RIVALS RUMBLE
Ayden Brooks leads Clarkston to 31-7 win over Lake Orion
LAKE ORION » Clarkston senior Ayden Brooks slid from the slot into the backfield and buried the competition.
Brooks’ four rushing touchdowns in relief of starting sophomore tailback Ethan Clark cleared the way for an emphatic 31-7 Wolves victory on the road at rival Lake Orion Friday night. Brooks normally plays slotback and linebacker.
The No. 1 team in Oakland County, Clarkston is 4-0 and on the rebound from a rare playoff miss in 2019 (the Wolves first postseason absence in 17 years). TheWolves are inthe driver’s seat to reclaim the OAA Red championship.
Clark has been Clarkston’s best offensive weapon the past three weeks, but went out late in last week’s 24-21 overtime win over West Bloomfield with a minor foot injury.
On Friday, Brooks made sure the Wolves didn’t miss a beat.
Brooks scored in every quarter of action. His 6-yard touchdown with 4:18 left to play in the second quarter gave the visitors a 14-0 lead at the half.
His 23-yard score on the first possession of the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty, seeing himcatch the right corner of the Wolves massive line and sprint down the sideline into the end zone while stiff-arming a pair of Lake Orion defenders.
“I got to give all the credit to my linemen, those guys are first class maulers,” said Brooks of his blocking brigade that included three Blue Chip recruits in Rocco Spindler and the Dellinger broth
ers (Garrett and Cole). “Ethan (Clark) is usually the heart and soul of our offense, so it was on me to bring the heart and soul tonight for us to feed on as a group. We made things happen on the ground.”
Junior quarterback Mike DePillo directed the Wolves passing attack and had an air raid raining down on the Lake Orion secondary for most of the first half and third quarter. DePillo’s pinpoint throws set the stage for Brooks’ touchdown trots.
DePillo finished the night 10-of-16 for 191 yards, 110 of those yards being racked up before halftime.
“I found a nice rhythm early and felt real comfortable inthepocket,” he said.
“We showed our balance and depth and didn’t take our foot off the peddle.”
Clarkston was in front 31-0 until the closing seconds and a 15-yard Dom Bruno to C.J. Witt touchdown connection for Lake Orion (2-1) prevented a shutout. Bruno backs up junior quarterback Kyler Carson, who ran for 86 yards on the game.
Last year, Lake Orion pounded Clarkston 5521. Some of the Clarkston team felt like the Dragons ran up the score in the 2019 showdown hosted by theWolves.
“They poured it on us last season, embarrassed us in our own stadium and we let that memory fuel us,” DePillo said. “We came out and dominated from the opening snap. We’re playing some inspired football right now and we don’t intend on stopping anytime soon.”