Lake Oconee Academy hit the road on Sept. 11 to face Twiggs County, hoping to add another win to its 3-0 start this season. The Titans were ultimately successful in their trip to Jeffersonville on Friday night, defeating the Cobras 40-16.
The Titans continue an undefeated season and will conclude their non-region competitions in two weeks, when they host Towers High School. After Friday night’s win, LOA head coach Patrick Stewart said he was happy with his players’ efforts and believed they faced multiple hurdles during the game.
“It was a good win on the road, and our offense was hitting on all cylinders again this week. We had over 300 yards of offense, and our defense held them off, and our young guys were able to get a lot of reps too,” Stewart said. “We had a lot of adversity with their offense. They were really draining the clock, so our guys kept fighting through and were able to take advantage of opportunities when they came because Twiggs County’s goal was to try and keep the ball away from us, time-wise.”
The Titans once again relied heavily on the running game, posting 308 overall yards and six rushing touchdowns. Junior quarterback Jake McDonald went 7-for-9, throwing for 85 yards and an interception, and ran for 50 yards, including trips to the end zone twice before halftime.
“We used Jake’s legs a lot more this game to just see how he would do,” Stewart said. “He made some great decisions when he was going for a pass, deciding to pull it down and run it when he saw space, so he made some great decisions outside, too.”
The Titans maintained 20 unanswered points before halftime, with a three-yard touchdown run from senior running back Griffin Stanford and McDonald’s one-yard scoring run shortly after.
Lake Oconee Academy held a 28-8 lead at the half after senior running back Cam Jeter made a three-yard touchdown. After a scoreless 3rd quarter, the Titans sealed the victory with a 49-yard touchdown run by Stanford and an eight-yard scoring run from senior running back Ty Hiter.
Stanford was named offensive player of the game for his two touchdown runs and totaled 98 rushing yards on six attempts.
With the Twiggs game in the rearview mirror, the Titans now prepare to host Brentwood High School as one of their last non-region matchups of the season. Stewart predicted the War Eagles will present one of their toughest competitions of the year and could set the tone for the remainder of the season.
“[Brentwood High School is] two-time state champions and beat us last year 43 to nothing, so there’s a lot of emotion in this game for our kids because of what they experienced with getting shut out,” Stewart said. “This is the best team we will face this season, and they’re state champs for a reason, so this is going to really show us where we are.”
Overall, Stewart said he hopes to use team practices over the next few days “to see where they are” against Brentwood. He noted that special teams and maintaining “physicality” will play a major role in their upcoming match.
“Our guys have definitely had this one circled because they know, however this game goes, win or lose, this is going to send a message to the region and who we play next,” Stewart said. “We hope these guys compete and use last year as fuel to the fire for this upcoming Friday.”