Lake Oconee Academy opened its season last Friday with a 7-0 road loss to Mount Paran Christian.
It was a storm-ridden week all across the state, and that hurt the Titans with their preparation for this game.
“We faced a lot of adversity throughout the week with the lightning and storms,” LOA head coach Patrick Stewart said. “So, we weren’t really able to have a true practice all week.”
Weather delays weren’t the only thing that hurt the Titans as their offense struggled to get anything going against the Eagles.
“Offensively, the first half we were down and the second half we picked up the pace and finally started doing our job across the board,” Stewart said.
He added that Jake McDonald and Cam Geter had a great game running the ball, but after the offense finally got together in the second half, they couldn’t execute enough to put points on the board.
“We lacked execution offensively, so our focus going into this week is just executing on everything across the board,” Stewart said.
Mount Paran runs the triple option, so being stout on defense is important against that type of offense, and that’s something the Titans did well.
“We had everybody rallying to the ball, and the one they scored on was just a great play on their part,” Stewart said.
The Titans will look to get into the win column this Friday against a familiar opponent in George Walton Academy. This will be the second of a four-game road series to start the season.
“We’re excited for this one,” Stewart said. “George Walton kids and our kids are pretty close together, so it’s a good rivalry for them.”
Stewart also played football at George Walton, so he has deep ties to the community and expects it will be exciting for him to return.
The Titans took down the Bulldogs 21-3 last season, but George Walton returns its talented offensive duo in quarterback A.J. Dillard and running back Zach Wolf.
“Offensively, they have some great skill players and have a great duo running the ball,” Stewart said. “Defensively, they hustle to the ball and play physical, so it’s going to be a really good game.”
Kickoff against the Bulldogs will be at 7:30 p.m. in Monroe.