Lake Oconee Academy is looking to turn the page after missing the playoffs during the program’s first varsity season in 2025.
The Titans battled through a difficult start last year, opening with nearly four consecutive weeks of road games and dealing with weather disruptions before finishing with a 2-8 overall record.
Now, with less than two weeks until the 2026 season opener, LOA is preparing for a fresh start. The Titans will host Mount Pisgah Christian School on Aug. 21 before beginning an alternating schedule that will send them on the road every other week.
LOA head coach Patrick Stewart is entering his fifth season leading the Titans. As summer practices come to a close, Stewart said he has been pleased with his players’ effort and believes the team has taken a step forward through conditioning and weight training.
“With our numbers, guys are going to have to play on both sides [of the ball], so we always try to take pride in being the most in shape,” Stewart said. “We’ve had some physical practices, and they have really exceeded expectations for what I thought we would be.”
After last season’s struggles, Stewart said the team’s focus has been on continuing to improve each day. While the 2-8 record still motivates the Titans, he believes the experience gained last season will help them moving forward.
“We try to have that short-term memory mindset, but that is also a good fuel for our fire to beat that record,” Stewart said. “We ended with Greene last year, but have them as our first region game this year. That’s a good hometown rival; it packs out the stadium, and the players love it, so that will be great for them.”
In preparation for the 2026 season, Lake Oconee Academy spent the early part of the summer focused on strength training before transitioning to more on-field work. The Titans also held a padded camp at the end of June before the GHSA dead period.
“During our padded camp, we really focused on physicality, getting used to those pads and the heat, and getting everything ready for next week when we play our scrimmage with Bethlehem Christian and The Walker School,” Stewart said.
The Titans return junior quarterback Jake McDonald, who will once again lead the offense, while Kam Geter, Griffin Stanford, and Alden Barreras are expected to handle the workload at running back.
Stewart said Barreras will have an expanded role this season.
“He is our guy that we can give 20 to 25 carries a game,” Stewart said. “He’s hard-nosed, runs the ball hard, and seeks contact rather than trying to juke, so he kind of gets that momentum going.”
Lake Oconee Academy also enters the season with more experience after having just four seniors on last year’s roster. The 2026 team features 11 seniors, and Stewart believes the group can provide valuable leadership.
The Titans’ captains this season will be Logan Davis, Jon Harris Funderburke, Ty Hiter, and Stanford.
Stewart said the group will contribute on both sides of the ball while setting the tone for their teammates.
“Our whole senior class is going to make a huge impact, top to bottom,” Stewart said. “We’ve got different leadership traits from vocal to lead by example. The rest of that senior class is going to have to troop on the field, and they’ve been with us since sixth grade when this program started. It’s been good to see them grow and mold into what they are today.”
During the 20262028 GHSA reclassification cycle, the Titans remained in Region 8-1A and face familiar opponents such as Greene County, Warren County, Washington-Wilkes, and Lincoln County.
Lake Oconee Academy will also see several new non-region opponents, including Greenville, Crawford County, Brentwood, Towers, and Twiggs County.
“Just the region as a whole, it’s all competitive, I mean, those are going to be four-quarter ball games every time,” Stewart said. “We played Crawford County three years ago and wanted to get that game going again, because our kids know a lot of their kids and vice versa; so we have a little rivalry, too, for that game.”
With more experience returning this season, Stewart said he believes the Titans are further along than they were a year ago. The goal, he said, is to continue taking things one game at a time.
“Our goal is to try not to look too far ahead, and really reflect on each game after it ends,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be nice to see their progress, because we were young last year and now we’ve kind of got it under our belt with older guys now.”