Putnam County evened its record at 2-2 with a dramatic 16-14 upset of Haralson County last Friday in Tallapoosa.
The War Eagles beat the Rebels on the last play from scrimmage. Trailing 14-10 with the clock winding down, Putnam ran a reverse. Senior quarterback Ethan Whatley took the snap, rolled right, and pitched the ball to senior wideout Jayson Smith, who ran nine yards in the opposite direction untouched into the end zone.
“It’s just a simple reverse that we run every day in practice,” Putnam County head coach Joel Harvin said after the win. “We keep it in our back pocket in case we ever need it. We hadn’t run it in a game yet.”
The score capped off a long drive that started deep in Putnam territory with under a minute left. The War Eagles' defense stopped Haralson on a fourth down before the offense took over with Whatley leading the charge.
Whatley made several plays through the air, connecting with wideout Bill Waters a few times downfield. Putnam got down to the Rebels’ 3-yard line and had a chance to score and take the lead, but a pass from Whatley was dropped in the end zone. A penalty also backed the War Eagles up five yards to the 8-yard line.
That’s when Harvin called the reverse, and the rest was history.
“Ethan Whatley put together an incredible drive, man. That’s for the ages,” Harvin stated. “He ran for all the yards he gained and threw a couple of passes. Before you knew it, we were down on the 3-yard line. Oh, and we were right there, ready to score. Then we ended up getting a penalty. We ran a play to score, and there was a guy open, but he dropped the ball in the end zone. We thought we had won the game right then.
“But because he dropped it, we didn’t know what the next play was and weren’t prepared. So, we ended up with a delayed game, backing us up to the 9-yard line,” Harvin continued. “Then we called a play for Jayson Smith, who is one of our best players, to try and win the game. Luckily, no one was there when we called his number, and he was able to score with no time left. It was a pretty exciting game.”
Putnam led 10-0 at the half, thanks to a rushing touchdown by Waters and a field goal from Alex Jimenez. The War Eagles allowed Haralson County to get back in the game with a few mistakes.
The Rebels eventually took the lead and were looking to put the game away, but both sides of the ball for Putnam dug deep.
Harvin said the entire team rallied around each other late and said every player deserves credit for the win.
“People doubt you and your team, and don’t think you should get the credit you deserve, and all that,” Harvin said. “It’s just a lot of emotions running through you. And, seeing our kids go through the ups and downs, especially our senior class, and being able to find a way to win games — last year, I don’t know if we’d have won that game or fought back.
“But all those emotions, feeling like your back is against the wall, seeing the guys you believe in play as hard as they can, and finding a way to win, was very emotional,” he continued. “So, I’m pumped up, man. I appreciate all those guys forever for everything they’ve done; they’ve never given up.”