kick on the Dragons’ 24. Two plays later, Trent Myre scored on a 3-yard run to close the gap down to 38-35 with 8:25 to play. The Wildcats could not complete the comeback, yielding two more scoring drives to Lake Orion down the stretch.
“It’s simple: You can’t give up 52 points in a football game and expect to win,” sighed Oxford coach Bud Rowley. “Now our kids fought hard — it’s Oxford-Lake Orion. We don’t like Lake Orion too much and Lake Orion doesn’t like Oxford too much. It was a hard-hitting game. But in the end, we gave up too many points to win a football game.”
Lake Orion led 24-14 at the half, scoring the go-ahead touchdown off the wheels of Horneffer (8-yard run) and a 25-yard field goal by Blust in the final 1:08 of the half.
Horneffer picked off Oxford quarterback Parker Fleming and returned it 57 yards down to the Wildcats’ 8 to set up the late field goal.
In the third quarter, Lake Orion broke the game open on its second drive of the period. Marshall connected with Horneffer for a 38-yard TD strike, while Horneffer stuck again with a 14-yard TD Run for a 38-14 advantage with 3:18 to go in the third stanza.
Fleming (7-yard run) and Trent Myre (1-yard run, 3-yard run) all scored in Oxford’s 21-0 rally.
In the first half, Horneffer (8-yard run) and Danny White (16-yard run) scored for Lake Orion, while Ethan Williams (6 and 3 yards) scored touchdowns for Oxford.
Marshall finished the night 9-for-16 passing for 189 yards. Horneffer added seven carries for 60 yards and also had four catches for 109 yards, while Frank had four rushes for 72 yards for Lake Orion, which collected 19 first downs and 426 yards of total offense.
Fleming finished 6-for-14 passing for 66 yards for Oxford. Williams had 157 rushing yards on 26 attempts and Myre added 16 carries for 60 yards for the Wildcats, who still amassed 18 first downs.
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Thank you Dan,
Memories for a Lifetime!! Great article.
All The Best,
Kent Horneffer