Putnam County head coach Shaun Pope will face a familiar opponent Friday as the War Eagles play host to Toombs County in the first round of the Class AA playoffs.
Pope served as an assistant under Bulldogs’ head coach Richie March before arriving in Putnam County.
“We’re going to get a hard-nosed football team in [Toombs County] this Friday,” Pope said. “Coach Marsh is a good friend of mine and is a very good coach. His kids are always going to be very, very physical. They’re going to be tough, well-coached and very disciplined. We’ve got to be ready and be on point ourselves.”
Toombs County (6-4, 3-3 Region 3-AA) shouldn’t be overlooked, Pope added. The Bulldogs played the top two teams in their league - Appling County and Pierce County - tough. They entered the Class AA playoffs as the No. 3 seed out of GHSA’s Region 3-AA and are riding a two-game winning streak.
Marsh’s squad is led by senior running backs, Tank Morris and Tamarien McArthur. Each has carried the load this season, rushing for a combined total over 1,200 yards and nearly 20 TDs. Morris is the team’s leading rusher, totaling 633 yards and 12 TDs in his senior campaign. McArthur has totaled 629 yards and six scores in 2022.
“They’ve got a good running back, Tank Morris, who leads them in the backfield,” Pope said. “We’ve got to tackle him, but then he turns around and plays middle linebacker. He’s a bruising- type running back that runs hard in between the tackles.”
Toombs County also uses a two-quarterback system, swapping between Caden Marsh and Gavin Hall.
Marsh is more of a dual threat and has passed for 240 yards and rushed for 247 yards this season. Hall has more of a pocket presence in the offense. He’s completed 73-of-132 passes for 1,097 yards, nine TDs and six INTs for the Bulldogs.
“They’ve gone more to running some more of the option out of the shotgun [formation]. Coach Marsh’s son, Caden, is a quarterback in it. He’s tough as nails, just like his daddy,” Pope said. “He’s hard-nosed and does a really good job of it. And he turns around and plays the other inside linebacker spot on defense. They’ve got some explosive receivers as well.”
Toombs County’s biggest vertical threat is 6-foot-1, 180-pound Lagonza Howard, who has hauled in team-highs in receptions (34), reception yards (546) and TDs (6) through nine games.
Marsh is also an option on the perimeter. He’s totaled 14 catches for 244 yards and two TDs. Senior Wil Watts is another good receiving option with 17 passes for 290 yards and two scores this season.
The Bulldogs’ offensive identity is well established; however, so is Putnam County’s. The War Eagles rushed for over 350 yards this past week against Washington County. They are averaging 201.8 yards per game and 6.8 yards per attempt this season.
Putnam County senior Tamarion Peters leads the team in rushing yards (877) and TDs (14). He’s also averaging a team second-best 7.6 yards per attempt in 2022. Junior Rashod Daniel is another workhorse, totaling 471 yards on 72 carries with five TDs.
“Knowing Coach Marsh, they’re going to stop the run. They’re going to line up and try to stop it,” Pope said. “We’re going to have to be able to get the ball on the edge, on the corner against them. We are blessed right now with some pretty good skill guys. We’ve got to be able to get them the ball out on the edge, out in space and make them have to tackle us. That’s going to be the game plan. I’m very confident they’re going to load the box and try to make us have to do some different things.”
Putnam County must have a Plan B if Toombs County takes away its stout run game. If that’s the case, the War Eagles will have to rely on quarterback Branan Griffin.
The freshman has gone through some growing pains this season; however, that’s expected for a first-year starter. He has progressed since the start of the year, though.
It will be up to Putnam County offensive coordinator Jared Hamlin, a life-long friend with Marsh, to use Griffin to the War Eagles’ advantage on Friday, Pope said.
“Branan played well [this past Friday]. He didn’t have to throw much, I think maybe two or three times,” Pope said. “He had a big first-down throw on one drive that kept us going. So, he also turned it up for us and got a big first down with his feet as well. … I’ve seen him grow [since the start of the season] and he’s a special kid.”
The War Eagles (8-2) and Bulldogs (6-4) will kick off at 7:30 p.m. this Friday in Eatonton.