Putnam County relied on its defense Friday night to defeat Baldwin 23-14 in the 2022 season opener.
The War Eagles (1-0) flew all over the field, making tackles and wreaking havoc on the Braves (0-2) in their victory. Baldwin’s tandem of quarterback Solomon Burney and running back Micah Welch were kept off-balance during their visit to Al Reaves Field.
“We’ve got to take it upon ourselves to lick our wounds and apply the 24-hour rule, then we will go back at it again,” Braves head coach Jesse Hicks said. “Am I disappointed? Yes. I am extremely disappointed with the way we played in the first half. You can’t play one half of football, especially in a county rivalry like this. Putnam played very well, so hats off to coach (Shaun) Pope and his kids.”
Baldwin struggled on offense through the opening two quarters. The Braves only recorded four total first downs in the first half. They picked things up in the second half; however, Putnam’s defense answered the call and didn’t allow them to get into a rhythm.
War Eagles’ defensive back Jalon Kilgore grabbed his first interception of the year on Baldwin’s first drive. The Braves were moving the ball at a consistent pace behind a couple of hard runs by Welch, but the South Carolina commit came down with a pick off Burney a few players later. Despite a little shift in momentum, the War Eagles’ offense couldn’t convert a 3rd-and-long on the next drive, which led to a punt.
The Braves' second miscue came on a botched snap during a fourth-down play of their second drive. The War Eagles got a safety as the ball sailed out of the end zone at the 4:50 mark of the first quarter, although Baldwin would secure a break on Putnam’s next possession.
Jaylen King recovered a War Eagle fumble and returned it for a touchdown. That play gave the Braves a 7-2 lead following the PAT with 3:43 remaining in the first quarter.
Baldwin’s momentum didn’t last long as Putnam drove the length of the field on the next drive. Kilgore capped it off with a four-yard touchdown rush on the first play of the second quarter. The War Eagles reclaimed a 9-7 lead with 11:56 left in the half.
Putnam’s defense continued to roll as its front seven kept the pressure on Burney, and the War Eagles would score again before the end of the half on a fake field goal. Freshman quarterback Branan Griffin was the holder and took the snap. He then rolled to his right and connected with senior running back Tamarion Peters for a touchdown. The trick play extended the War Eagles’ lead to 16-7 heading into halftime.
“I really looked at our team (following the scoop and score touchdown) to see how we were going to respond,” Putnam head coach Shaun Pope said. “We responded well. We came back out. We kept fighting and knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”
Baldwin’s offense found the end zone late in the third quarter when Burney connected with wide receiver Armontae Palmer on a crossing pattern for a 77-yard run-and-score. That long touchdown gave the Braves’ sideline and stands some energy.
They received another break as Putnam’s placekicker Tito Reyes missed a short field goal in the middle of the fourth quarter as the War Eagles clung to a two-point lead. Still, Baldwin couldn’t get anything going offensively on its next drive.
Peters put the nail in the Braves’ coffin with a six-yard touchdown run on the following possession. He finished the contest with 113 yards on 19 attempts with a score. Peters also hauled in four catches for 23 yards and a touchdown in his senior debut.
Griffin wasn’t perfect in his first start but completed 14-of-20 passing attempts for 116 yards and a score. He also rushed for 48 yards on eight carries as well. Overall, the War Eagles racked up 312 yards of total offense against Baldwin.
Putnam recorded six tackles for loss, three sacks and recovered three forced fumbles in its season opener. The War Eagles kept a tight restraint on both Burney and Welch for most of the night, but also made plays when it mattered most down the stretch.
They won the turnover battle with three recovered fumbles and an interception. Putnam’s defense also only gave up one touchdown and limited the Braves to 201 yards of total offense. Baldwin was also held to 43 total rushing yards on 22 attempts.
“I can’t give enough credit to our defensive coaching staff,” Pope said. “Those guys do a phenomenal job to get our guys ready to play each day. What they preach more than anything is effort, and that’s what got us through this game tonight. Those guys just play tenaciously. They get after it and run all over the field.”
Putnam defensive tackle Detravius Smith led the War Eagles in total tackles with 10. The senior also had a team-high 3.0 tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures. Rashod Daniel also had a productive night for Putnam. He had six total stops, one tackle for loss and two quarterback pressures in the victory over Baldwin.
Putnam will face Oconee County next Friday at home. The Class AAA Warriors are coming off a 33-9 dismantling of Clarke Central for their first win under new head coach Ben Hall. The War Eagles and Oconee played each other in a scrimmage last fall.
“We’ve got to bring that same effort we had tonight. We’ve also got to have the mentality that we need to play as hard as we can (on every down),” Pope said. "We need to be the best we can be, and that’s what we preach every day. Oconee is going to be very disciplined. They’re a great program, but we can’t make the same mistakes we made (tonight) if we’re going to beat a team like that. So, we have to clean (some things) up.”