Jasper County defeated Lake Oconee Academy 12-6 in a defensive battle this past Friday.
The Titans had multiple chances to take a lead, but their offense struggled to capitalize on turnovers and good field position. Even though the offense never clicked, the team’s defense continued its strong play.
Second-year head coach Patrick Stewart admitted that the Hurricanes have a good team and that his guys were able to match their effort and intensity to keep the contest within reach.
“Yes, Jasper County was a great team and full of talent, but defensively we were killing it,” Stewart said. “We had some busted assignments and missed tackles, but we still held a really explosive team to 12 points. Our kids give relentless effort at all times, but what we have to learn is that the one play you try to take off is usually the one that hurts us. We have to have all 11 hats flying to the ball.”
The first quarter started with a methodical drive from Jasper County’s offense, which was eventually dispatched by LOA’s defense. The Titans were able to stop the Hurricanes on a fourth down inside their own territory.
After moving the chains a few times, kicker Knox Van Mol knocked in a chip shot to put the Titans up 3-0. Unfortunately for Stewart’s squad, the Hurricanes answered the very next possession with a long touchdown run ending with a failed two-point conversion.
The next score didn’t come until the third quarter when Jasper County found the end zone again – making it 12-3 following another failed two-point conversion.
Van Mol gave Lake Oconee Academy a little life in the fourth quarter after making a 30-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to six points, but the Titans couldn’t find the end zone after that.
One of the few bright spots for the Titans was freshman Kam Geter.
The two-way athlete led the team in tackles and receiving yards, and he contributed to recovering a kickoff after LOA made its first field goal.
Stewart acknowledged Geter has been instrumental in the Titans’ ability to give his team a spark, but that the offense will ultimately need to be better going forward.
“The offense is the big question mark from everyone in the community right now. Coach Bennett does a great job, but at the end of the day, we have to get the kids to execute, so we are going to keep it simple this week to gain confidence,” Stewart said. “Geter is one of those coaching blessings. He loves this game and everything that goes into it. He is undersized right now but he doesn’t let that hold him back. Wait until his sophomore year when he has had a full offseason program with us. The kid is going to be a freak athlete.”
With the loss, Lake Oconee Academy drops to 2-3 on the season and now prepares to travel to Loganville Christian Academy next Friday.