If you drive through Oakland County on a Friday night in October, you’ll see the lights. They’re hard to miss. In a state where high school sports are basically a religion, Clarkston High School football occupies a very specific, very intense space. It’s not just about the wins, though there are plenty of those. It’s about a culture that feels almost immovable. People around Michigan talk about "The Clarkston Way" like it's some ancient secret code, but honestly, it’s mostly just a mix of brutal consistency and a community that refuses to accept anything less than a deep playoff run.
Success isn't accidental here. You don't just stumble into multiple MHSAA Division 1 state championships by being lucky with the genetic lottery every couple of years. It’s a machine. But even machines have bad days, and that's what makes the current state of Clarkston football so interesting to watch.
The Long Shadow of Kurt Richardson
You can't talk about Clarkston football without talking about Kurt Richardson. Period. He was the head coach for 35 seasons. Think about that for a second. Most people don't stay in the same house for 35 years, let alone lead a high-pressure 6A football program. He retired with 274 wins. That’s a lot of handshakes at midfield.
When Richardson took over in 1987, the program wasn't the powerhouse it is today. He built it. He saw the transition from a semi-rural outpost to a massive suburban powerhouse. The peak—at least on paper—came with the back-to-back state titles in 2013 and 2014. Those years changed everything. It turned Clarkston from a "good local team" into a "national brand."
When he stepped down after the 2021 season, everyone wondered if the floor would fall out. It didn't. Longtime assistant Justin Piszczek took the reins, which was the smartest move the school board ever made. Continuity is the currency of winning programs. If you change the playbook and the culture at the same time, you're dead in the water. Clarkston didn't do that. They kept the grit and just updated the packaging.
The Reality of the OAA Red
The OAA (Oakland Activities Association) Red division is a meat grinder. It’s arguably the toughest conference in Michigan. Every week is a physical toll. You're playing West Bloomfield, Lake Orion, and Rochester Adams. There are no "off" weeks where you can pull your starters in the second quarter.
Because the schedule is so heavy, Clarkston’s record can sometimes look deceiving to an outsider. They might finish the regular season 6-3 or 7-2, and people who don't know better think the dynasty is fading. Then the playoffs start. Suddenly, that team that struggled in Week 5 is dismantling opponents by thirty points. Why? Because they’ve been battle-tested against the best athletes in the state for two months.
The rivalry with Lake Orion—the "Double-O" rivalry—is probably the most visceral thing in Michigan high school sports. It’s more than a game. It’s about bragging rights for two communities that are geographically joined at the hip but culturally distinct. If you lose every game but beat Lake Orion, the season isn't a total wash. If you win ten games but lose to the Dragons? That’s going to be a long winter in the weight room.
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What "The Clarkston Way" Actually Looks Like
People use that phrase all the time, but what does it mean? Mostly, it means you're going to get hit. Hard. Clarkston has traditionally been a team that prides itself on being more physical than you. They want to run the ball, control the clock, and make your quarterback feel like he’s playing inside a dryer full of bricks.
Defensive Philosophy
They usually run a 4-3 or a variation that prioritizes gap integrity. It sounds boring, right? It is. Until you realize that nobody can find a hole. The linebackers are coached to be downhill players. They don't dance. They fill.
Offensive Identity
While they’ve opened things up more in recent years—adapting to the modern spread elements that everyone uses now—they still have that "Old School" DNA. If it’s 3rd and 2, you know they’re coming right at you. They trust their offensive line more than any other unit on the field. In Clarkston, the linemen are the local celebrities.
The Facilities and the "Blue-Collar" Image
There’s a bit of a contradiction in Clarkston. It’s an affluent area, no doubt about it. The stadium is top-tier. The weight room looks like something out of a mid-major college program. But the team markets itself as "blue-collar."
Is it? In the context of football, yes. The workouts start in the dark. The summer conditioning is legendary for being miserable. They embrace the "grind" aesthetic because it works. It keeps the players from getting complacent. It’s easy to feel entitled when you play in a nice stadium, but the coaching staff does a great job of reminding these kids that the turf doesn't win games—people do.
Recent Struggles and the Path Forward
No team stays at the absolute mountain top forever. Recently, teams like Belleville have dominated the Division 1 landscape with a different kind of speed and recruiting-style roster building. Clarkston has had to figure out how to compete with that. They don’t "recruit" in the way some private schools or massive district-wide programs might. They play with the kids who grew up in the Clarkston youth leagues.
That "homegrown" element is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the chemistry is insane. These kids have played together since they were eight years old. They know each other's tendencies. On the other hand, you’re limited by your district's borders. If you don't have a 6'5" wideout in the senior class, you have to find another way to move the chains.
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In 2023 and 2024, we saw Clarkston leaning heavily into more versatile offensive schemes. They’re using the quarterback as a primary runner more often, trying to create numbers advantages. It’s a necessary evolution. If you don't evolve, you become a relic.
The Impact of the Community
Friday nights at Clarkston are an event. It’s the kind of place where people who graduated twenty years ago still show up to sit in the same seats. The Wolves have a massive traveling fan base, too. If they’re playing an away game an hour away, they’ll still outnumber the home crowd.
This community support provides a massive financial and emotional cushion for the program. The booster club is incredibly active. This means better equipment, better film technology, and better recovery tools for the players. It’s an arms race, and Clarkston is well-funded.
But with that support comes a massive amount of pressure. If the team drops two games in a row, the local forums and coffee shops start buzzing. Every parent is a coordinator. Every fan is a scout. Dealing with that noise is part of the job for the players. It prepares them for the next level in a way that smaller, quieter programs just can't.
Notable Alumni and the College Pipeline
Clarkston produces college players like a factory. It’s not just the FBS stars, though there are several. It’s the dozens of kids who go on to play at Grand Valley State, Ferris State, or Michigan Tech.
- Rocco Spindler: One of the most highly-recruited offensive linemen to ever come out of the state. He ended up at Notre Dame. He was the embodiment of that Clarkston physicality—massive, mean, and technically sound.
- Dustin Watkins: A name people still talk about when discussing the "heart" of the 2010s era.
- The Quarterbacks: Clarkston has a knack for producing "game managers" who end up being way more than that. They develop kids who understand the mental side of the game.
When a college scout sees "Clarkston High School" on a transcript, they know a few things are guaranteed: the kid knows how to work, he’s been coached hard, and he won't be intimidated by big stages.
Dealing with the "Big School" Label
Being in Division 1 (D1) in Michigan is a different beast. You are playing against the biggest schools with the most resources. To win here, you need depth. One injury to a star running back shouldn't tank your season. Clarkston’s success is largely built on their "B-team" and junior varsity programs. They develop talent three years before those kids ever see a varsity snap.
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The depth at Clarkston is often better than the starting lineup at smaller schools. That’s just the reality of a school with nearly 2,300 students. But managing that many players—keeping everyone bought in when they might not start until they’re seniors—is a coaching miracle.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Parents
If you're looking to engage with Clarkston football, whether as a parent or a fan, here are some things to keep in mind for the upcoming seasons:
1. Watch the Trenches
Don't just follow the ball. If you want to see why Clarkston wins, watch the offensive guards. Their pulling schemes and trap blocks are some of the best-executed in high school ball. It’s a clinic on leverage.
2. Get Tickets Early for the Lake Orion Game
This isn't an exaggeration. The stadium will hit capacity. If you're not there forty-five minutes before kickoff, you’re watching from the fence.
3. Support the Youth Leagues
The reason the high school team is good is because the Clarkston Chiefs (the youth program) teach the same terminology and systems. If you want the program to stay strong, that’s where the investment of time and coaching needs to happen.
4. Understand the Playoff Points System
In Michigan, it’s not just about wins; it’s about "playoff points." Because Clarkston plays a brutal schedule, they can often get into the playoffs with a worse record than a team in a weak conference. Don't panic if they have a few losses in September.
Clarkston football is a living, breathing thing. It’s evolved from the Richardson era into a modern powerhouse that still values the old-school grit. It’s not always pretty, and it’s definitely not easy, but it is undeniably effective. As long as the community stays this invested and the coaching staff maintains the "no-shortcuts" mentality, the Wolves are going to be a problem for the rest of the state for a very long time.