Lake Oconee Academy’s football team started its action-packed summer workout schedule a few weeks ago.
The Titans are using this summer to grow closer as a team and try to improve before the start of the year. Their head coach, Patrick Stewart, said he wants to see more consistency from his team.
“We’ve been doing well and been getting after it in the weight room from a strength and conditioning aspect,” Stewart said. “I was telling some of the parents this is the most consistent attendance we’ve had since I’ve been here. In the past two weeks, it’s been a step in the right direction.”
Last week, Lake Oconee Academy also traveled to Oconee County for a passing camp at Athens Academy. The Titans brought all their skill players and secondary to face tough competition at the camp.
Stewart was pleasantly surprised when his team surpassed expectations at the camp on only their third day of summer practice. Their performance was a testament to their hard work and potential.
“It was only day three for us because we started so late and didn’t have a summer camp,” Stewart said. “We finally had our whole team going into that camp, and they did well. It just shows that we have such a veteran group, especially with a lot of seniors. You could tell we didn’t miss a beat.”
Another takeaway from the passing camp at Athens Academy for Stewart was that his team was competitive. The Titans faced much bigger schools and held their own against the competition, such as Parkview, Athens Academy, White County, Oconee County, Madison County, and Cherokee Bluff.
Stewart wanted to see how his team fared against much competition and was impressed.
“The main thing was that we just wanted to go out there and compete,” Stewart said. “Our quarterback, Ike O’Neal, made some great throws and great reads with it being so early into the summer. We also have a great core of skill group players, so it is going to be an exciting fall.”
Lake Oconee Academy will host a padded camp later this month, with several area teams coming to compete at Tucker Field. The Titans’ main goal is consistently improving over the next few months.
Stewart hopes his players use time wisely this summer and continue to improve on and off the field.
“Another main goal is using the weight room and conditioning periods to start building that mental toughness, as well as physical toughness, and try to implement that physicality now,” Stewart said.