Putnam County’s Kaleb Crawford put the team on his back Friday, leading the War Eagles to victory.
The senior rushed for a career-high 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Putnam County (1-2) got its first win of the season, beating Jasper County (2-2) 24-17 on Friday night.
The victory was special for a couple of reasons. Putnam County head coach Joel Harvin got his first win at the helm of the program, and it was a breakout game for Crawford, who missed all of last season. Crawford got into a car accident prior to his junior season, which caused him to miss all of it.
Crawford told The Eatonton Messenger he was appreciative of the chance to help lead his team to victory.
“It was pretty big, and it felt pretty good last Friday,” Crawford said. “I’ve never been the center of attention like that. My running backs coach told me to run hard and give it my all because I am a senior. It was our first home game and my last first home game. It was also the first home game under a new coach. So, I wanted to do it for him and let him know that I have his back this year.”
Putnam County’s offense struggled the last few weeks, especially in the run game, so seeing Crawford have success on Friday might be a sign that things could change for the unit in a positive way.
The War Eagles’ offensive line consists mostly of underclassmen, but it created lanes for Crawford to run through. In total, the Putnam offense rushed for a season-high 280 yards on Friday.
Crawford acknowledged he couldn’t have done it without the guys up front blocking for him.
“I credit my offensive line. I’ve been telling them all week that if they do things right, we’ve got y’all. We can win,” Crawford said. “We’re going to make the plays if they can create holes for us to run through. I couldn’t do (last Friday) if it wasn’t for our offensive line. They showed out that night.”
Harvin highlighted that Crawford carried the load for an offense that is still trying to find its identity.
“We got down 10-0 to start the game and then things just started clicking. Kaleb took over the game,” Harvin said. “He had a heck of a game and we leaned on him. We tried to be more physical than they were upfront. We just kept battling and battling, pushing and hitting until we got on top.”
Jasper led the War Eagles most of the game but Putnam found a way to battle back late in the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes led 17-9 at halftime behind two touchdowns from running back Chevy Sands.
Putnam kicked off to Jasper to start the third quarter, but a fumble recovery by the War Eagles deep inside Hurricane territory gave them life. A few plays later, Tyson Waller punched it in for six. The War Eagles tried a 2-point conversion and converted on a short rush by Crawford to tie it up.
Harvin felt a sudden change on the sideline as his team eventually found the spark it needed.
“Our defense started playing well. They started to settle in a little bit better,” Harvin said. “They got a few three-and-outs, and we ended up getting that ball to Kaleb however we could. He did the rest.”
In the fourth quarter, Putnam faced a fourth down and decided to attempt a field goal, which Jimenez nailed, but a crucial roughing the kicker penalty on Jasper gave the War Eagles a first down.
A few plays later, Crawford burst around through a hole and found his way to the end zone for a second time. The senior’s 12-yard rushing score put Putnam up 24-17 as Jimenez hit the extra point.
The War Eagles came back out on defense and got the stop it needed. Their offense was then able to move the chains and pick up a first down on a rush by Crawford, which solidified the win over Jasper.
Harvin was proud of his team for battling through such adversity but was specifically happy for Crawford.
“He’s a great young man,” Harvin said. “I would describe him as hungry and fresh. He didn’t play last year, so he’s come on as a senior and is one of the best athletes on the team. He’s a team player and never complains. He’s always very coachable and does what our staff asks. Kaleb also plays safety on the defensive side of the ball, so he very rarely comes off the field. The first few games we were using him as a blocker instead of a runner, but Friday we made the change to see how he did running the ball. He had a great game, so we’re going to lean on him going forward.”