North Oconee’s first title a mild surprise; next one won’t be

Twenty-one years after opening its doors, North Oconee won its first state championship. Coach Tyler Aurandt (pronounced “aren’t”) led the team, but it was his 10 seniors who remained resilient for four years and, finally, reached their dream.

Going into the 2024 season, North Oconee had just come off its second undefeated regular season in a row, only to lose in the playoffs again.

With 27 seniors gone — the largest graduating class in school history — the 2024 team entered the season with doubters.

Losing that much experience and talent can be difficult, and many players were playing under the Friday night lights for the first time. The Titans opened against a good Oconee County team, winning 21-10. After that, they were ready.

North Oconee cruised through another unbeaten regular season — its third straight — showing the Titans hadn’t missed a step. Having made the playoffs every year at North Oconee except his first, Aurandt took a different approach that offseason, hoping it would lead the Titans past their playoff woes.

“Just making an adjustment in the amount of time we spent on the field and the amount of time we spent, really banging,” Aurandt said. “You want to keep the intensity, but you don’t want to beat them up so bad that late in the season they can’t function on a Friday.”

Depending on the team's depth each year, Aurandt now closely manages the number of hits his players receive weekly. That adjustment may have been precisely what they needed.

The Titans would go on to sweep their way through the playoffs, playing all of their playoff games at home. Aurandt believes winning the region and being able to play at home in the playoffs was one of the keys to the team’s run. North Oconee capped off the season with a 14-7 victory over Marist, winning the Class 4A championship.

“A lot of people had written them off,” Aurandt said of that 2024 team. “They didn’t buy into all the storylines or what everybody had to say around the area. They just went to work. The ride was fun, and it’s something I’ll definitely remember for a long time.”

That senior class started with 25 players in 2021, and by 2024, there were only 10. They graduated as the winningest senior class in school history with a record of 50-6, four region championships and the first state championship in school history. North Oconee is one of only six programs with 50 wins over the past four seasons.

“There’s a lot of pride in that group and what they were able to accomplish,” Aurandt said.

They aren’t talking about that state championship anymore; they’re focused on this season and this team.

Aurandt says this offseason has been no different for the team than the off-seasons before. Since January, he’s told players they would have to go back out and earn it each week. They aren’t an “under-the-radar” team anymore. They will walk into every game with a target on their backs and get everyone’s best.

Like many Athens-area coaches, Aurandt has the privilege to coach players whose fathers coach at Georgia, Georgia Tech or other colleges. This year, he’s got two. Quarterback Harrison Faulkner is the son of Buster Faulkner, Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator, and safety Harrison Luke is the son of Clemson offensive line coach Matt Luke.

“Two of the characteristics that really stand out (about them) are how hard they work and how tough they both are,” Aurandt said. “They’ve been around it (football) for a long time. They see things that maybe some other kids don’t see.”

A Georgia Southern commit, Faulkner was the AJC’s Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year as a dual-threat quarterback. Aurandt views him as one of the most competitive players he’s coached and says his ability to make a play when there’s none to make is what makes him special.

Aurandt believes Luke, a junior, and Charlie Hawkins, a senior who led the team in interceptions last season, are a formidable safety pairing. Luke, who had some injuries last season, could break out if he stays healthy.

Khamari Brooks, who committed to Georgia on Monday, is a do-it-all player as a tight end and edge rusher. He also helped lead the basketball team to back-to-back state championships and made all-state in that sport, too.

“He’s going to be a generational-type player, where you may not get to coach another one like him,” Aurandt said. “He may be one of the most intelligent players that I’ll ever coach. He understands he has a platform. He uses it the right way.”

The Titans will also lean on their three-headed monster of a defensive line in Nolan Bloom, A.J. Fick and Patrick Elliott.

Offensively, expect to see more of running back J.T. Doster, who earned more carries as the season went on last year.

The speedster at wide receiver, Dallas Dickerson, looks bigger and stronger after winning the Class 4A championship in the 100 meters (10.65 seconds). Wide receiver Braxton Goolsby also looks to have a larger role after being a go-to guy for Faulkner in clutch moments last year. North Oconee graduated star wide receiver Landon Roldan, who signed with Georgia.

“We will see what happens (next season),” Aurandt said. “We’ve got a lot of good football teams on that schedule.”

And, they’ve all got the North Oconee Titans on theirs.