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Schools

Titans Hold Off Warriors, 21-13, in Final Scrimmage

North Oconee opens its season next week, while Oconee County starts in two weeks.

The annual scrimmage, unlike any other scrimmage, officially ended the preseason schedule on Friday night for the and football teams.

Overflow parking was needed for the large crowd, and because the teams don’t meet in the regular season, it had the feel of a game that counted in the standings. But in reality, it was a way for players to learn how to fight off muscle cramps, and coaches to dissect one more video.

Thanks to a couple of sustained drives, and one big pass play, North Oconee held off host Oconee County 21-13. The Titans now turn their focus to their season opener next week against Arabia Mountain, while Oconee is off until Sept. 2 at East Jackson.

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“This is a grudge game,” Oconee County High coach Mitch Olson said. “Bottom line, they got the best of us tonight. But it doesn’t do anything to what we’re doing. It doesn’t mean you’re not going to the playoffs, you’re not in the region hunt. It just means we can take a look at our weaknesses, and get back on track.”

Titans coach Terry Tuley agreed.

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“It is the county championship, it’s bragging rights for a year,” he said.

Tuley said while his team has depth issues, he was hesitant to insert freshmen into the game because of the magnitude of the rivalry. He was concerned with “scar tissue” if a freshman made a mistake.

The Titans’ scoring plays featured a 59-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Blake Gaubert to receiver Wes Brooks late in the first quarter. Then, running backs James Pinkerton and Dalton Greene tacked on second and fourth quarter TDs, respectively.

Freshman speedster Kawon Bryant had several long runs, but about 150 yards called back on penalties.

“I don’t know what the problem was, we can’t live with that, that’s for sure,” Tuley said. “We didn’t intend to run this much, because we wanted to throw more.”

That plan was altered in the second half when Gaubert fell victim to a full body cramp.

North Oconee lost several players to cramps, but the Warriors’ senior Cole Thurston suffered a right collarbone injury early in the game.

“Overall, it was good to find out what kind of game play condition we’re in, because we’re not close,” Tuley said.

Olson said Oconee quarterback Connor White played pretty well, but the offense bogged down several times when receivers ran the wrong routes. Because of that, the Oconee offense only managed two Jeff Greenfield field goals.

The main highlight of the night for the Warriors came from junior Josh Hood, who returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown with 41.1 seconds left in the first half.

“That kid has really worked hard,” Olson said. “He played corner last year, we moved him to outside backer, and he did a very good job.”

The Warriors are trying to bounce back from a disappointing 3-7 season last year, while the Titans are trying to build off of 2010’s 9-2 season where they had a hard-luck draw in a first-round loss at Westminster. 

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