Putnam County held off a late scare from Washington County, coming out on top 49-47 on Friday.
With the win over the Golden Hawks (6-4, 3-4 Region 4-AA), who finished No. 4 entering the state playoffs this week, the War Eagles (6-4, 4-3) secured the No. 3 seed in the region standings.
Putnam held a slim 42-40 lead over Washington entering the fourth quarter. The War Eagles then made a few plays on special teams, including a blocked PAT and punt, that helped them earn the win.
“(There were) a lot of plays that could’ve gone either way. It affected the outcome,” Putnam head coach Joel Harvin said. “I’m just proud of our team for battling and fighting. It was just kind of a crazy game but sometimes you play in those. I’m just proud of our guys for finding a way to win.”
The War Eagles’ defense gave up a score late in the game, but their offense was able to rely on the run game to pick up a few first downs in the final minutes. That proved to be the difference in the end.
The game did not start in Putnam’s favor, however.
After trailing 14-0 early, Putnam came back and took over, only to be forced into holding off Washington in the end. The War Eagles made quite a few mistakes early but quickly settled in and took over.
“It was not a pretty start,” Harvin admitted. “We turned it around quickly, though.”
The Golden Hawks went down and gained some momentum after converting a 4th-and-long situation. A few plays later, running back Jusden Culpepper found the end zone from three yards out. On the ensuing possession, Putnam quarterback Jamarion Robertson bobbled a snap and turned it over. Washington regained possession at the War Eagle 26 and scored another touchdown a few plays later.
After falling behind two scores, the War Eagles finally got things started when junior Cory Foster returned a kickoff for six. The Putnam offense then settled in as they relied on running backs Mark Little, Kaleb Crawford, and Rashod Daniel to help carry the load.
“We were able to run the ball consistently for positive yards. We never did anything to shoot ourselves in the foot after that, such as stall drives,” Harvin said. “I thought we played a good game.”
Despite giving up 47 points, Harvin felt as if his defensive unit made plays when it mattered most. He also gave a shoutout to his offense for being able to run the ball efficiently in the fourth quarter.
“Defensively, we gave up a few touchdowns, and there’s a lot of things we can work on. Tackling being the main one, but I am just proud of our kids,” Harvin said. “We stopped them when it mattered. And we also got first-downs when it mattered most to be able to run out the clock.”
Harvin’s defense gave up 461 yards of total offense (223 passing, 238 rushing), but also forced a few turnovers. The War Eagles picked off Washington quarterback Cameron Beasley twice.
Offensively, all of Putnam’s yards came on the ground. Crawford led the way in rushing with a season-high 238 yards and three touchdowns, while Daniel added 139 yards and two scores last Friday. Little totaled 55 rushing yards on six attempts with a touchdown against the Golden Hawks.
“It could’ve gone either way,” Harvin said. “I’m glad we got a chance to close it out on a strong note.”