No. 1 Fitzgerald ended Putnam County’s season last Friday in the Class AA state playoffs. The Purple Hurricane defeated the War Eagles 28-20 in the second-round matchup.
No. 2-seed Putnam County (9-3) played well against No. 1-seed Fitzgerald (12-0) but was unable to find the success it needed to move on to the next round. This is the second-straight season that the Purple Hurricane has eliminated the War Eagles from the playoffs.
Still, Putnam County head coach Shaun Pope was proud of the way his team fought week-in-and week-out. He said the War Eagles never quit and battled until the end.
“Our kids really battled, you know?” Pope said. “Fitzgerald had four possessions in the first half and scored on all four. We just couldn’t get off the field (in the first half).”
Fitzgerald struck first with a long touchdown drive to go up 7-0, however, the War Eagles responded. Senior Jalon Kilgore scored a 59-yard TD rush on the offense’s first play from scrimmage, although the unit would be stymied the rest of the quarter.
A fumble by Kilgore on Putnam County’s second drive gave Fitzgerald some momentum. The Purple Hurricane headed into the second quarter up 14-6 after reaching the end zone again. However, they would lead the War Eagles 28-13 at the half.
Pope attributed the defensive struggles to Fitzgerald’s physicality up front.
“They got the yardage they needed on offense, too. If they needed four they got five and so on,” Pope said. “That’s just how Fitzgerald is. They’re physical. They don’t hurt themselves. We had four possessions and scored on two of them … but it wasn’t enough.”
At first, the War Eagles’ defense struggled to stop the Purple Hurricane’s rushing attack; however, Putnam’s defense played completely differently in the second half.
The War Eagles didn’t allow the Purple Hurricane to score at all in the second half, and with six minutes left in the game, Putnam County brought the deficit down to eight to give themselves a chance at the end. It just didn’t work out, though.
Pope was proud of the way his team fought all season, despite the final result.
“I am pleased with the way we fought. We are losing 10 seniors that led by example,” Pope said. “I said at the beginning of the season that we had some guys returning who are obviously solid young men and good football players. They may have not been starters last year, but got some significant playing time in important games. There’s nothing like game experience. We did bring back some guys that had a lot of it during the run we had last year. They knew what it took, but unfortunately, we came up a little short. I think our program is in a good place right now.”
Putnam County’s class of 2022 is the second-winningest bunch in program history. They helped the War Eagles win 35 games over the past four seasons. This group has been to the Class AA playoffs every single year and won the Region 4-AA title in 2021. They also had two second-round berths and a trip to the Elite Eight.
Pope said this group helped establish a culture of winning at Putnam County.
“This group was eighth graders when I took over,” Pope said. “Whenever they came over (from middle school), we kind of had to whip them into a shape. Coach Hamlin brought it up postgame on Friday night. This class spent a lot of time running hills because they couldn’t get it right in the weight room. To see them grow as young men and what they’ve meant and brought to this program means a lot. To look back it, they’ve come so far not only as players but also as young men.”
Over the last two years, Putnam County has established itself as one of the premier teams in Class 2A. The future is bright for a program that returns a lot next season.
According to Pope, the War Eagles will begin off-season workouts following the Thanksgiving break.
“We will get after it Monday. We will be back in the weight room getting ready,” Pope said. “You know, it’s a year-round cycle if you want to compete highly at this level. It’s a never-ending process. It’s continuous. We will be right back in the weight room soon.”