Following a productive June, Putnam County head coach Joel Harvin believes his team is better prepared to face a demanding 2026 schedule.
With a committed roster, three consecutive road games to open the season, and a revamped region slate awaiting, Harvin likes the direction his program is headed as preseason preparations continue.
“I thought it was a pretty good month of June,” Harvin said. “We were able to go and do some seven-on-seven stuff with some other teams, some bigger schools, and we finished with a padded camp just to kind of give you an idea of where you’re at as a team.”
More importantly, Harvin saw a level of dedication that has been missing at times in recent years.
“We had a lot of commitment from most of our kids on our program, which is a good thing to see,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of good kids in the program, a lot of kids that are committed to being better, and they show up every day and go to work. The month of June is fun when you have that type of participation.”
Before the regular season begins, Putnam County will host a preseason scrimmage against West Laurens on Aug. 14. The Raiders are coming off a semifinal appearance, giving the War Eagles an early measuring stick.
“Even though they’re a semifinal team that’s got a lot of guys coming back, it’ll be a good test to start the season off with,” Harvin said.
The regular season opens with an immediate challenge as Putnam County begins the year with three consecutive road games against Greene County, Hancock Central, and Oglethorpe County before returning home for region play.
The opener at Greene County renews one of the area’s oldest rivalries.
“We start off with Greene. They’re a big rival,” Harvin said. “Those kids have played against each other since they were seven and eight years old, so that’ll be a good game to kick off the season.”
Week two sends the War Eagles to Hancock Central, another matchup Harvin believes should generate plenty of local interest.
“That’ll be a new game that we haven’t played here in a few years,” he said. “I thought it’d be another good opportunity to be a rival. They’re right next door, trying to keep things close. Maybe we’ll have a lot of fans in attendance and maybe a lot of cousins playing against each other.”
The final non-region contest comes against an Oglethorpe County team coming off a successful 2025 season.
Once region play begins, the schedule doesn’t get any easier. The War Eagles open with home games against Aquinas and Laney.
“Aquinas is a private school out of Augusta that had a really good team last year,” Harvin said. “They’re going to keep having good teams, and a lot of good players have come through that program.”
Laney presents another physical challenge.
“They’re always going to be Laney,” Harvin said. “They’re going to be big, athletic, and strong. They’re going to be well coached. You’ve got two tough ones to start off the region.”
One of the biggest changes to the schedule is the return of Jefferson County as a region opponent. The two schools previously battled for region championships before realignment separated them, and Harvin welcomes the rivalry’s return.
“Jefferson County is a renewed region opponent that we’ve seen in the past,” he said. “They’ve had pretty good teams over the years and have also been in a tough region with teams like Dublin. We look forward to getting those guys back on the schedule and kind of getting that rivalry going again.”
Harvin expects Jefferson County to once again provide a physical test.
“They’re always going to be big, strong, and fast,” he said. “It’s going to be a challenge.”
After traveling to Jefferson County, the War Eagles return home to face Glen Hills before another key road contest at Jasper County.
Although Glen Hills has struggled in recent years, Harvin isn’t overlooking the Spartans.
“They’ve not necessarily been a powerhouse, but they’re in Augusta, so things can change,” he said. “They do a lot of restructuring over there with schools and zones, and anything can cause that team to become a football school.”
The trip to Jasper County is one that Harvin has already circled after last season’s loss to the Hurricanes.
“They had a good run last year and have a lot of offensive linemen, defensive linemen, and skilled guys coming back,” Harvin said. “We’ve got them circled on the calendar.”
Putnam County closes the regular season with Josey before traveling to Social Circle for what could be another pivotal region matchup.
The Redskins have defeated the War Eagles the past two seasons, including a fourth-quarter comeback in 2025, something Harvin hasn’t forgotten.
“Those guys are definitely circled,” Harvin said. “They’ve gotten us two years in a row. We want to make things right on our end, try to get over that hump with them and finish the regular season the right way.”
Putnam County will resume practice next Monday in preparation for the 2026 season.