The Putnam County High School soccer teams packed their bags for road work the past couple of weeks, culminating in both boys’ and girls’ squads winning region championships with undefeated region records.
The War Eagles and Lady War Eagles will next compete in the Class 2A state playoffs, which start in mid-April.
The regular-season road trips began March 13, with a visit across the lake to Greene County. While a non-region game, local bragging rights were at stake and both Putnam teams arrived more than ready for the opportunity to add to their winning ways.
The Lady Eagles showed solid defense and precise offense in a 6-0 victory. Senior leaders Cherish Rowell, Jenna McDerment, Leslyle Arriola and Eva Espin delivered strong defensive efforts for the Lady Eagles.
The boys’ team followed the Lady Eagles with an offensive show of their own, potting 10 goals under the lights against the Tigers while continuing to keep their opponents scoreless.
The War Eagles next visited Augusta for conference play on March 16, against a savvy 5-0 Westside team. But the boys' team put up six goals in the first half, followed by two more in the second for an 8-0 shutout win to remain the Region 4-AA leader and keep Westside in check.
The Lady Eagles also came into Augusta ready for the region matchup and intent on holding onto the top spot. Westside came out attacking in the first half and scored first, but that would be all the Putnam girls would allow. It was 3-1 decision in favor of Putnam County at the half, and the Lady Eagles added 6 more in the second half to leave with a 9-1 victory.
Next came a March 21 visit to Thomson for more conference play, where the War Eagles drilled the home team 11-1, including nine first-half goals. Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles left with a 5-0 victory over the Lady Bulldogs.
The last matches of the extended road tour came on March 23, with another trip to Augusta, this time to face Josey.
The girls' team essentially put the game out of reach with eight unanswered goals in the first half, followed by another two in the last half for a 10-0 victory that clinched the region championship. The Lady War Eagles finished their league schedule with an undefeated region record after outscoring the competition 74-23 with two games still remaining in the regular season.
The Putnam County boys would follow suit by duplicating the 10-0 victory over Josey and also clinching the region title. The War Eagles have outscored their opponents 102-4 thus far this season and also have two games left before entering the state playoffs.
Looking forward, the Lady Eagles and War Eagles soccer teams will finish out the regular season on Senior night this Tuesday (past press time) at home against Greene County. Their final regular season games will come on March 30 at non-region rival Social Circle.