Dragons Win Division One State Title for Volleyball.

Written Saturday November 17th at 5:45 PM

The Dragons are on top of the Volleyball Mountain.

Second ranked Lake Orion clinched their first State title with a 25-18, 25-23, 23-25, and 25-16 over the Rockford Rams on Saturday afternoon in the Division One State Finals at the Kellogg Center in Battle Creek.

Paige Briggs whom has had a big tournament had a huge game against the seventh ranked Rams like she did against Farmington Hills Mercy getting 30 kills, nine digs, and a 491 average while Leighah Boes had nine kills. Wren MaCaulay had 50 assists while Ciara Livingway had 13 digs and four aces while Sydney Smith had seven kills and 11 digs in the game.

Lake Orion would use their balance throughout the game and it showed on the stats above and it showed against a formidable Rockford team.

The Dragons would be the first OAA team to win a State title in Volleyball.

“I did not know that. I knew it was the first at Lake Orion, which is a pretty big accomplishment. To be the only one from the OAA seeing that that’s one of the toughest leagues year in and year out in the state, that is surprising but I knew that these guys had it in them. Just a matter of putting it together at the right time and they were able to do it” said Dragons coach Tony Scavarda to MIPrepZone’s Drew Ellis.

Briggs had 73 total kills in the last two games in Battle Creek. “I have watched a lot of high school volleyball and haven’t seen too many kids just take over games at this level of a tournament the way she was yesterday (against Mercy) and today against that type of competition, such high level teams, she’s been great all year but she took her game to a whole new level in the finals here” Scavarda added about the future Western Kentucky commit.

The Dragons lost to the Rams in the 2011 Class A State Final in three games which was until now the longest they have gone in the State tournament. From 2012 until 2018 Lake Orion hadn’t been able to beat Romeo or Clarkston in either the district or the regional.

They would conclude the season 68-6-1.

Saturday afternoon the mission was accomplished and Lake Orion officially a State Champion in Volleyball.

Dragons Stun Marlins to earn Rematch with Rockford.

Written Friday November 16th at 9:00 PM

The Lake Orion Dragons Volleyball team are heading back to the State Final.

and a rematch is on the horizon with the team that beat them in 2011.

The Dragons came back from a two to one deficit to beat the Farmington Hills Mercy Marlins 20-25, 25-18, 25-27, 25-20, 15-13 on Friday night in the State Semifinals.

Second ranked Lake Orion (67-6-1) who is back in the State Final for the first time since 2011 will play eighth ranked Rockford on Saturday afternoon at 2 PM at the Kellogg Center in Battle Creek.

“It makes up for everything that happened from 2012 on. Not getting as far as we wanted to get, that win right there, probably nobody except for us thought we were going to pull it off. I mean they were the best team, Number One from start to finish this High School season. We knew if we were going to beat them, we would have to play pretty much close to perfect. We didn’t play close to perfect but we played pretty darned good and got it done, very proud of these guys” said Dragons coach Tony Scavarda during his press conference.

Lake Orion battled all night against the top ranked Farmington Hills Mercy.

The Marlins are a well-coached team under Loretta Vogel and has talented players in Jessica Mruzik, Emily Susitko, Logan Beyer, Kayla Shields, and Mallory Conrad.

They have beaten the Dragons three of the four times they met this season.

After the first set which, Lake Orion lost they started to gain momentum and then something changed.

The Dragons believed.

Farmington Hills Mercy whom had not lost a set since September 29th lost the second set and it became a dog fight ever since.

Lake Orion had an unbelievable game from Paige Briggs getting 43 kills and a 429 hitting average. Wren MaCaulay played great with 53 assists, 12 digs, and three aces. Ciara Livingway had 21 digs and five aces while Lauren Bell, and Kendall Robertson were huge as well.

The Dragons needed everyone to be on and they got it.

The officiating in the game was spotty at best and questionable on both sides. Both coaches voiced their displeasure during their respective press conferences.

Thoughts

This is a huge win for Scavarda and his team but he knows the job is not finished.

This will be the first meeting of the season between Lake Orion and Rockford.

It was the Rams that beat the Dragons in three in the State Finals in 2011.

I’m going to take a quote from Natasha Romanoff to Bruce Banner when he was the Hulk from the Avengers Age of Ultron. Romanoff said that the “job is not finished” and it’s not.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

Dragons Heading back to Battle Creek.

Written Tuesday November 13th at 10:05 PM

The Lake Orion Dragons Volleyball team is heading back to the State Semifinals for the first time since 2011 when they went to the State Finals.

Lake Orion beat Flushing 25-17, 25-20, 25-19 on Tuesday night in the State Quarterfinals at Fenton.

The Dragons played lethargic all night which one time in the third set the game was tied 16-16 but Lake Orion pulled through behind their experience.

Paige Briggs led the charge with 13 kills while Sydney Smith had 12 kills. Wren MaCaulay had 28 assists and Ciara Livingway had 23 digs in the contest.

Lake Orion is 66-6 on the season and will play Farmington Hills Mercy on Friday at 4:30 PM in Battle Creek. The Marlins hold a 3-1 season series edge against the Dragons.

It will be interesting on Friday afternoon.

Dragons In State Quarterfinals for the First Time since 2011.

Written Friday November 9th at 12:00 AM

The Lake Orion Dragons Volleyball team took home their first Regional title since the special season that sent them to the State Finals in 2011 with a three game sweep of Stoney Creek 25-18, 25-16, and 31-29 in the Regional Final on Thursday night at Lake Orion High School.

The ninth ranked Cougars handed the second ranked Dragons their only league loss of the season which was a five gamer. The win resulted in Stoney Creek and former coach Ross Talbott winning the Red outright for a second straight season.

Lake Orion though got the last laugh.

The first two games were masterful for coach Tony Scavarda’s team as they would pull away late from Stoney Creek especially in the second set which it was tied at 16-16 for a time. The third set was a tense drama, the Cougars had a 24-20 with one point sending the match to a fourth set that’s when the seesaw began.

Paige Briggs (15 kills) had two big kills and Olivia Long had a block to tie the score at 24-24. The score would go back and forth until Briggs had back to back kills to seal the game.Wren MaCaulay had 26 assists and two aces in the game.

A big difference was the presence of Sydney Smith. Smith did not play in the regular season matchup against Stoney Creek because of an ankle injury but she came back in a big way getting key points in the game.

Lake Orion is 64-6 on the season. They will take on the Flushing Raiders who knocked off Mount Pleasant on the road in five games in the State Quarterfinals at Fenton on Tuesday at 6:30 PM. It will be the second meeting between the Dragons and the Raiders this season. Lake Orion beat Flushing in the Beast of the East tournament 2-0.

It will be an interesting one on Tuesday night.

The 2018 edition of the lady Dragon Volleyball team has traits of the 2011 team.

Written Sunday November 4th at 6:05 PM

I remember the 2011 season quite well in which the Lake Orion community had Volleyball title dreams. It was when then coach Bob Howey took the Dragons to the State Semifinals at the Delta Plex in Battle Creek where they would beat Clarkston in four games but would fall to Rockford in the State Finals in a three game sweep.

It was a great accomplishment to see the pride of Lake Orion in the west side of the State.

I wonder if ever, they would get back to the Kellogg Center??

Seven years later the Dragons have that chance.

Lake Orion in 2011 was a senior heavy team and had players like Shannon Murdock, Liz Kalugar, Gabby Kalugar, Sophie Murdock, Hannah Murdock, Taylor Hargraves, Dana Schrauben, Melanie Heath, Rachel Livingway, and Maddie Hutchinson that made their mark especially beating the likes of Birmingham Marian coached by Irick Gardner and Macomb Dakota that had Carly Snyder whom would go to Florida to play College Volleyball.

The Dragons from 2012-2017 had their chances to do something great but it was either injuries or running through Clarkston or even Romeo when they were loaded led by Gia Milana whom is now at Maryland that derailed their seasons.

This year’s Lake Orion team which is coached by Tony Scavarda whom has done a great job with this team and program. This team has some very similar traits to that of the 2011 team, very senior heavy and talented. The Dragons have two outside hitters in Paige Briggs and Sydney Smith along with Wren MaCaulay setting. Ciara Livingway (Rachel’s sister) and Lauren Bell share Liberio duties. Also Girls Basketball standout Kendall Robinson along with Reagan Goeke handle the middle and they have key players in Leigah Boes, Anika Devendorf, Olivia Long, Sydney Grupenhoff, and Riley Hunter playing big roles as well.

As the Dragons head into the regional, I recall the 2011 regional really well. I lost my voice when Lake Orion played Birmingham Marian that night announcing the game at Lake Orion High School in the regional semifinal. The Mustangs were the two time defending Michigan High School Athletic Association State Champions and the Dragons beat them at home in four games. I remember the crowd storming the court after the upset, it was a great feeling for the girls that night as coaches Howey, former Lake Orion assistant and Stoney Creek head coach Ross Talbott, and John Kalugar high fiving and celebrating along with coach Livingway. That night was a night I would never forget in my career.

When I look at this year’s regional, there are some interesting storylines. Talbott and Scavarda are close friends. Scavarda used to be the Junior Varsity coach under Talbott when he was at Lake Orion. Talbott brings his Stoney Creek Cougars with him to Lake Orion. The Cougars beat the Dragons for the Red title in five games and has a boatload of talent and experience led by Stephanie Smith, Nino Billoto, Sara Thompson, Ava Menzo, and Kate Stration. Troy whom is Lake Orion’s first opponent in the regional is no stranger to the Dragons as they too play in the Red. The Colts are coached by Tom Vigilant who also had Lake Orion ties as he coached the Lake Orion Club program during the Howey years. Vigilant has his fair share of stars led by Jessica Robinson, Athena Sampson, Faith Keading, and Fran McBride. I see that Walled Lake Northern is in this regional but is not well known as the other three teams. They have come a long way and play in the Lakes Valley Conference where they finished second behind South Lyon whom is also still playing. The Knights are very young with only three seniors but is talented for coach Terry Baugman who one time applied for the same Lake Orion job after Talbott left. Walled Lake Northern is led by four very solid players in Olivia Miller, Delia Bechman, Amelia Rienhart, and Lauren Scott.

The regional will be interesting to say the least.

Could this be the time for the Dragons to finally break through?

We’ll find out.

Griffin needed at Sterling Heights, Dragons name new Girls Basketball Coach.

Written Friday October 5th at 2:05 PM

Lake Orion Athletic Director Chris Bell has named Bob Brydges as the team’s next Varsity Girls Basketball coach after coach Mike Griffin was needed at Sterling Heights to coach their Boys Basketball team confirmed on Twitter.

Griffin was the coach at Sterling Heights until 2014 when he took some time off before becoming the Dragons new coach last season.

Griffin will have to rebuild the Stallions program after it went 9-12 last season. Sterling Heights will be a better program this season because of Griffin. He is a teacher in the school district.

Lake Orion will have its fourth coach in four seasons but Brydges is familiar with the program coming over from Bloomfield Hills Lahser when it merged in 2013. Brydges was the coach for the Knights until they merged with Bloomfield Hills Andover and became Bloomfield Hills.

Brydges was in the running for the Blackhawks job but it went to Jeff Rubin.

Brydges came to Lake Orion and worked with four different coaches in Steve Roberts, Kevin Kopec, and Griffin. He coached the Freshman team for three seasons and the Junior Varsity team last year.

Brydges will have a team that has a ton of returners from last season from a team that went 4-16 and moved down the White. Lake Orion has Sophie Wyborski, Kendall Robertson, Paytin Shadaia, Kylie Anderson, Grace Berger, Abbey Maresch, and Meghan Marshall all returning.

Thoughts.

Griffin was needed at Sterling Heights to fix their program and I think he will do a very good job there.

I think it was a great move for Bell to keep the program in house with Brydges. Brydges was a Varsity coach but also coached in the Freshman, Junior Varsity, and the Oakview Eighth Grade program.

It will be very interesting to see what happens.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Dragons Fall to Stoney Creek.

Written Tuesday October 2nd at 11:20 PM

Anytime you can’t close out the deal in a set or game then this is what happens.

The Lake Orion Dragons ranked third in the State could not close out the deal on Tuesday night against the ninth ranked Stoney Creek Cougars. The Dragons fell 25-21, 17-25, 28-26, 23-25, and 13-15 on their home floor.

The Dragons were led by Paige Briggs whom had 30 kills while Kendall Robertson added 10 kills. Wren McCaualy had 55 assists, Ciara Livingway had 43 digs, and Leigah Boes had 10 blocks.

The loss of Sydney Smith who is still out with an ankle injury clearly hurt in this game. With Smith out the Dragons lack of balance showed its ugly head on the night. Lake Orion had to rely on Briggs to carry them throughout and most of the season when Smith was out.

Smith is expected to be back for districts which will help a lot.

Lake Orion had three chances to close Stoney Creek out in the fourth set and likely win the Red crown but the Cougars had a lot more energy and it showed as they forced the fifth set.

The Dragons and Cougars battled to a 10-10 tie in the fifth set but Stoney Creek found a way to get that critical point each time to keep them ahead by one or two points.

Lake Orion now falls one game behind the Cougars in the Red standings.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all that the Cougars and Dragons will see each other again in the Regional Final although Clarkston, Utica Eisenhower, Romeo, and Adams might have a strong say about that come district time.

The Dragons are 41-4 on the season and will head to Adams to play the Highlanders on Thursday night.

Dragons Volleyball Starting to Roll.

Written Saturday September 29th at 1:00 AM

The Lake Orion Dragons volleyball program had a huge win on Thursday night over Clarkston.

The Dragons whom sit at 41-3 and 4-0 in league is still missing Sydney Smith due to an ankle injury won't be back for a few weeks went into Clarkston and beat the Wolves 25-18, 25-9, 21-25, and 25-17.

The third ranked Dragons were led by Paige Briggs whom had 28 kills. The Western Kentucky commit was all over the place for Lake Orion. New Hampshire standout Wren MaCauley had 43 assists and Ciara Livingway had 37 digs and Reagan Groeke had 10 kills on the night.

The Wolves for now is likely eliminated from the Red race but they are expected to be a threat to the Dragons once districts start at Waterford Kettering. Clarkston always get better during the season. 

Lake Orion will have their toughest challenge up to date next week when they host Stoney Creek and former Dragons coach Ross Talbott for what would likely be the Red crown on Tuesday at Lake Orion.

We shall see what happens.

Dragons Back at Level.

Written Saturday September 29th at 1:00 AM

The Lake Orion Dragons pulled off a huge win on Friday night in Southfield.

After losing a tough one last week to West Bloomfield, Lake Orion needed to respond after what happened last week.

They did just that in the rain.

The Dragons scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to stun the Warriors 20-12 on Southfield Arts and Tech’s homecoming.

Lake Orion would start the scoring after trailing 6-0 early with a one yard touchdown by Blaze Lauer giving the Dragons a 7-6 lead which would be the score at the half.

After Southfield Arts and Tech scored to open the third quarter to take a 12-7 lead the Lake Orion’s defense came to life stopping the Warriors offense most of the night.

The Dragons would score a huge touchdown on a gamble as Lauer found Mitchell Howell for an 11 yard touchdown pass giving Lake Orion a 13-12 lead.

Lake Orion’s defense kept stopping Southfield Arts and Tech forced them to punt a couple of times which led to big runs by Marlon Robinson which gave the Dragons another opportunity to score which late in the fourth quarter Lauer scored on a 16 yard touchdown run and a defensive stand put the game away for Lake Orion sending them back to 500 on the season.

The Dragons are 3-3 and 2-2 in the Red. They will host Bloomfield Hills next Friday night for homecoming.

Dragons at Level.

Written Friday September 14th at 11:20 PM

The Lake Orion Dragons are back to 500 with a dominating 42-14 victory at home on Friday night over the Troy Athens Red Hawks.

The Dragons had 427 total yards the whole game including three touchdown passes and a touchdown run from quarterback Blaze Lauer. Lauer did throw a pick six early but Lake Orion had plenty of scoring on the night.

The Dragons opened the scoring when Jack DeBrincat scored from three yards out and a 7-0 lead.

Lauer would then throw the pick six two drives later tying the score at 7-7.

DeBrincat would get his second touchdown of the game giving Lake Orion the lead for good at 14-7

Lauer would then get involved in the scoring throwing to Kobe Manzo from five yards out and a 21-7 lead.

Lauer on the next drive would then rush from 28 yards out closing the half with a 28-7 lead.

The Dragons on the first drive in the third quarter would have three touchdowns called back due to penalties but they did get their touchdown with Lauer found Sam Staruch from 34 yards out and a 35-7 lead.

Lake Orion would then get one more touchdown on the night as Lauer connected with Matt Freeman on a 35 yard passing touchdown to give the Dragons a 42-7 lead.

The Red Hawks would get one more score on the night making the score 42-14.

Lake Orion has a tough matchup coming up as they will travel to the Swamp to take on the West Bloomfield Lakers next Friday night.

Dragons lose two but should be fine moving forward.

Written Monday September 10th at 12:10 AM

It wasn’t a great week for the Lake Orion Volleyball team.

Expectations of being ranked number one in the State in Division One means that you will always have the target on your back.

On Wednesday at Lake Orion, the Dragons fell in two sets to Farmington Hills Mercy but they beat Mount Morris.

On Saturday, the ladies traveled to Novi for the Novi Invitational where it was a strong field which included powerhouses in Clarkston, Novi, Northville, and Utica Eisenhower. Lake Orion went 5-1 on the day which included wins over Lakeland, Plymouth Christian, Berkley, Utica Eisenhower, and the host Novi. The Dragons would run into Novi's arch rival the Northville Mustangs, a team they have beaten already in a tournament. Things went great early for Lake Orion but Northville got the upper hand winning the last two sets and beating the Dragons in three sets in the final giving them their first tournament loss.

Thoughts.

Will Lake Orion drop in the rankings, sure with the two losses but as long as this team is healthy they will always be a threat and will be fine moving forward. The Dragons will head into league play in arguably the toughest division in the State of Michigan (OAA Red), starting with a home matchup with the Oxford Wildcats on Thursday and then they will head to Portage and compete in the Portage Central Invitational on Saturday.

All that matters for this team is that they should thrive get better, not be stale. Focus on winning the league and then making that deep run in the State tournament. It won’t be an easy road but then again, nothing is ever easy and that’s the fun part of sports.

Dragons Get Big W at Adams.

Written Saturday September 8th at 12:00 AM

The talk last week was that the Dragons have hit rock bottom.

The talk now on Friday night was it was a good start to getting back to that foundation.

Lake Orion had to come from behind and beat the Rochester Adams Highlanders 28-24 in Rochester into which the Highlanders introduced their new stadium with new field turf, bleachers, and scoreboard in the process.

The first quarter started with a bang for the Highlanders as Mark Patrino scored rushing from three yards out for a 7-0 lead.

The Dragons would then get a fumble and take advantage of the turnover a few plays later as Blaze Lauer found Mitchell Howell tying the score at 7-7.

Lake Orion’s defense was opportunistic would then get another defensive takeway and in the ensuing drive. Lauer found Kobe Manzo giving the Dragons their first lead of the season at 14-7. Lake Orion would then shut Adams down for the rest of the half keeping their advantage.

The third quarter started great for the Highlanders as they went down the field behind quarterback Carter Farris and Patrino but they would have to settle for a field goal and a 14-10 Lake Orion lead.

The Dragons would then respond going down the field and connecting on a Lauer forth down at midfield. Six plays later Manzo found the endzone again and a 21-10 lead.

Adams would then respond again as Patrino went corner to corner from 25 yards out making the score 21-17 Lake Orion.

In the fourth quarter Farris went deep connecting with wide receiver Reece Collins for a 55 yard passing touchdown and a 24-21 Highlanders lead with ten minutes remaining in the game.

Lake Orion would then respond after a key fourth down stop stopping Patrino and the Adams offense but they needed to overcome another fourth down as Lauer kept the drive alive deep into Adams territory.

The Dragons would then respond with 1:24 left in the game as Jack DeBrincat scored from three yards out giving Lake Orion the lead back at 28-24.

Lake Orion needed a defensive stop and they got it thanks to some key defensive stops that ran the clock out.

This is a huge win for the Dragons and for coach John Blackstock. The offense has seemed to have returned from the doldrums scoring 28 points, doubling the total points in the last two games. The defense had their moments but its still a work in progress.

Lake Orion was outgained by Adams 390-197 but penalties and mistakes doomed the Highlanders in the game. Lauer was nine for 17 for 102 yards and three touchdowns. He would rush seven times for 11 yards. Manzo had 15 carries for 61 yards and five catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns in the game.

Lake Orion is 1-2 and 1-1 on the season and will host Troy Athens next week.

Dragons have hit rock bottom.

Written Friday August 31st at 11:05 AM

The Dragons have hit rock bottom on Thursday night.

Having a big crowd, opening up a new stadium, it just didn't matter the same problems came true as Lake Orion fell to the Oxford Wildcats 28-7 losing the Double O Trophy in the process.

The problems are there which were the same against Lapeer. It is turnovers and time possession football. The Dragons had five turnovers while the Wildcats had two turnovers. (Oxford converted theirs to 21 points while Lake Orion none.) Time possession is another problem, the Wildcats had the football more than the Dragons which included two drives of 14 plus plays which led to points.

Lake Orion couldn't stop Drew Carpenter, Oxford's converted running back playing quarterback this season. Carpenter went seven for nine for 97 yards and two touchdown passes while having 18 carries for 77 yards. Trent Myre had 19 carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns in the game. The Dragons defense also could not get off the field on third down either which kept them in the game longer.

The Lake Orion offense had trouble sustaining drives all night but there was one glimpse of hope on the night when quarterback Blaze Lauer found Matt Freeman on a fade route for a 36 yard touchdown in the second quarter tying the score at 7-7 at the time.

Then it went south.

Mistakes as mentioned doomed Lake Orion, they went for it on fourth down after just converting a fourth down earlier in the drive, instead of punting at the Oxford 43, which led to the Wildcats winning touchdown late in the second quarter. The mishandled punt that led to Oxford's first touchdown in the first quarter and later in the game running back Kobe Manzo fumbled in the third quarter when the Dragons just got a fumble recovery, which led to the Wildcats third touchdown.

Lake Orion is 16-22 since 2014 and sit at 0-2 this season, that's not good. The offense has really struggled, numbers don't lie when you look at it.

Now can this team fix their problems, sure, but frustrations are high and the problems mentioned above is the reason why. Effort is NOT the issue. The schedule does not get any easier for the Dragons as they have to go to Adams (next week) and have West Bloomfield, Southfield Arts and Tech, and Monroe all on the road and have Clarkston coming to Lake Orion.

I think it's time to do some sole searching, have a team meeting, or something. I get that this is a Junior heavy team but there is plenty of leaders on this team. It's important to stay together as a team because right now it's going down a same road that happened last season when the Dragons went 3-6.

This can be turned around but it won't be overnight, it has to be one day at a time.

Why a clean bill of health could go a long way for the Dragons Volleyball chances.

Written Thursday August 30th at 11:30 AM

The Lake Orion Girls Volleyball team sits in a unique spot right now.

21-0, winners of three straight tournaments, and is currently ranked number one in the State in Division One.

The reason why for the good start is a clean bill of health.

The Dragons last season were injury riddled which cost them dearly. They weren’t able to get healthy which cost them the Red and losing in the district semifinals to Clarkston in the State tournament.

This season, things are different as Lake Orion has managed to stay healthy and when healthy they are as talented as anyone in the State of Michigan which is a bonus for coach Tony Scavarda.

Paige Briggs had an injury riddled season a year ago is back and fully healthy along with Leigah Boes who also missed time last season due to injury but is back now healthy.

The Dragons also have Wren MaCaulay at setter along with Ciara Livingway whom is sharing liberio duties with Lauren Bell. Sydney Smith is a solid outside hitter. Riley Hunter who saw significant playing time while Briggs was out last season contributes and Reagan Goeke along with basketball standout Kendall Robertson handle the middle.

Depth is another factor, which the team does have.

One of the factors that Lake Orion could be favored is that they have wins against not only Red foes in Clarkston, Stoney Creek, Oxford, and Bloomfield Hills but they have knocked off Farmington Hills Mercy, St. Catherine Sienna Academy, Northville, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, and Novi in the process.

The Dragons will have their own quad next Wednesday when they host Stoney Creek, Farmington Hills Mercy, and Mount Morris.

The Red will be a challenge for sure which includes road trips to Clarkston, Troy, and Adams but Stoney Creek, Bloomfield Hills, Seaholm, and Oxford come to Lake Orion. They will also play in some tough tournaments as well.

The question for Lake Orion will be is can they stay healthy??? If they do this could be a team that could possibly rival the 2011 team and we know what happened there.

It’s still early but anything is possible.

Dragons Fall to Lapeer.

Written Friday August 24th at 12:30 AM

The Lake Orion Dragons kicked off the 2018 season at Michigan on Thursday night but the game did not go as planned.

The Dragons fell 17-7 to the Lapeer Lightning sending its record to 0-1 on the season.

Blaze Lauer went 8 for 18 for 67 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions while running back Kobe Manzo had ten carries for 24 yards and receiver Drew Van Heck had four catches for 33 yards, receiver Mitchell Howell had one catch for 18 yards and a touchdown along with two carries for five yards, and punt returner Sinai Pilot had a 46 yard punt return.

Brady Apple was 15 for 23 for 149 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown while Jaylen Kirkland had 28 carries for 67 yards for Lapeer.

Lake Orion will play on it’s new home field next Thursday night against Oxford.

Thoughts

The defense was on the football way too much and time possession was a difference maker as well. Lake Orion had one offensive position in the third quarter. Lapeer had a ton of experience as well when you look at Apple, Kirkland, and Parker Dickinson whom transferred from Linden had a nice game on both sides of the football.

Thursday is a must win game.

Volleyball Off to a Good Start.

Written Monday August 20th at 12:20 AM

The Lake Orion Volleyball team kicked off the 2018 season with a bang winning their own invitational in Waterford on Saturday over 27 other solid programs including Clarkston, Northville, Stoney Creek, Troy, Troy Athens, Adams, Rochester, Oxford, St. Catherine Sienna Academy, and Groves.

The Dragons knocked off Northville in the championship game. Lake Orion was led by Paige Briggs (eight kills), Sydney Smith (12 kills), Wren McCauley (25 assists), and Ciara Livingway (14 digs) for coach Tony Scavarda’s team.

But it’s early in the season and danger looms.

Injuries happen in sports and it hurt Lake Orion last season with injuries to Briggs, Kendall Robertson, among others.

The Dragons won their own invite last year but injuries as mentioned doomed them later in the season and was prevalent in their five set loss to Seaholm.

It’s also important to know that they are in arguably the toughest division in the State, the OAA Red. 

The league is very talented starting with the team that eliminated Lake Orion from the State tournament last season in Clarkston. The Wolves have talented players in Clare Nowicki and Sierra Kersten, among others for coach Kelly Averall-Pinner. Stoney Creek is very good led by Stephanie Smith and Kate Stration, among others,  not to mention the Cougars head coach is former Dragons coach Ross Talbott. Bloomfield Hills is led by Alexa Rousseau but they are going through a coaching transition. Troy has Fran McBride and Jessica Robinson for coach Tom Vigilant. Oxford has improved under coach Brian Kim. Adams has a ton of talent back for coach Bridgette Harding. Seaholm is always Seaholm.

It’s going to be an interesting season, if this team can stay healthy throughout the season and improve very similar to Clarkston then good things will happen.

Once districts come, the question becomes is can this team beat the Wolves when it counts? It will always be a war between Lake Orion and Clarkston, it always is and it won’t change.

Field has been named new Hockey Coach at Oakland University.

Written Tuesday May 22nd at 8:05 PM

The Lake Orion Hockey team will have a new leader come next winter.

Nick Field has accepted to coach the Oakland University ACHA team next winter. Field spent eight seasons coaching the Dragons.

“I want to thank former Athletic Director Bill Reiss for giving me the opportunity here at Lake Orion and current Athletic Director Chris Bell for his tremendous support of the Lake Orion hockey program. I want to thank the parents and supporters for all of their commitment to build LO Hockey, without your support the program wouldn’t be where it is today. I also want to thank the student body for giving our players an exciting environment to play in” Field said in a statement.

Field departs Lake Orion with a 103-70-18 record.

“Most of all I want to thank the players that I’ve had the opportunity to coach throughout the years. You are the only people that truly understand how much dedication, effort, and passion to be a successful team and I hope you carry that with you throughout your lives. You provided me with a tremendous experience while at Lake Orion and I thank you for that” Field concluded.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Orion names their new Boys Soccer Coach.

Written Monday April 16th at 2:25 PM

The Dragons didn't have to look far to find their new Boys Varsity Soccer Coach.

Chris Corteg is now the face of Lake Orion Soccer.

Corteg whom is currently the Girls Varsity Soccer coach was named the Boys Varsity Soccer coach taking over for Matt Paukovitis.

Corteg is a well known name in the Soccer community gaining success in the High School, Collegiate, and Club levels.

"I have seen the progress Chris has made with our girls, completely reshaping and building that program. We are fortunate that Chris is in a place in his life where he has the time to dedicate the best to both programs" said Lake Orion Athletic Director Chris Bell in a press release.

Corteg will have the same staff in place with the Girls Soccer team with the Boys. Lake Orion will play in the White division this upcoming fall. "I am excited to bring both programs under the same coaching staff. Along with Chris, we have a great soccer staff and I'm excited for them to work with the boys and the girls. Coach Corteg and I have the same vision and that is to have soccer programs that do things the right way and win championships. Our kids deserve that" Bell concluded.

Thoughts

I like this hire a lot, Corteg brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the Lake Orion Boys Soccer program. He will take over a team that does need to change things up a bit but the talent will be there for this team.

It will be interesting what Corteg does now that he is the new face of Dragons soccer.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Paukovitis Out at Orion.

Written Thursday February 15th at 11:05 AM

There will be a new Boys Soccer coach in Lake Orion this fall.

According to press release released by Dragons Athletic Director and former football coach Chris Bell, Lake Orion Boys Soccer coach Mike Paukovitis has stepped down from coaching.

Paukovitis has coached the Dragons beginning the season in 2008 and the program has seen a ton of success under his watch.

Bell mentioned in the release that he thanked Paukovitis efforts on coaching the team and looks for the future. “Coach Paukovitis is in a place of his life where the time and demands in his professional career as well as his commitment to his family do not allow him to dedicate the time and effort needed to successfully our high school soccer program. I understand and respect his decision. Matt began coaching at Lake Orion in 2008 and the program has seen periods of great success. Several of his players have gone on to play at the college level and he has established Lake Orion as a solid player in the high school soccer world. I am thankful for his efforts. That being said, we look forward to the next chapter in Lake Orion Boys Soccer and we are going to hire a coach that will take us back to the championship level. Oakland County has a rich history of elite soccer programs and Lake Orion can be on that level.”

It will be interesting whom Bell hires as the team’s next soccer coach but he has an idea where to take the program.

We shall see what happens.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.