George Walton Academy defeated Lake Oconee Academy last week, blanking the Titans 14-0 in the season opener.
The Bulldogs used their ground game to down the visiting Lake Oconee Academy for a second straight year.
Last season, George Walton routed the Titans 42-0, so LOA head coach Patrick Stewart looks at this year's loss as progress from a year ago.
“We saw a huge improvement from last year’s game, and the kids made a big statement with the way they played,” Stewart said. “It was a very physical game like we knew it was going to be. We had a lot of opportunities offensively to cut it close and tie it up, but we just didn’t execute like we should’ve.”
The first quarter was slow and ended tied at 0-0, but the Bulldogs were able to reach the end zone in the second. The Titans had several chances to move the ball downfield, but their offense struggled all night.
George Walton's defense slowed down LOA's rushing attack and kept the pressure on new quarterback I'ke O'Neal. On the other hand, the Bulldogs couldn't really get anything going, either, and at the half, they led 7-0.
George Walton added one more touchdown in the fourth quarter to secure the victory as LOA's offense never woke up. O'Neal finished the game 6-of-17 passing for 37 yards with zero touchdowns and interceptions.
“Ike got his first start in his first real game for us and played well. He had to get the first game nerves out, but after that, he started taking over and leading the offense a bit better,” Stewart said. “[Walker] Poyner, one of our running backs, had some great runs and was consistent for us. Our offensive line played physically, but we weren’t able to execute some of our reads and specific plays. We’re still proud, and if the effort and physicality stays the same the rest of the year, we could have a pretty special team.”
Even though it was a loss, LOA played physical in the trenches and held George Walton to under 20 points. The Titans were in tackles by Reid Davis, but Kam Geter, Hayes Fleming, and Jack Walker also played well.
“Defensively, the guys played their tails off. They stuck with the game plan we had and it went well for them,” Stewart said. “The defensive line was always on George Walton’s side of the ball, never getting pushed back. Cam Jeter, Reid Davis, and Jack Walker were some of our brightest spots, but everyone played well, and regardless of a win or loss, we counted it as a win in that regard.”
LOA will return home on Friday night for a game against Towns County at Tucker Field. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.