OLA @ OCONEE COUNTY VARSITY LACROSSE

WATKINSVILLE - In a 13-1 win, the Oconee County Warriors came out on top against the Ola High School Mustangs.

Nick Knisely was the Warriors’ leading scorer with four goals. The team has reached double digits in each of their last four games.

“I feel good about it,” Knisely said. “Obviously we play better competition throughout the season, so keeping my skills warm throughout the season is important.” 

Knisely is continuing his lacrosse career after high school and when asked about it he said, ”When I graduate it’s not going to be the last game, I just want to continue getting better and better as I move up to the college level.”

The Warriors got a quick lead at the beginning of the game scoring two goals in just over two minutes. This came from getting possession and setting up their offense as quickly as possible. Oconee County was 10-for-17 in possessions from the faceoff for the night.

“When you can possess the ball in lacrosse it's a big thing. When you think about timing possessions and your opportunity to score, those are really big. We’ve got to find our opportunities when we can get them,” said Warriors coach Ryan Smith. “That all starts off with our face-off guy.”

Ola's biggest challenge was their defense. Oconee County was able to swiftly dodge past Ola’s defensive middies at the top of the box, allowing the Warriors to score consistently. Ola’s defense also had five penalties that put the Mustangs in a man-down situation throughout the night.

While the win was cemented early on, the Warrior’s senior squad wasn’t as satisfied as one might expect. When asked how they would grade their performance, Knisely said, “B-” with which the rest of them agreed. “We could play better. We were the better team but with sloppy plays here and there, we just need to get better and keep it sharp.”

Oconee County takes on Evans High School just two days from now. The Evans Knights are 4-4 this season and are in the larger 6A-7A division. They will be more of a challenge for Oconee, who is now 6-2 after tonight’s game against the Mustangs.

Ola faces off next against the Trinity Christian Lions who are 7-1 this season. With a strong record and players like midfielder Trevor Griffin who has 11 goals this season for the Lions, Ola will need to improve or they will continue to struggle. 

Longer Follow Through

WATKINSVILLE - In a 13-1 win, the Oconee County Warriors came out on top against the Ola High School Mustangs.

Nick Knisely was the Warriors’ leading scorer with four goals. The team has scored in the double-digit range their last four games.

“I feel good about it,” Knisely said. “Obviously we play better competition throughout the season, so keeping my skills warm throughout the season is important.” 

Knisely’s mother happened to be filming the game in the press box. She informed students in the Sports Media program at UGA about their family’s legacy in lacrosse. Nick’s grandfather Kurt Knisley was a lacrosse legend in the state of Georgia. He passed away this past January. 

Kurt Knisely said, “I am coaching a Team, the Club exists to drive the business to support a Team on the field.” This quote was featured in a recent article posted on the Georgia Tech Lacrosse website in his remembrance. 

Knisely coached first at Georgia Tech then after the 1974 season moved to Athens where he started the club team at The University of Georgia.

Nick Knisely is keeping that family legacy going and continuing his career after high school. When asked about it he said, ”When I graduate it’s not going to be the last game, I just want to continue getting better and better as I move up to the college level.”

It was clear based on this game that possession is key for the Warriors. They were on offense for the majority of the night and won 10 of the 17 possessions from faceoffs.

“When you can possess the ball in lacrosse it's a big thing. When you think about timing possessions and your opportunity to score, those are really big. We’ve got to find our opportunities when we can get them,” said Warriors coach Ryan Smith. “That all starts off with our face-off guy.”

As for their opponent, the Ola High School Mustangs and their defensive skills needed improvement. They are a fairly new program which was evident from their smaller roster seen on the sideline. Their next game is against the Trinity Christian Lions who are 7-1 this season. The Lions are a more comparable team to Oconee County.

The seniors for Oconee County are hungry for more of a challenge. Their last four games have been easier opponents compared to their matchups they have coming up. 

When asked how they would grade their performance, Knisely said, “B-” with which the rest of them agreed. “We could play better. We were the better team but with sloppy plays here and there, we just need to get better and keep it sharp.”

“We haven't really played that many good teams,” said Warriors senior Will Fuller. “When we play good teams it’s a lot closer but our last four games have not been that good of opponents. We’re playing three really good teams with our next three coming up so that's where it’s offense that matters.”

The first of those next three games will be against Evans High School. The Evans Knights are 4-4 this season and are in the larger 6A-7A division. They will be more of a challenge for Oconee, who is now 6-2 after tonight’s game against the Mustangs.