GREENE COUNTY
Lake Oconee Academy football is having a historical year in terms of success in its third season ever.
After defeating Cherokee Christian last Friday with a late touchdown, the Titans made history, setting a program record with six wins, but they’re not done yet.
Second-year head coach Patrick Stewart told the Lake Oconee News he was proud of the way his team fought for that important victory.
“It was definitely a hard-fought game,” Stewart said, “I was extremely proud of our team for how hard they battled.
We continue to improve on tackling and pursuing the ball on defense, and offensively, we have a lot of work to do, but I am so proud of our relentless effort and finding a way to win.”
Lake Oconee Academy won the contest with a late touchdown pass from Ike O’Neal to Reid Davis in the fourth quarter, putting the Titans up 13-6 with no time left..
It was the Titans’ defense that came up big in this low-scoring affair, and Stewart recognized that the unit stuck to the game plan well.
“Our defensive plan was perfect,” Stewart said. “They didn’t do anything at all that we didn’t see during the week. The kids flew around to the ball and tackled well.”
Both teams finished with less than 150 yards of total offense, but the Titans were able to win the special teams battle.
Not only was Lake Oconee Academy able to get good field position, but kicker Knox Van Mol made two important field goals while also flipping the field on the punt team.
Stewart attributed the win to Van Mol’s play and credits him with being a dangerous factor for other teams to consider.
“Van Mol has become a big threat to our opponents,” Stewart said. “He is consistent from 35 yards out, which takes the pressure off of your offense, and can flip the field on punts when you need him to.
Not to mention, he also is a really good athlete that plays wide receiver and defensive back.”
At halftime, both teams were tied at 6-6, and the third quarter produced no scoring from either side; however, the Titans were able to put together a successful drive on one of their last possessions of the fourth quarter.
After running the ball seemingly all game, O’Neal completed his second pass of the night for a touchdown to Davis to put the team up 13-6 with little to no time left on the clock.
It was a slow, methodical game, but Stewart believes his offense stood its ground and followed the game plan well.
“Our game plan offensively was patience and waiting for the right opportunities to strike,” Stewart said. “We didn’t hit a few that we wanted but scored when it counted the most. As always, O’Neal led our team down the field and made the play when his number was called.”
Going forward, Lake Oconee Academy has two bye weeks in a row before playing its last game of the season against Piedmont Academy at the beginning of next month.
Stewart understands that the team needs to stay focused on this extended period off so that it can finish the season on a positive note.
“When we get back to work next week, it’s all focus 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.”