Lake Oconee Academy (6-3) prepares to host Piedmont Academy (2-7) this Friday at 7:30 p.m.
• Series History: Piedmont Academy leads Lake Oconee Academy 2-0.
• Last Meeting: Piedmont Academy defeated Lake Oconee Academy 34-6 in 2022.
The Titans have never beaten the Cougars in the program’s short history, but head coach Patrick Stewart has had two weeks to prepare to change that.
With two bye weeks between the team’s last game and now, Stewart acknowledged they will be able to focus on the little things at practice.
“When we get back to work, all of our focus is on Piedmont,” Stewart said. “We will have time during the bye week to hit on the fundamentals even longer in practice due to that. Plain and simple fundamentals like blocking, tackling, and ball security. Our guys are ready to get back to work and finish this season strong.”
The emphasis on the defensive fundamentals should benefit Lake Oconee Academy heading into its Senior Night game.
Piedmont Academy has averaged less than 10 points per game on offense, and with how the Titans’ defense has been playing, it might be tough for them to move the ball.
Stewart’s defense has only given up 17 points per game up to this point, and over the last three games, the Titans have held opponents to less than two touchdowns a contest. Titans on the defensive line, Ja’quon Hall and Kaleb Mathis, have combined for 80 tackles with 23 of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. They also have guys like Kam Jeter and Reid Davis behind them who have also racked up a lot of takedowns this season.
On the other side of the ball, Lake Oconee Academy’s offense may be able to expose a Piedmont Academy defense that is giving up over three touchdowns a game so far this season.
Since their last win on Sept. 22, the Cougars have given up a little over 35 points per game. With the form the Titans are in, Stewart’s ground game might pose problems for Piedmont Academy’s defense.
As a team, Lake Oconee Academy has rushed for over 1,500 yards on the year. Cameron Kelley, Walker Poyner, and Hayes Fleming all have over 350 rushing yards up to this point with Kelley having the most at 467.
The Titans also distribute the ball more than most teams. Six players other than the main three running backs have also carried the ball this season, which makes it easier to set up a play through the air.
Junior quarterback Ike O’Neal is a little below 1,000 yards passing on the season, but he’s throwing a touchdown on almost 20% of his completions.
That’s because Stewart’s offense has been able to get teams to commit to their strong rushing attack and leave the secondary open. O’Neal only completed two of his five passes in the last contest against Cherokee Christian, but he was able to find the end zone on his second completion.
Overall, this has been Lake Oconee Academy’s most successful season to date.
A lot of the seniors’ expectations at the beginning of the season was to finish above .500. Now that they have accomplished that goal, the team turns its attention to making sure the upperclassmen end their high school careers on a good note with the program’s first win over Piedmont Academy.