Putnam County enters preseason practice with a sense of momentum after what head coach Joel Harvin described as one of the program’s most productive summers in recent years.
The War Eagles began the GHSA’s heat acclimatization this week, the final step before preseason camp officially ramps up. Unlike previous offseasons, though, Harvin said this summer never felt rushed, allowing his coaching staff and players to accomplish more before the start of the season.
“This is actually unique for us because we’ve actually been set back in preseason the previous few years,” Harvin said. “This summer, we’ve actually been able to take our time and get our plays installed.”
That continuity has been a major factor.
With much of the coaching staff returning, players entered the summer already familiar with the team’s systems, allowing practices to focus more on execution than learning a new scheme.
“We’ve got coaches that have been here for a while now, so there's a lot of familiarity,” Harvin said. “We’ve got a lot of good kids that are out; our numbers are up.”
One of the biggest questions entering the season will be replacing graduated quarterback Ethan Whatley, but Harvin likes the competition developing at the position.
“Caleb Reeves right now is probably our number-one quarterback,” Harvin said. “But we do have two or three other guys that can play the position.”
Chase Veasley missed much of the summer while recovering from a knee injury, but Harvin expects him to return at the beginning of August. Kumari Thomas has also taken snaps at quarterback.
The competition at quarterback mirrors what Harvin has seen across the roster.
“We’ve got a lot of good competition at every position,” he said.
The offense has also benefited from the addition of offensive coordinator Jodie Sprenkle, who quickly made an impression despite inheriting a young group up front.
“Coach Sprenkle has been awesome,” Harvin said. “He’s come in and has done exactly what I thought he’d do. He’s made good relationships with the kids; they respect him, and they play hard for him.”
While Putnam County’s offensive line does lack experience, Harvin believes Sprenkle and the rest of the staff have done a good job building around the players’ strengths.
“We’re very young on the offensive line, but (Sprenkle) has done a great job with those guys,” Harvin said. “I feel like we’re doing stuff that they’re capable of; we’re not trying to ask too much of them.”
Harvin added that several players have embraced position changes throughout the summer.
“A lot of guys have stepped up that we asked to play certain positions; they’ve taken it and run with it,” he said.
Defensively, Putnam County enters the season with more experience than it had a year ago. Defensive coordinator James Lal returns for his second season, allowing the War Eagles to expand a scheme that remained relatively simple last fall.
“It was a very basic year last year on defense,” Harvin said. “This year we can kind of move some guys around a little bit more.”
The War Eagles also return more experience in the secondary while adding depth across the defense. Although several younger players are expected to contribute, Harvin said he’s confident they are ready for the opportunity.
“We’re still going to have a few young guys playing, but they’re very capable and very athletic,” he said. “We're going to try to get them in the right spots.”
Putnam County closed the summer by hosting a padded camp that featured several accomplished programs, including Stratford Academy, Locust Grove, Fellowship Christian, Baldwin, and Warren County.
Harvin believed the level of competition provided exactly the kind of test his team needed before preseason practice begins. Just as importantly, he liked the way his team responded.
“We showed up and didn’t back down from anybody we went against,” he said. “It was a pretty productive camp.”
Putnam County still has position battles to sort out over the next few weeks, but Harvin said he believes the work his team put in throughout the summer has them heading in the right direction.
“It's really been a good summer,” Harvin said. “We’re looking forward to getting ready for the first scrimmage and for the regular season to kick off.”