Dragons Hammer Maples but changes have to be made in 2018.

Written Saturday October 21st at 12:30 AM

Things will have to change next season for the Dragons if they want to get back into the postseason but for tonight it felt like the Lake Orion Dragons of old.

The Dragons used a dominating ground game on Homecoming night in the final game of the regular season with a 45-7 rout of the Birmingham Seaholm Maples.

Dylan Frank had 300 yards rushing including three long touchdown runs of 87, 85, and 47 yards in his final game.

Kobe Manzo added a passing touchdown catch from Blaze Laurer. Manzo also added a rushing score as well.

Parker Blust kicked a 30 yard field goal to conclude the season.

Orion had three sacks from Jordan Lewis and three goal-line stops including two interceptions, one from Tyler Vesterand and Chris Kade.

The Dragons finished the season at 3-6 and 2-5 in the Red but there will have to be some changes heading into next season as mentioned.

Stay tuned to my podcast OAA Now and Between Taorminas for the latest Dragons information.

Dragons Fall to the Wolves.

Written Friday October 13th at 11:40 PM

The Dragons lost a hard fought game on Friday night in Clarkston to the Wolves 17-9 falling to 2-6 and 2-5 in the Red.

Orion was led by Dylan Frank whom had 87 yards and a six yard touchdown. Blaze Lauer had 127 yards, and Drew Van Heck had seven catches for 76 yards. Parker Blust added a 25 yard field goal in the contest as well.

It is the seventh straight time that the Dragons have fallen to Clarkston.

Orion will conclude the season with a game at home on Homecoming against the Seaholm Maples next week.

Dragons Volleyball Bounces Back.

Written Friday October 13th at 12:00 AM

The Dragons Girls Volleyball bounced back on Senior after losing a heartbreaker to Seaholm which cost them a league championship with a big win over the Troy Colts on Senior Night 25-13, 25-19, 23-25, and 25-17 on Thursday night in the Fieldhouse.

The sixth ranked team in the State was led by Riley Hunter whom had 16 kills, Sydney Smith added 15 kills, while Illyra Kalaj had 31 digs, Wren MaCauley had 30 aces, and Erin Collins had 20 assists on the night.

Orion will compete this weekend in the Beast of the East Tournament at Michigan Elite.

Dragons Have Double O Trophy for Third Straight Year.

Written Saturday October 7th at 12:35 AM

The Dragons snapped a two-game losing streak on Friday night in Oxford using a strong third quarter to keep the Double O Trophy in Lake Orion for a third straight year in a 31-14 victory over the Wildcats.

The game started out slow due to the foggy and wet environment on the blue turf but Orion started off on defense with Marcus Brown picking off Parker Fleming giving the Dragons good field position to start the game.

Orion would kick a 24 yard field goal by Parker Blust and a 3-0 lead.

The Dragons defense would stall Oxford which resulted in a long drive which led to a Blaze Laurer pass to Johnny Haggitt for a 11 yard touchdown pass and 10-0 halftime lead.

Orion would then start the second half using Dylan Frank and Tyler Vesterand on the ground and a strong offensive line that dominated the Wildcats up front all night. Vesterand scored from five yards out making a 17-0 game.

The defense would then strike on Oxford’s next possession as Fleming fumbled the ball thanks to Dustin Sokolowski and Chris Cade took the ball back 25 yards resulting in a 24-0 lead.

Orion’s defense would then force the Wildcats to turn the ball over on downs and Frank went 36 yards for a touchdown which resulted in a 31-0 lead.

Oxford would then score two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter but the game was out of reach giving the Dragons their second win of the season.

Orion will be back on the road next week when they travel to Clarkston to take on the Wolves.

Injuries doom Dragons in loss to Maples.

Written Tuesday October 3rd at 10:05 PM

The Dragons saw their Red title hopes slip away on Tuesday night in Birmingham.

The fifth ranked injury riddled team in the State couldn’t complete the comeback against the Seaholm Maples as Orion fell 20-25, 8-25, 25-22, 25-9, and 8-15 to the Maples.

The loss means that the Clarkston Wolves and Stoney Creek Cougars if they win next week will share the Red crown.

As mentioned the Dragons were without Danielle Sargent (ankle), Paige Briggs (back), and Kendall Robertson (back) due to injuries.

Mental errors and mistakes also played a role as well in the contest. Orion battled back in the third and fourth games but didn’t have enough to overcome Seaholm.

The Maples played well tonight being at home against an injury riddled Dragons team but give coaches Heather Lippert and Jason Gambone credit for having Seaholm prepared tonight

The Dragons will have a week and a half off to prepare for their final league contest of the season when the Troy Colts come to the Field House next Thursday.

Thoughts.

Historically the Dragons have not fared well against the Maples in Birmingham but it’s not just in Volleyball but in Girls Basketball and Boys Basketball. Last season in football, Orion had to go to overtime with Seaholm but the Dragons survived 21-14 on that night.

I believe things would had been different if Orion had its team healthy. I think the score would had been different. For sure the Dragons need to get healthy, with the league title gone, there are bigger goals to get and it’s important for everyone to get healthy and on the same page.