After surviving a scare against McNair, Putnam County will face another tough test at home this week against Social Circle.
The Redskins (3-2, 1-0 Class A Division 1 Region 4) recently defeated Utopian Academy 65-6 in their region opener and will travel to Eatonton for the first time in three years Friday night. They lost 42-22 in 2021 to the War Eagles.
This year, Social Circle has improved since last season. The Redskins will match their win total from last year if they defeat Putnam County (2-3, 1-0) at Al Reaves Field.
War Eagles’ head coach Joel Harvin knows his team faces another tough test.
“Man, we’ve got our work cut out for us this week,” Harvin said.
Social Circle’s offense is its strength, averaging 31.8 points per contest through five games. The Redskins run a very balanced attack led by quarterback Luke Cross and fellow senior running back Jaylen Victor.
Harvin believes Cross and Victor can give his defense fits, mainly because they mix things up on that side of the ball.
“They’ve got a great running game, and [their] quarterback is very accurate,” Harvin said. “They do some RPO stuff with him, and [Cross] can hurt you deep. He’s got a very strong arm. And if we’re not on our Ps and Qs, they can put up a lot of points on us. So, they are a very dangerous team that can score at any time.”
Meanwhile, Putnam has struggled defensively this season, giving up 22.6 points per game. The War Eagles fared better during the first half of last week’s game against McNair, though they gave up 30 points in the second half.
Harvin hopes his team can limit Social Circle, holding the Redskins under 20 points. If the War Eagles can do that, he suspects their offensive trio of Branan Griffin, Rashod Daniel, and Bill Waters can help pave the way to score.
Harvin’s offense, led by coordinator Todd Cooper, averages 29.2 points per game. The War Eagles love to run the ball and do it well with many options. However, they’ll face a Social Circle defense that has given up only 16 points on average per game this season.
“We must be ready,” Harvin said. “It will be a fight.”