Lake Oconee Academy had a disappointing end to last season, losing five straight games and missing the playoffs after starting 5-0.
In the offseason, the Titans lost key leaders like Ike O’Neal, Reid Davis, and Cam Kelley, and now seek younger players to fill those roles.
LOA head coach Patrick Stewart said he is looking for players who are “committed” to the game. He knows that this season’s team will be young, but he has emphasized the importance of commitment to the game.
“Our big saying is ‘Are you committed?’ Or, ‘Are you just participating?’ We're a young team. So we're trying to find what we’ve been used to having,” Stewart. “We used to have guys like Ike O’Neal and Reid Davis. They had played football all their lives and loved the game. They were committed to it. With these younger guys, they’ve got to be committed and not just participants to be great at it. So, that’s been our saying this summer, and we’ve been growing from that.”
Stewart mentioned that a few of those younger players who stepped up this summer are sophomore Jake McDonald and junior Ty Hiter, both of whom are vying for the role of starting quarterback.
Stewart said that both signal callers know pressure is a privilege and have handled it well.
“Jake and Ty, they've really battled it out and done a great job handling that situation,” Stewart said. “We should name a guy here soon, but regardless, they’re in the top 11 on each side of the ball, so they’ll both play a lot.”
Stewart and his staff have challenged their offense by mixing things up, and he’s looked for players who have been committed to studying the new playbook and watching film. It’s important that they understand the various schemes and personnel groups.
Stewart said those kids who have done that will see the field.
“(Our offense is) off personnel,” he said. “We're trying to fit our scheme and all three phases just to match up with our personnel this year. It's definitely based on who we have. We have a great group of skilled players who are all great runners, so we're trying to get them the ball as often as we can. Our linemen aren't the biggest, but they're definitely the quickest, and we aim to get them in space to give them the best chance to block someone.”
Those skill players mentioned by Stewart who have made a big leap this summer are sophomores CJ Stembridge and Alden Barreras. Junior Cam Geter has also improved and fits well in the offense, per his coach.
According to Stewart, senior Dylan Hiter will also be featured in the offense this season.
Defensively, Stewart feels the Titans have improved, with contributors like Christian Robbins, Logan Davis, and Keenan Parham leading the unit. However, he still wants to see progress made each week of the season.
“With the defense, we're not switching much,” Stewart said. “We're still going to stick with the same scheme that we've been using, so that helps us from a learning perspective, especially with the younger guys.”
The goal for this season is to compete for a region championship and a playoff berth. But Stewart doesn’t want his players getting a big head. He saw a little bit of that last season when the Titans started 5-0.
“The main thing I want to see is the mindset of each week we’re focused on winning every day and trying to win that week, rather than being too outcome-focused on the future of the season,” Stewart said. “We could be 5-5, 6-4, 7-3, or whatever. So, we're just taking it day by day and aiming to win each day.”
Overall, Stewart hopes his older group of players can stay engaged and committed, leading the younger guys by example. He still recognizes the team's weaknesses and emphasizes that there is always room for improvement.
“We want to definitely improve in our three areas: discipline, physicality, and toughness,” Stewart said. “We have a new team. We have new guys leading. We have new players coming in, from eighth grade to being freshmen. We're young. So, we just want to see some guys really take a step forward and also grow in maturity."