Putnam County’s two-game winning streak was snapped this past week at home against Social Circle.
In a game played last Saturday due to Hurricane Helene, the Redskins topped the War Eagles 29-22.
Putnam head coach Joel Harvin felt his team wasn’t prepared to face a stout Social Circle squad.
“Well, we got outplayed, we got out-coached, and we weren’t ready to play,” Harvin said. “It’s not like they did anything special or stuff that we hadn’t seen. I don’t think we did a good enough job preparing our guys for what they do. They did a good job coaching up stops on offense and knowing what we were doing on defense. Hats off to them, man. They wanted it a little bit more than [us].”
The War Eagles’ opening possession ended in a punt, and the Redskins and quarterback Logan Cross took over at their 35-yard line. The senior signal caller led the offense downfield but came up short on a third down, and placekicker Preston Guy nailed a field from 35 yards, taking a 3-0 lead.
Putnam began the next drive at its 26-yard line but couldn’t get anything going again. The War Eagles moved the ball downfield, but Social Circle came up with a huge stop on fourth down at its 34.
It didn’t take long for the Redskins’ offense to reach the end zone.
Their offense moved the ball efficiently, and Cross connected with senior wide receiver Jude Nelson for one of his two touchdowns with under a minute left in the first quarter. Guy missed the extra point, so they led 9-0.
Guy attempted a 44-yard field goal and split the uprights a few minutes into the second quarter, extending Social Circle’s lead to 12-0.
Putnam’s offense finally found life on its next possession, though.
Senior running back Rashod Daniel put the War Eagles on his back, helping move the chains and score from three yards out with under five minutes left in the opening half. At the half, they trailed 15-7.
Midway through the third quarter, Putnam forced a turnover on downs, but its next offensive drive resulted in a punt. Social Circle began its next drive with good field position and scored in a few plays. Sophomore running back Deven Usand, who rushed for a team-high 118 yards, found the end zone.
However, the War Eagles’ offense kicked it into high gear and responded. Daniel and quarterback Branan Griffin led a balanced attack downfield. Daniel capped the drive off with a short rushing score. Trailing 22-13, they attempted a two-point conversion, and Griffin got it with a two-yard rush.
Momentum shifted Putnam’s way entering the fourth quarter, but a 37-yard run by Usand set up Cross to complete a 25-yard scoring pass to Nelson, extending the lead to 29-15 after the extra point.
Regardless, Putnam didn’t fold, with Griffin leading the offense downfield as he found the end zone with a four-yard touchdown. Unfortunately for the War Eagles, their comeback came up short.
Harvin said penalties cost his team against the Redskins (4-2, 2-0 - Region Class A Divison I Region 4).
“They wanted it a little bit more than we wanted it,” Harvin said. “We made a lot of costly errors or dropped snaps and a couple of big penalties.”
Harvin was impressed with his team’s refusal to give up. He acknowledged that his players continued to push despite trailing for the entire game.
“We definitely don’t have an effort problem,” Harvin said. “When our kids come in, they show up and work every day. We know they’re ready to work, but I think we’ve got to do a better job as coaches of putting them in the right spot and getting them to where they can be successful. So, our kids are resilient and tough, man. They battle back and never give up. That’s all you can ask for.”
Putnam will face the Utopian Academy for the Arts this Thursday at Morrow High School. The War Eagles (2-4, 1-1) will look to try and rebound after getting upset by Social Circle this past week.
Harvin doesn’t want his team to overlook UAA, which hasn’t won a game in its first season as a program.
“At this point, we don’t overlook anybody, and it’s one of those where they’re a young team. A fresh, new school,” Harvin said. “They’re trying to figure out their identity, but it’s also one of those that we can’t take lightly because of the situation that we’re in. We’re going to fix things on our end. If we get these things figured out, we still have a good opportunity to sit here and win this region.”