Lake Oconee Academy dropped its first game of the season on Friday night, falling 37-24 to Landmark Christian.
The Titans were off to their best start in school history, winning the season's first five games, but now fall to 5-1.
“We beat ourselves, and that was the main theme from the film sessions,” Lake Oconee Academy head coach Patrick Stewart said. “We had everything negative happen that will make you lose.”
LOA had two turnovers that resulted in scores for Landmark Christian, more than 100 yards in penalties, and missed key tackles.
“When you have all three of those, it’s hard to win a game,” Stewart said. “We were the better team out there, but having those three, you can’t fight back.”
The Titans came out firing early and surged to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter, but then the War Eagles outscored them 30-3 the rest of the way to secure their 13-point win.
LOA’s offensive unit wasn’t the problem, totaling 363 yards. According to Stewart, it was the senseless penalties.
“We wouldn’t change the plan, but we [need to] fix our mistakes,” Stewart said. “We moved the ball well, but when we had key plays, we had penalties, which killed our momentum.”
Senior quarterback Ike O’Neal completed 7 of 15 passes for 139 yards, including a 22-yard strike to Kam Geter. Running back Walker Poyner also contributed, rushing for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.
“Our plan [on offense] was great,” Stewart said. “Walker [Poyner] had another great game running the football.”
The Titans’ defense gave up 377 yards of total offense, but Stewart said the unit had a good plan.
“They did have some great skill guys, so credit to them, but we held them pretty good,” he said. “We wouldn’t change the plan but fix our mistakes.”
No coach ever wants their team to lose, but this defeat came at a good time for Lake Oconee Academy.
“It woke the kids up and humbled them a little bit,” Stewart said. “We had a great practice today, and that loss had them working again at a higher intensity.”
The Titans are now on a bye week before opening region play against Washington-Wilkes next week.
“I think the bye week came at a great time,” Stewart said. “Having that split between region and non-region will help us.”
The Titans may have lost, but everything they want is still within their grasp. Region play begins next Friday, and they plan to push for their first-ever playoff berth this year.
“Our goal is to continue to win each day,” Stewart said.