The Putnam County boys soccer team is off to a strong start to the 2024-25 season on the pitch.
The War Eagles began the week with a 4-2 overall record and a 2-2 mark in region play.
To start the year, Putnam defeated Jones County, Northeast, and Jasper County before losing two in a row to Lamar County and Towers. However, the War Eagles’ good luck returned last week with a defeat of Social Circle.
Putnam head coach Michael Taylor said he’s seen progress in his team so far.
“We have a lot of younger players this year and not near the number of seniors that we’re used to having, so it was kind of a slow start,” Taylor said. “We dropped two region games, which we have not done in the last three years. So, I think it’s just kind of getting all of the young players on board and then having them mesh with those that were on the team last year. It’s taken a little bit of time, but I think we’re on the right track.”
According to Taylor, several young players, precisely four freshmen, have stepped up on each end of the pitch.
The War Eagles returned Alex Sanchez and Emmanuel Meraz, two of their top-three goal scorers from last season. Losing Bryan Canales hurt, but Sanchez and Meraz have continued their offensive prowess in leading the team in scoring.
However, Putnam is also getting offensive contributions from a couple of freshmen.
“In the striker position, Edwin Garcia has six goals already. Last Friday [against Social Circle], he scored three, and he’s been good spark for us,” Taylor said. “Out on the wing, we have Jonathan Acostas, another freshman who’s scored a couple of goals for us. He’s got a lot of speed and seems like he’s got a lot of experience.”
So far, Taylor has been impressed with defensive contributions from freshmen Jose Garcia and Jared Mejia, too. They are learning a lot from older players such as Meraz, Dennis Sanchez, Chris Perez, Jorge Lopez, and Chris Chavez.
He also noted that veterans Jared Arreola and Ray Espinoa, along with several others, are contributing on the back end.
“We’ve had some injuries, but in the back end, one of the freshmen that’s really stepped up is Jose Garcia, who’s been solid for us,” Taylor said. “We also have a new goalie this year in Jared Mejia. He’s also a freshman, and he has given up some goals this year. He’s learning, but I think he is going to be a good goalie.”
Putnam has six region games remaining. The War Eagles have easily navigated region play in recent years against weaker competition, but now they are up against a top-heavy conference featuring several strong teams.
Despite having to play some younger guys, Taylor said the team’s goal remains to win the region championship. The coach knows it will be challenging, though.
“We were definitely trying to have that mentality of winning a state championship, and of course, then we kind of took a loss with a couple of teams that we probably really felt good about. We just didn’t play to our potential,” Taylor admitted.
“So now we’re digging ourselves out of a hole, and trying to win the region is going to be tough. We still have the goal of winning the region, and I think we’re going to be just fine as we get more experience. With every game, we have a little more confidence in what we can do.”