Lake Oconee Academy’s football couple faced off against George Walton Academy on the road last Friday.
The Titans fell 13-6 to the Bulldogs during the rainy Friday night competition, marking their second consecutive loss following their season opener at Mount Paran Christian School.
LOA head coach Patrick Stewart, a George Walton alumnus, was pleased with the team’s defensive performance, despite the game's outcome. He believes the offensive line has made progress over the last week, but there is still room for improvement on that side of the ball.
“We were in to make some plays, and sometimes we were in position, but we just didn’t make them when we needed to,” Stewart said. “Offensively, we’ve just got to continue to get better and get the ball in the end zone.”
During the game, sophomore quarterback Jake McDonald struggled, completing only 3 of 9 passes for 34 yards. His longest completion was a 20-yard reception to junior tight end Jon Funderburke.
The Titans’ offense ran for 153 yards overall, with freshman running back CJ Stembridge leading the way with 61 yards. Junior wide receiver Kam Geter added 59 yards. Sophomore running backs Marcus Rhoes and Alden Barreras also got valuable touches in the loss.
The team struggled to move the ball all night and didn’t reach the end zone.
LOA’s points resulted from two field goals in the third and fourth quarters. Junior kicker Leo Inostrosa scored his first three points with a 21-yard kick, and the next field goal from 47 yards out.
“This week, we’re just going to continue taking steps forward in all positions, and our kicker did well [against George Walton],” Stewart said. “He kicked a 47-yarder in that weather, and that was a really great job.”
Stewart believes his defense also made multiple “great plays” during the performance, crediting sophomore cornerback Parks Higham, who intercepted a George Walton pass in the second half. He mentioned, however, that there were some missed tackles throughout the matchup.
“We were in positions that made some great plays defensively, but we had missed tackles and stuff that we keep on working every day,” Stewart said.
Shortly after the game, Stewart spoke to his players about why they couldn’t let the outcome determine the remainder of the season. He began his speech by crediting the players for “fighting extremely hard” throughout the game.
“The next thing [I told them] was just that, we’re a young team and we can’t afford mental mistakes if we want to win games,” Stewart said. “And I was telling them that there’s nothing we can do about it now; we just gotta put it behind us, get better, and move on.”
The Titans have two more weeks until their first home game of the 2025 season, when they will face Glenn Hills. Stewart believes the home-field advantage will help the players’ performance-wise, but they love the game either way.
“It’s always nice to be able to play at home, but these guys just love to play football, so they’ll play anywhere,” Stewart said. “We love to coach them, and as long as we get to play every Friday night, these guys love to do it.”
LOA will hit the road again on Aug. 29 to face Hancock Central. Stewart noted that the two teams faced off during the 2024 season, with a “similar offense” to that of its competition, George Walton.
“We had a great comeback victory [against them] last year,” Stewart said. “These guys, they’re very fast, and they’re elusive, so we just gotta be able to contain them defensively and tackle.”