The Lake Oconee Academy football team recently had several players earn postseason honors.
The Titans had 12 players named to the Class A Division II Region 8 All-Region team.
LOA head coach Patrick Stewart said he was proud of those players.
“We’re extremely proud of these young men,” Stewart told the Lake Oconee News. “Being named to the All-Region team is a reflection of their work ethic, commitment to the program, and the standard they’ve set on and off the field.”
The Titans had four players garner All-Region first-team defense honors. They were defensive lineman Logan Davis, linebackers Griffin Stanford and Jon Harris Funderburke, and defensive back Parks Higham.
Five more LOA players — quarterback Jake McDonald, running backs CJ Stembridge and Marcus Rhodes, offensive lineman Christian Robbins, and kicker Leo Inostrosa — were named to the second-team offensive unit.
The Titans also had linebackers Dylan Hiter and Luis Rodriguez, plus defensive back Corrion Jernigan, make the second-team defense.
Stewart said these dozen players represented the team well on and off the field.
“Individual honors like these are earned through team success, and these players represented our school, their families, and our community the right way all season,” he added.
LOA went 2-8 overall and 0-4 in region play, missing the playoffs. However, the future is bright, as 10 of the 12 Titans named to the All-Region team were underclassmen.
Stewart is confident his team can bounce back next season, as many of the younger players earned valuable snaps in 2025. He acknowledged the team lost a lot of senior leadership from 2024, and this year, underclassmen had to step up.
“We lost our really good leaders, and I was worried about who was going to be those guys that fill those shoes, if not get better,” Stewart said after the season ended. “And each week, what’s funny about it is, it was new people every time.”
The four-year head coach is also excited about the rising senior class.
“Our junior class is really stout,” Stewart said. “They’re like last year’s senior class. And so those guys are going to be really, really good for us and probably really similar. So there’s no hesitation in competing next year. I think we compete in everything we do, and if not, change the trajectory of this upcoming season.”
The group will reconvene in January for offseason workouts.