Warren County defeated Lake Oconee Academy in a low-scoring affair last Friday night in Greensboro.
The Screaming Devils’ defense held the Titans to just 114 overall yards of total offense in the 16-7 win.
During the matchup, both Lake Oconee and Warren County scored all their points in the second quarter.
LOA head coach Patrick Stewart believes his team fought hard throughout the difficult matchup. He said Warren County did a better job of jumping on scoring opportunities and hopes to see his players do the same going forward.
“We’ve just got to take advantage of opportunities [to score] and they just took advantage of two more opportunities than we did.”
The Titans briefly claimed the lead over the Screaming Devils during the second quarter, after junior running back Griffin Stanford scored on a 13-yard run to the end zone. Warren County answered shortly after with an 80-yard touchdown and scored again later in the quarter on a blocked punt.
The Screaming Devils were successful on both of their two-point conversions following the two touchdowns.
“We battled, but if you can score on special teams like they did, that helps,” Stewart said. “If you take away that punt block they scored on and then [Warren County’s fumble recovery] on defense, it’s a totally different game.”
Stewart said that Stanford played an excellent game against Warren County, performing well on both offense and defense. He recorded 14 total tackles, along with his 13-yard rushing touchdown.
LOA sophomore quarterback Jake McDonald threw for 43 yards during the game and led the team in rushing with 40 yards.
Stewart acknowledged McDonald’s efforts from the game and said that he continues to improve by the week.
“He ran a lot more [than usual] in this game just because of the way Warren County was set up; we’ve called his number more in the run game and he did a really great job,” Stewart said.
“He’s only gotten better week in and week out, and when your quarterback is tough like him, able to run the ball, and get up and do it again, the team rallies around them.”
Despite the final score, Stewart believes the Titans’ defense “executed” the game plan and prevented Warren County from scoring more points. He also acknowledged his offense moved the ball well down the field, but struggled to get into the end zone.
“Warren County had a really good defensive line and did a great job up front,” Stewart said. They [managed] to control a lot of the things that hurt us; we were able to adjust and move the ball pretty well, but had some missed opportunities.”
The Titans (2-6, 0-2) now prepare for their upcoming matchup on Oct. 17, when they will play on the road against No. 1-ranked Lincoln County (7-0, 1-0).
Stewart said he wants to see his team keep improving in practice and hopes for a special teams touchdown in the next game.
“I told them that I was proud of them because they did fight; and they had some kids hurt, but they battled through that adversity,” Stewart said. “I also [spoke to them on how] they have a certain amount of opportunities and, so we’ve just got to practice and execute when those arise.”
Lake Oconee Academy will play its next home game on Oct. 24, when it faces crosstown rival Greene County in its final regular-season game.