The Lake Orion boys track team had its collective backs against the wall last week in the Oakland Activities Association Red Division championships.
Clarkston had built up a substantial lead through its strong showings in the field events.
In order to win, the Dragons had to exhibit some depth and win some relays and dashes.
According to Coach Stan Ford, the team was trailing and things weren’t looking very good.
The problems were compounded because sprinter Corey Ester was out so the team needed its seniors and others to step up.
‘We were losing 52 – 17.5 after field events, so we had to perform very well in the running events,? Ford said.
‘Lake Orion won all of the relays; the 3200m Relay, 800m Relay, 400m Relay, and finally the 1600m Relay which allowed us to win the meet. ‘That team consisted of junior Tanner Fraser, sophomore Sheldon Drake, senior captain David Diaz, and senior captain Kirk Hansen.?
Lake Orion’s Jacob Hatcher won the 100, Sheldon Drake the 200 and Kirk Hansen the 800 for the Dragons, who also piled up points by getting third and fourth place finishes.
The final score was Lake Orion 153.5 to Clarkston’s 152.
Here is how the Dragons fared:
LONG JUMP ?1. Merrick Canada (Clarkston) 21-2 1/2, 2. Caine Watlington (Clarkston) 21-1 1/2, 3. Jacob Hatcher (Lake Orion) 21-1/2.
DISCUS THROW ? 1. Connor Bandel (Oxford) 157-10, 2. Lance Dunbar (Rochester Adams) 135-1, 3. Logan Shadaia (Lake Orion) 123-4.
3200 RELAY ? 1. Lake Orion (Mike Bonniei, Jacob Arenz, Kirk Hansen, David Diaz) 8:10.8, 2. Clarkston 8:14.65, 3. Stoney Creek 8:26.85.
100 DASH ? 1. Jacob Hatcher (Lake Orion) 11.48, 2. Nash Popovic (Rochester) 11.57, 3. Nolan Eriksen (Clarkston) 11.61.
800 RELAY ? 1. Lake Orion (Jacob Hatcher, Sheldon Drake, David Diaz, Zach Arnold) 1:30.54, 2. Clarkston 1:31.16, 3. Rochester Adams 1:31.5.
1,600 RUN ? 1. Grant Henley (Clarkston) 4:24.69, 2. Andrew Lorant (Lake Orion) 4:28.13, 3. James Schuler (Rochester) 4:29.01.
400 RELAY ? 1. Lake Orion (Sheldon Drake, Jacob Hatcher, Zach Arnold, Kevon Woodward) 43.96, 2. Clarkston 44.74, 3. Rochester 45.50.
400 DASH ? 1. Brant Santana (Rochester Adams) 50.70, 2. David Diaz (Lake Orion) 51.75, 3. Tanner Fraser (Lake Orion) 53.01.
300 HURDLES ? 1. Jordan Shive (Rochester Adams) 39.76, 2. Zach Arnold (Lake Orion) 41.22, 3. Mitchell McCord (Clarkston) 41.47.
800 RUN ? 1. Kirk Hansen (Lake Orion) 1:57.03, 2. Nathan Heierman (Clarkston) 2:00.55, 3. Logan Bruni (Oxford) 2:03.78.
200 DASH ? 1. Sheldon Drake (Lake Orion) 22.93, 2. Nolan Ericksen (Clarkston) 23.44, 3. Kevon Woodward (Lake Orion) 23.48.
3,200 RUN ? 1. Grant Henley (Clarkston) 9:38.35, 2. Andrew Lorant (Lake Orion) 9:49, 3. Michael Jarvis (Lake Orion) 9:51.40.
1,600 RELAY ? 1. Lake Orion (Tanner Fraser, David Diaz, Sheldon Drake, Kirk Hansen) 3:25.07, 2. Rochester Adams 3:26.12, 3. Clarkston 3:33.67.