Putnam County’s season didn’t start as it wanted, as the War Eagles suffered a 28-20 loss to Greene County on the road.
Putnam battled to the end, but a few mistakes led to the Tigers holding on for a close win.
“It hurts to see the kids work and play so hard to end up with the outcome we had,” Putnam County head coach Joel Harvin said after the game. “We never gave up and forced Greene to earn it.”
Putnam trailed Greene 15-6 at the half but came out swinging in the third quarter. The War Eagles came up with a fumble on the Tigers’ first possession of the half and scored a few plays later.
Senior running back Rashod Daniel had a pair of tough runs, putting Putnam’s offense inside the Greene 10-yard line. Daniel then found the end zone on a direct snap, aided by the blocking of quarterback Jamarion Robertson. Daniel rolled to his right and followed his blockers to the corner of the end zone. The War Eagles were successful on a two-point conversion and made it a one-score game.
Trailing 15-14 with 9:40 left in the third quarter, Putnam recovered a surprise onside kick. The War Eagles got inside Greene’s 20 but couldn’t convert a fourth-and-long as the Tigers’ defense held.
Greene then capitalized as quarterback Landon Garretson fired a strike to a receiver downfield for a chunk gain. A few plays later, Garretson lofted up a pass to Burt and the senior came down with it on his way to the end zone. The Tigers extended the lead to 21-14 with 3:12 left in the third quarter.
Putnam’s next possession ended on fourth down as Robertson was sacked. Greene capitalized as Garrettson found senior wide receiver Steve Miller in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
The War Eagles returned on their next drive, only to come up short on fourth down again.
However, Putnam didn’t give up, and late in the contest the War Eagles again made it a one-score game. Robertson hit Daniel on a crossing route in the flat, and the senior raced 56 yards to the house.
Putnam’s next attempt at an onside kick failed, followed by Greene draining the remaining 1:47 off the clock.
Harvin said he thought Robertson and Daniel’s effort sparked his team, especially late in the game. The senior quarterback- running back duo combined to rush for over 200 yards against the Tigers on Friday.
“[On offense], we’re still trying to find our identity and what it is. We’ve got a good idea of what we want it to be,” Harvin said. “And those two guys had a great game. They made some big plays for us.”
Putnam started the game with the ball and scored in two plays. Robertson moved the chains on the first play from scrimmage, racing 67 yards to the Greene two-yard line. He scored on the next snap.
The War Eagles struggled the rest of the first half, though. A costly fumble midway through the first quarter gave the Tigers some life as Burt picked up the ball and ran it back to the end zone for six.
Putnam also had a field goal attempt blocked in the first half by Greene defensive tackle Kevin Wynn. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Florida State commit also blocked a pair of War Eagles’ extra points.
Greene scored another touchdown before the first half was over. RJ Monford caught a short pass for six.
“Greene has a great team, and Coach [Terrance] Banks has done a good job,” Harvin said. “We had a challenge, man. When you’re facing a big defensive lineman (Wynn) with a lot of offers, he’s hard to block.
“We consider ourselves a physical, running football team, and I’m proud of our guys. We made some plays, but overall, our physicality has definitely been a lot better. Are we happy with where we’re at? No. We’re going to continue to go to work each week.”
Putnam (0-1) will host rival Morgan County (1-0) this Friday with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Al Reaves Field in Eatonton.