Orange Lions Outlast Lakeside in High-Scoring Shootout, 61-43

ASHTABULA, OH — The Orange Lions delivered a statement win Friday night, exploding offensively to outpace the Ashtabula Lakeside Dragons 61-43 in a high-octane battle that saw fireworks from start to finish.

Orange set the tone early with a methodical, 12-play, 95-yard opening drive that chewed up over seven minutes of the clock. The drive was capped off by a 5-yard touchdown run from EJ Dowdell, giving the Lions an early 7-0 lead. The defense then made its presence felt when Orange snagged a key interception, setting up quarterback Jonah Frey’s 15-yard strike to Abraham Oliver to extend the lead to 14-0 after one quarter.

Lakeside clawed back in the second quarter with a touchdown to cut the lead to 14-6, but the Lions responded immediately. Frey connected with Chaz Rosiles on a 13-yard touchdown to restore a two-score advantage. Then, with time winding down in the half, Russell Tye broke loose for a 47-yard touchdown run, sending Orange into the locker room up 27-6.

The third quarter turned into a track meet, with both teams trading touchdowns seemingly at will. After a blocked punt by Lakeside led to a 50-yard bomb, Tye quickly answered with a 70-yard sprint to the end zone. Lakeside stayed in the fight with another long touchdown pass, but Orange countered again—Dowdell notched his second touchdown, and Tye added another from 32 yards out. Despite another Lakeside score late in the quarter, Orange held a 47-29 advantage entering the fourth.

Frey continued his sharp night in the final quarter, finding Jordan Eason for a quick strike to make it 54-29. Though Lakeside added another touchdown to trim the lead to 54-36, Tye delivered the dagger—a 50-yard burst for his fourth touchdown of the night, sealing the victory.

Lakeside added one final score, but it wasn’t enough to threaten the outcome as the Lions closed out the night 61-43.

Tye was the star of the show, finishing with a staggering 249 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the ground. Frey had a near-perfect outing, completing 14 of 18 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Rosiles led all receivers with 96 yards and a touchdown.

The win moves Orange to 2-3 on the season. The Lions will look to build on their momentum next week as they travel to take on Painesville Harvey.