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While watching that game last night I couldn't help but think I was seeing a contest between size and athleticism. Clarkston just plain out skilled the much larger Dakota team. The Wolves O-line, giving up a good 40 pounds a man, used footwork and seal blocks, giving the quick and crafty Tyler Scarlett (great QB name BTW) that tiny split second he needed to shred the Dak D.

I came to the game knowing nothing about Dakota, except their rep. My first impression was, Wow....Big! But I left seeing a team that I suspect easily bullies less athletic teams than the Wolves, with their size, but really only has 3 skilled athletes on the team....a trio of Jr's sure to keep them in the hunt next year. QB Mark Morris, a kid with an immature arm but great feet and field vision, is a surefire player to watch. RB Brandon Hughes can run like a snowplow, yet still move laterally to find a crease most impressively for a big back. And Deandre Smith, a dual threat, their only real receiver and the only reason Clarskston had to be cautious in their passing game.

Still, to call the Wolves the states best, I would have to see them play someone with size equal to Dakota but more depth athletically....can anyone say CC?

The 14-17 Clarkston halftime lead, hinted towards a barn burner. But the Wolves intermission adjustment was one that accentuated their athletic superiority, as they infected Dakota with Scarlett fever, turning their the six foot senior loose. Behind some of the slickest David vs. Goliath O-line play I've ever seen, he found well timed seal block creases play after play that had the big Cougar fellas spinning in circles. At one point early in the third, he had run 5 keepers in a row, picking up a couple of first downs. The frustrated Dakota D, packed in tight and focused on the QB, who rolled, stepped towards the Dakota onslought, took two deft steps back, and chucked a bomb to PJ Lannon (I think thats who it was) and Dakota was effectively finished.

If Clarkston could borrow just 3 or 4 of those Couger bigs, they might easily be the states best. But I think they are going to see somebody as big and more athletic than Dakota, before long. I hope they do well, they are a fun team to watch.