In pitching its first shutout of the season, Putnam County (3-2, 1-0 Region 4-AA) also scored a season-high 42 points to easily defeat Josey Friday night in the War Eagles’ region opener.
Putnam head coach Joel Harvin said his team played almost mistake-free in the win over the Eagles.
“We didn’t make any boneheaded penalties that we have made the previous few games. There were no unsportsmanlike, personal fouls or anything like that which would kill drives,” Harvin said. “Overall, we played pretty good, but we turned the ball over once with our first team. That was the only little disappointment that we had, but there were a lot of bright spots on Friday night.”
The War Eagles held a 7-0 lead after the end of the first quarter, then added 35 points in the second quarter. Their dominance over the Eagles of Augusta led to a running clock in the second half.
Harvin acknowledged his younger players got a lot of reps in the victory with the running clock.
“A lot of our young guys got to play a majority of the game, which was great for them,” he said. “To be able to see those guys get in there and get good reps during game time is always nice to see.”
Putnam sophomore running back Omarion Butts rushed for a team-high 75 yards and a touchdown. Junior tailback Rashod Daniel added 41 yards and two scores on five rushing attempts. War Eagles’ senior fullback Zacoree Wallace totaled 39 yards with a touchdown as well.
Putnam junior Jamarion Robertson, a 6-foot-2, 165-pound quarterback, completed one of two passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Mark Little hauled in that 68-yard pass for the score.
Harvin shouted out freshman kicker Alex Jimenez, who went a perfect 6-of-6 on his PAT attempts.
“We have a ninth-grader kicker who ended up getting our player of the week because he was 100 percent on extra points,” Harvin said. “On kickoffs, he put the ball exactly where we wanted it, too.”
Another huge reason Putnam had so much success on Friday against Josey was its defense forcing three turnovers. The War Eagles’ defense came down with a few takeaways, which led to scores on the other end.
Harvin thought it was his team’s most complete game to date as Putnam now has a winning record.
“All-in-all it was a pretty good game. We looked good in all three phases of the game,” Harvin said. “We shut them out on defense, forced two turnovers, scored a lot of points, and had a punt return for a touchdown. I was proud to see our guys step and make plays. That was huge for us.”