Written Tuesday December 1st, at 12:07 PM
As the MHSAA football season comes to a close with the crowning of eight state champions, most football players will fully ship their focus from football to either Basketball, Hockey, or Wrestling when it comes to winter sports. Also most players in January will go back to the weight room, as everybody else would do and work-out on conditioning and strengthening their bodies for the next football season at 6 AM until the first bell that starts the school day off at 7:30 AM.
At Lake Orion the atmosphere is no different, several players will be doing basketball, some will do hockey, some will do Special Olympics basketball, and others will do wrestling. Also there are others who will be doing power-lifting. In Power-lifting the Dragons have one of the best weightlifting programs in the State, also they have delivered two state championships. Basketball and Wrestling will go through transition period, as they are replacing two coaches, one who retired and the other one was fired.
Orion Wrestling coach Doug Kline retired after taking his Dragons to the Wrestling State semifinals before bowing out to Rockford last season, Kline leaves with one State Championship, being in 1990. Orion will still be a power once again in Wrestling, under Doug Kline's apprentice in waiting, who will get his chance to keep up the Orion Wrestling tradition.
In Basketball things are different, last season Orion hired Lance Davis to be their next head coach, after taking over for the retired Jim Manzo, things did not go so well last season as the Dragons finished last in the Oakland Activities Association White division and had a dismal 3-17 record, finishing with a 4-18 record with a loss to OAA Red division and arch rival Clarkston in a rout in the District Finals. After the year Orion fired Davis after issues with some of the players, and replaced him with Junior Varsity Coach Mike Shafikalas, Shafikalas coached the JV team last year at Orion, his record as coach of JV was very deceiving because most of his best players went up to varsity, with a 5-15 record. This season the players trust him and his system, maybe something special could be in store at Lake Orion this season if the players can trust their coach and their coach can trust the players.
The Dragons Den gives out it's deep respect to the Russell family, after their loss of their son Robert. Robert played Junior Varsity football this season as a sophomore. He would have been on varsity for his junior season of football, we would all miss him, god bless.
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Very sad to hear about the loss of such a young person.
ReplyDeleteSammy, what was LO's bball record when Maynard was with them? I figure it has to be pretty good since one player can really carry a team in h.s. bball.
ReplyDeleteWe were 17-3 is Sophomore year, my Senior Year of High school, I thought that was his best season was his Sophomore year and also my senior year.
ReplyDeleteHis Junior year 16-4, and his senior year 13-7 at Orion
Sammy
good blog sammy. you write well. Im sorry the Stars lost...:)
ReplyDeletenot sorry the stars lost! do u like Maynord playing at OU? do u follow him?
ReplyDeleteSammy instant replay would end high school football
ReplyDeleteSammy all I have to say is I wish i loved something even half as much as you love Lake Orion sports.
ReplyDeleteVery thorough. Nice post.
ReplyDelete