GREENE COUNTY
The Lake Oconee Academy football team is hosting Oglethorpe County at Titan Stadium on Friday at 7:30 p.m. for the fourth game of the season.
• Series History: Oglethorpe County leads the series, 1-0.
• Last Meeting: Oglethorpe County defeated Lake Oconee Academy 42-0 in 2022.
The Titans are coming off two consecutive victories and have a great deal of momentum heading into their matchup against the Patriots this Friday.
The two programs have a short but rich history, including a 42-0 loss for Lake Oconee Academy in last year’s installment and a couple of heated moments during camps and other events this past offseason.
Second-year head coach Patrick Stewart told the Lake Oconee News that he understands how much this game will mean to his players.
“Playing Oglethorpe is a great rival for our kids,” Stewart said. “A lot of our players know their players, especially on our home field. This is going to be a really physical game and should be a lot different than last year’s contest.”
Lake Oconee Academy struggled in last season’s game against Oglethorpe County on the road.
The Titans’ defense gave up 35 points in the first half, with three touchdowns (four total) coming on the ground and two through the air.
Offensively, Stewart’s young team actually had negative rushing yards at the end of the contest. The team’s only success came from its passing game where it racked up 71 yards on five completions.
This time around, the Titans have a much more balanced game plan with physical players to carry it out on both sides of the ball. On top of that, most of Stewart’s guys have one more year of experience under their belts.
This isn’t the same Titans team the Patriots faced a year ago. The offense just ran for over 200 yards in two consecutive games, and the defense returns the most starters on the team.
After analyzing film, Stewart believes they can have some big moments on both sides of the ball that could turn the tides in their favor come Friday night.
“They run the ball well and have a lot of big bodies up front,” Stewart said. “Defensively, they do some different things coverage-wise, so I’m excited to see how Ike [O’Neal] and our wide receivers adjust on the fly with our different checks. Some of our special teams’ goals include blocking a kick or returning one on a kickoff. I have a feeling we can do that in this game.”
Ultimately, both programs are excited to line up across from each other again, and Lake Oconee Academy is much more equipped to handle Oglethorpe County’s size and playstyle than they were a year ago.