Putnam County (3-2, 1-0 Region 4-AA) will face its toughest test of the season so far against Westside (Augusta) this Friday.
• Series History: Putnam County leads the series, 4-1.
• Last Meeting: Putnam County defeated Westside 28-0 in 2022.
Westside (3-2, 1-0) is riding a three-game winning streak heading into Friday’s matchup against Putnam. Most recently, the Patriots easily defeated region opponent Glenn Hills 41-0 this past week.
War Eagles’ head coach Joel Harvin acknowledged Westside is going to present a battle for his team.
“This is going to be our toughest challenge to date. They’re not the same Westside team from last year, they’re much improved,” Harvin said. “Coach Hutto has done a great job over there. They have a lot of kids that don’t play both sides of the ball like us, so fatigue may be an issue we run into.”
Putnam is playing its sixth-straight game this Friday and is coming off a 42-0 road win over Josey. However, the War Eagles’ three-game winning streak may be in jeopardy Friday night in Augusta.
Westside is a physical team that likes to run the ball.
Junior Jeanarion Kamga is one of the top running backs in Class 2A with 893 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns through five games this year. Also, juniors Jairus Ogden and Andre Morgan complement Kamga nicely in the backfield. They’ve combined to rush for more than 500 yards and a half-dozen touchdowns for Westside’s offense.
Harvin said the Patriots’ defensive front is a huge reason why they’ve won games so far this season.
“They’re a physical football team and love to run [the ball],” Harvin said. “They’re not going to throw the ball unless they have to. That’s going to be up to us to decide if we’re going to stop the run or not. They’re very big up front and in the backfield, all 11 of their guys can get to the football on defense. They also shed blocks upfront with their defensive line, and they’re well-coached this year.”
Since giving up 35 points in a loss to Class AAA Hephzibah in week one, Westside’s defense is only giving up an average of 8.5 points per game. The Patriots are solid at stopping the run as well, which happens to be Putnam County’s forte so far through its first five games this year.
Putnam County and Westside will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in Eatonton at Al Reaves Stadium.