Wolves forfeit two games, effects the OAA Red race.

Written Monday September 12th, at 11:00 PM.

This is a shocker throughout high school football, one community, the OAA red, and the entire state of Michigan.

The Clarkston Wolves had to forfeit two games this week due to an ineligible player.

The reason why the Wolves took this move was because they played an ineligible player during the first two weeks of the season (Adams and West Bloomfield.) The Clarkston athletic department and longtime athletic director Dan Fife found out that a home schooled student took an online class in the summer before arriving to Clarkston and that the paperwork wasn't in on time before the season started.

Wolves coach Kurt Richardson played him only five snaps in the two games, both Wolves victories (28-21 over the Highlanders and 34-7 over the Lakers) but didn't know that the player he played was ineligible to play until Richardson found out of the paperwork and was notified by the athletic department.

The Clarkston athletic department just found out this weekend about the incident. They had just finished the paperwork and Fife had to report it to the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). The MHSAA agreed that the Wolves forfeit two games and that they can keep the 40-20 victory over the Red Hawks from Troy Athens last week.

For the Wolves this is a devastating setback. The red is still not lost for the Wolves, they do have a big game this Friday at Troy and if the Wolves lose to the Colts, then they must beat Rochester (road), Lake Orion (home), and the crossover opponent (home) just to have a shot at the playoffs if that was the case.

The two biggest winners of Clarkston forfeiting games is Rochester Adams and West Bloomfield. For the Highlanders it insures them of getting in the playoffs but they still have a long road with games against Oak Park, Oxford, Southfield, Harrison, and Stoney Creek looming. For the Lakers they got a win over Clarkston but this week the Lakers play the Dragons and the next week they play Troy both thankfully are at home, the two weeks for the Lakers is going to be tricky.

With Clarkston's forfeit the Wolves fall to a fourth place tie with Troy Athens at 1-1 in the Red. The Wolves do own the head to head victory over the Red Hawks but trail the Lakers, Colts, and Dragons for the OAA Red crown by a game each.

Now what does the Wolves mess all mean for Lake Orion???

It means nothing, nothing at all. The week eight match-up is likely going to be Harrison, a match up all long that the Dragons had wanted since the 28-6 disaster last season in Farmington Hills. This game could also help playoff points big time with the Hawks likely coming in unbeaten.

The Hawks will be favored big time in this game because some in the media have said that this is Harrison's best team under coach John Herrington with their skill athletes (tight end, defensive back/wide receiver and star lineman going to either Michigan or Michigan State football. They said that this Hawk team is even better than the Drew Stanton led or Mark Dell lead teams in the past 41 seasons of Harrison football and that is saying something.

However the Hawks may face some tough obstacles, besides going up to Oxford, the Hawks have not fared well north of the M-24 corridor, the Hawks are 1-2 against the Dragons in Lake Orion since entering the OAA. Also the Dragons rarely lose at home, the last loss being in 2007 to Adams. The Hawks in their past history have had some battles with the Dragons especially at Lake Orion.

The game the Dragons really must have is the Troy game on the road on October 1st. If the Dragons can win that game over the Colts then they will likely be in the postseason without having to beat Clarkston or Harrison just to get in.