Putnam County (1-2) begins region play Friday in Augusta at Butler (1-1) for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
• Series History: Putnam County leads, 3-0
• Last Meeting: Putnam County defeated Butler 44-0 in 2022. Both Putnam County and Butler head into Friday’s Region 4-AA opener coming off wins last week.
The War Eagles defeated non-region rival Jasper County 24-17 last Friday behind the performance of senior Kaleb Crawford. He rushed for a career-high 209 yards on 20 attempts with a pair of touchdowns last week.
Butler also picked up its first victory of the season with a 20-0 win over Savannah. The Bulldogs forced a pair of fumbles, which led to scores. Their defense gave up only 42 yards to the Bluejackets.
Putnam head coach Joel Harvin is hoping his team can keep its momentum heading into this game.
“We’re not overlooking anybody. We’ve watched them on film and can tell they’re very athletic,” Harvin said. “They got kids that hustle and play hard. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Butler is a young team this season under longtime coach Myron Newton, who’s been at the helm since 2012. He’s hoping his Bulldogs can knock off the War Eagles for the first time in school history.
Newton’s squad runs a spread offense, which is something Putnam has seen before this year at Oconee County. The Bulldogs rely on Malik Bussey, Malik Stone, Chris Stone and CJ Levett on offense.
Offensively, Butler is averaging only 14 points per game, so that number needs to increase if it wants to defeat Putnam; however, the War Eagles’ defense is giving up an average of 34.7 points per contest.
On the offensive side of the ball, the War Eagles are struggling, too. They’re averaging 17 points per game. They scored 44 points against the Bulldogs last year, though, and hope to do it again Friday.
Harvin acknowledged his team is still trying to find its identity after three games but thinks Friday night offers a great chance for his players to put it all together on the field for the first time.
“We’re still learning our stuff. We’re still trying to gel on both sides of the ball,” Harvin said. “We’re coming along. If we can keep continuing to get better, doing what we’re doing and trying to be more physical than the teams we’re playing, we’re going to be okay. That’s what we need to do.”
The game against Butler is Putnam County’s third road contest of the season. The War Eagles will travel an hour and a half to face the Bulldogs in Augusta, which could play to their advantage.
“Butler presents a unique challenge with us having to hit the road again,” Harvin said. “It’s the longest trip we’ve had yet. With a young team, that could be a situation in and of itself with having them try to stay focused. Going to Augusta is not always an easy place to play. We need to be locked in and focused. If we continue to be more physical and sound, it can get us through this game.”