Lake Oconee Academy entered the summer with some catching up to do.
A deep baseball playoff run left the Titans with little traditional spring football practice, making June workouts critical to their preparation for the 2026 season.
Now three weeks into summer workouts, LOA head coach Patrick Stewart likes what he has seen.
“We’ve had consistent numbers and consistent attendance, which is always the number-one thing you want to look for in the summertime,” Stewart said. “Guys are getting bigger, faster, and stronger.”
With many players occupied by baseball during the spring, Stewart and his staff focused on working with the available players. Once the full roster returned, the emphasis shifted toward installing offensive and defensive schemes and getting everyone up to speed.
“Our main focus has really just been us because we weren’t able to have a spring,” Stewart said. “Just getting ahead of schedule from that standpoint of all of our installs and getting in shape.”
The Titans are being led by a senior class that Stewart has coached for several years.
“They’ve been coming up since seventh grade together, which has been awesome to see them grow every day and each year on the football field,” Stewart said. “The whole class is just full of guys that love football and love each other.”
Stewart pointed to Logan Davis as a player who leads by example, while long snapper Matthew Vaughn has become one of the team’s most respected leaders. Vaughn has battled a disease that affected his growth and size, but Stewart said his perseverance provides daily motivation for his teammates.
“He is such a light for the guys,” Stewart said. “It’s a good motivation for our guys to not take it lightly for what they have to be out there on that field.”
Other senior leaders include Griffin Stanford and Jon Harris Funderburke. On offense, the Titans plan to continue utilizing the run-oriented scheme that fit their personnel well a year ago.
Stewart said the system allows LOA’s athletic offensive linemen to operate in space while creating opportunities for multiple playmakers.
“It fits us really well because of our personnel,” Stewart said.
Leading the offense will be quarterback Jake McDonald, whom Stewart praised for his leadership and command of the system.
“Jake’s a great leader,” Stewart said. “He’s a great quarterback for us and does really well in this system of putting us in the right spot.”
McDonald will have plenty of weapons around him. Stanford, CJ Stenbridge, Marcus Rhodes, Alden Barreras, and Cam Geter are among the returning skill players expected to contribute.
“There are a lot of talented guys in that skill group,” Stewart said. “We’re able to have fresh legs, rotate guys in and feel confident getting them in there.”
The defense returns nearly intact from last season. Stewart said the Titans lost only Dylan Hiter and Corrion Jernigan to graduation, leaving a veteran unit that is comfortable in defensive coordinator Mark Miller’s system.
“These guys are a veteran group, and they’ve been in the system now for so long,” Stewart said. “It’s natural to them now. There’s not much thinking going on. They just go out and play fast.”
That speed is paired with a physical brand of football that remains a hallmark of the program.
“We want that mindset of seeking contact,” Stewart said. “We want 11 hats around the ball at all times.”
Whether it’s defenders swarming to the football or offensive players hustling downfield to support a teammate, Stewart wants effort and physicality to define the Titans.
“We really pride ourselves in effort and physicality, and these kids do a good job exemplifying that,” he said.
LOA will begin testing itself against outside competition later this month with a 7-on-7 event against Bethlehem Christian. The Titans are also scheduled to attend a padded camp on July 15 at Robert Toombs Academy.
Because they did not hold a spring game, the Titans will have two preseason scrimmages before opening the regular season. LOA will participate in a jamboree- style event with Bethlehem Christian and The Walker School before facing Social Circle in a second preseason scrimmage.
For Stewart, the goal over the next several weeks is simple: continue building on the momentum established during the first three weeks of summer workouts.
“So far it’s been great,” Stewart said.