Two weeks have passed since Lake Oconee Academy last took the field, with a region-opening victory over Greene County. With that win under their belts, the Titans knew the bye week would be crucial as they prepared to take on a high-powered Washington-Wilkes offense on Oct. 16.
The Titans (6-2) held off the Tigers for most of the evening, taking a 14-0 lead shortly before halftime. Despite their efforts, Lake Oconee Academy fell in a 14-16 defeat, as Washington-Wilkes quarterback Mayson Mingle threw a 99-yard touchdown in the final minutes.
The Tigers’ offense remains one of the highest-scoring lineups in the 1A class, with 286 points this season and five wins by 50 points or more.
“We went into this as 26-point underdogs and, you know, we led 14-8 for a while, and it was a battle back and forth,” said Patrick Stewart, head coach of the Titans. “I’m just extremely proud of the toughness and effort that they showed, and I think we shocked Washington-Wilkes by coming out the way we did.”
Lake Oconee Academy quickly added points to the board on Friday night, when junior quarterback Jake McDonald ran for a yard into the end zone. In the next quarter, he threw a 51-yard touchdown to junior Wide Receiver Troy Evans, giving the Titans a 14-0 lead.
Shortly after, Tigers’ quarterback Mingle threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 14-8 at the half.
The Titans offense produced 244 yards total against the Tigers, compared to Washington-Wilkes’ 195.
Lake Oconee Academy again leaned on the running game, posting 146 rushing yards, with junior running back Alden Barreras leading the charge with 71 yards on 16 carries.
Stewart said his team struggled occasionally with the Tigers’ larger defensive line, but believes the outcome boiled down to penalties, aside from Washington-Wilkes’ “explosive” touchdown in the final minutes.
“Washington-Wilkes has some really big defensive linemen up front, a lot bigger than our guys, so they definitely controlled the line of scrimmage at times. But a lot of times we kind of beat ourselves,” Stewart said. “Our run game was successful, but whenever you get behind the chains on second and 13, that kind of hurts us. We just need to eliminate those mistakes going into this next week.”
The Titans return home this Friday to host Warren County on senior night Oct. 23, before heading into another bye week. Stewart said that to be in a “good position to execute,” his team needs to focus on multiple areas, including discipline, footwork, and hand placement over the next few days.
“This one definitely hurt, but regardless, I’m really proud of our guys, the fight they showed and being such underdogs,” Stewart said. “There’s no easy way to put it, and it did hurt our kids from a morale perspective just because of how much they wanted this, but we hope they respond well and get back into the swing of things this week for Warren County.”