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#13 ROCHESTER ADAMS HIGHLANDERS (6-1) @ #12 LAKE ORION DRAGONS (6-1)
Friday, October 16th, 7:00 p.m.
Dragon Stadium

When Adams has the ball:
Anyone who has followed OAA football lately knows Adams has perfected the triple option offense over the years. Even though Adams lost star WR's Cody Wilson and Joe Reynolds, RB Beau Barterian, and QB Andrew Waszak from last year, it appears that their triple option attack has not lost a beat this year. QB Andrew Hammett has erased all doubts about his ability to lead the Adams offense, and has proven himself as a capable runner this year, rushing for around a touchdown per game. Even if Hammett is getting stuffed by the defense, Adams has a stable of running backs who can get the job done. They are led by Matt Rea, Darrian Bell, and fullback Mark Benacquisto, and others such as Alec Pretchel and Chris Young can pitch in as well. By my count, this gives Adams the possibility of 6 threats to run the ball all over the Lake Orion defense. However, the Adams running game will be challenged by a Dragon defense that has made great strides since a season opening loss to Hudsonville. John Hill, Phil Serzo, Kane Hayes, and Jake Ludwig will lead a talent D-Line/LB corps that will likely do a better job containing the Adams running game than the Lake Orion defense did last year. However, you simply can't completely stop the Adams running offense, and expect that a couple of the Adams RB corps get a TD tomorrow. The Adams passing game is much more suspect this year. The bottom line is that Adams does not have a WR as talented as Cody Wilson or Joe Reynolds this year, and their passing game has suffered as a result. However, Tyler Martin and Austin McCleland will try to make a big play or two against a Dragon secondary that is suspect besides star CB Vinnie Booker. Obviously, Adams won't have as much passing success as last year, but I could still see a big passing play or two for Adams, especially if they can get the ground game going.

When Lake Orion has the ball:
Looking back to last year, the Dragon offense got going in the Adams game last year and besides a few blips in the road (7-0 against Eisenhower, anyone?), has really never looked back since that game when Kim Bruce exposed the Adams defense to the tune of 250+ yards. Bruce is back, and he and Marques Stevenson make the Dragon running attack absolutely lethal this year. One can't really even call Bruce and Stevenson a two-headed monster, because they are essentially the same running back, a mix of speed and power that can terrorize even the most formidable defensive opponent. Along with Dan Ney, who is always a threat to score on a reverse, one may think that the Dragon running game would have no trouble matching its output from last year against Adams. However, one must not overlook the vastly improved Adams defense this year. Even before the Lake Orion game last year, it was obvious that defense would be an issue for Adams (take a 28-26 escape victory against Southfield as an example). This year, however, the Adams defense has not shown any signs of being a weakness. The most the Highlanders have given up in a game this year is 15 points to Farmington, and they beat down Southfield 38-0 this year. Last week against a good Harrison team, they forced 9 turnovers to make it all but impossible for Harrison to compete. It all adds up to tougher sledding for the Dragon running game this year. Jordan Sanders is a stopper at nose guard, and Sukhman Sidu is an absolute game changer at defensive end. They will try to contain the Dragon running game, but just like the Adams running game, you just can't expect to stop the Dragon RBs. I expect a TD or two from the running game (perhaps Ney on a long reverse run? I've heard Adams has had trouble stopping reverse plays this year). Lake Orion's passing game also has the potential to slay Adams. Sean Charette is having a little tougher time this year (but can you really expect him to repeat his amazing season from a year ago?), but has still shown he is capable of tearing defenses apart when they stack the box against the Dragons. WR Dan Ney has shown he is always a threat for a long TD pass, as he can beat anyone to the end zone when he gets the ball in the open field. WR's Mike Nelson, Alex Mayo, and Zach Zott have also all pitched in this year. Charette can still try to force the issue, which may lead to an interception or two by ball hawking LB Chad Gierak or the Adams secondary, but I tend to feel Charette will do just fine tomorrow night, as I believe Bell has learned his lesson from the Hudsonville game to just let the passing game complement the main threat of the Dragon running game. Still though, if the running game does well, it will probably set the passing game up for a big play or two.

Bottom Line:
Lake Orion and Adams are two great football teams, and I fully expect that this game will go down to the wire tomorrow. However, I will give Lake Orion a slight edge, because they have a more balanced offensive attack than Adams. Lake Orion and Adams both have very good defenses, especially when it comes to stopping the run. However, whereas Adams is in trouble if they can't find running room against the Dragons, the Dragons can still put together a good passing attack if they can't find running room against Adams. I'll say both the Dragons and the Highlanders running game put their teams on the board with an early TD. Then, the defense stiffens until Dan Ney breaks the game open with a big play TD in the 3rd. Adams gets a FG, but Lake Orion betters that with a Sean Charette TD pass in the early 4th to make it a two-score game. Adams gets a TD in the middle of the 4th to come within one score of taking the lead, but the Dragons defense stiffens from there and Hammett just can't lead the comeback when being forced to pass for the 1st time all season. It all adds up to my final prediction of:

Lake Orion 21, Adams 17