OAA Sideline Report

Sideline Report Playoff Edition: Thrillers, Blowouts in First Round

Late field goals doom Athens and Lake Orion, while Seaholm and Groves can’t keep pace with their OAA White opponents.

There wasn’t a whole lot of middle ground for Oakland County teams in the first round of the high school football playoffs. Local teams either lost big or battled it out until the final seconds. Which side was your team on? Here’s a recap of all the action: Quote of the Week: "My challenge for you is to handle yourself with the same class and dignity tonight after a loss as you have after victory,” Lake Orion head coach Chris Bell said to his team after Friday's 20-17 loss to Walled Lake Central. Stat of the Week: five That’s how many lead changes there were in five overtime periods between Troy Athens and Romeo on Friday night. The teams combined for only 14 points in regulation and then the game turned into a shootout. Both schools …

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Vikings Slay State Champion Dragons in Last-Minute Playoff Thriller

Walled Lake Central High School beats Lake Orion High School 20-17, advances to Round Two of MHSAA tournament.

Coming into the Division 1 playoff game with a 6-3 record each, Lake Orion and Walled Lake Central high schools helped kick off the MHSAA Tournament Friday night on the Dragons' home turf. In the end, the defending state champions would fall to Walled Lake Central High School. Walled Lake Central started off the game with 10 unanswered points, but by the end of the first half, the score was tied at 10 each. Both teams' quarterbacks scored touchdowns in the third quarter. Zac Leimbach ran one in for Walled Lake Central and Sean Charette scored for the Dragons. In the final two minutes of the game, Walled Lake Central faked a punt and threw a first down completion caught by defensive back Joe Preni. The play brought them within the 30 yard …

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