Putnam County football is set to host Greene County later this week for a scrimmage to end fall camp.
The War Eagles and Tigers will hit the gridiron for a second-straight preseason matchup. It will take place at Al Reaves Field on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Last year’s scrimmage was called at halftime due to severe weather.
According to an agreement between both two teams, the starters are expected to play for the first three quarters of the contest. The junior varsity players will take the field in the fourth to finish it out.
Here are a few storylines following the War Eagles as they head into Friday’s contest against the Tigers:
QB battle continues
Branan Griffin and Jamarion Robertson are the top two candidates at quarterback for Putnam County.
Griffin, a 5-foot-10, 170-pounder, was the starter for the majority of 2022 as a true freshman. He completed 62 of 101 passes for 676 yards and a pair of touchdowns with six interceptions.
However, Griffin was pulled at times when he struggled, and former wide receiver Jalon Kilgore took over. He was thought to be the starter after last season but former head coach Shaun Pope retired.
The program then introduced Joel Harvin as its new head coach following Pope’s announcement in January. The former Early County coach brought in his own offensive system.
Harvin’s offense is centered around running the ball with many different moving parts. During spring camp in May, both Griffin and Robertson split time running the first-team offense under center.
They also each rotated series in the spring game against Jefferson County, helping lead the War Eagles to victory. Coming out of spring, there wasn’t a clear leader, but both had made a lot of progress.
The battle continued over the summer as each made huge strides. They each split reps during the summer months as Putnam County’s team participated in several padded and 7-on-7 passing camps.
Now, as the season is here, Harvin hasn’t named a starter, although it’s expected that the race is neck-and-neck. Within Harvin’s system, each provides an advantage for the War Eagles’ offense in 2023.
Robertson, a 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, is the more mobile of the two. On the other hand, Griffin can also move outside of the pocket well but he has more of an arm equipped for the passing game.
Still, it remains to be seen who will be the starter, so maybe after the scrimmage, there will be a much better picture as the War Eagles will begin to prepare for the season opener at Baldwin on Aug. 25.
Who will replace Jalon Kilgore, DJ Bland in the secondary?
Putnam County has to replace two key members of its secondary from last season in Jalon Kilgore and DJ Bland. However, the War Eagles have a few options for replacing those guys.
Kilgore was the team’s leading tackler from a season ago and is now at the University of South Carolina. The former four-star recruit is likely to be replaced by Robertson and senior Kaleb Crawford.
Putnam County defensive backs coach Kedric Manning has seen a lot of progress in each of those two players at safety.
Junior Cory Foster is also set to make a push at the position, battling both Robertson and Crawford. Crawford, Robertson and Foster will all split reps against the Tigers on Friday night at Al Reaves Field. They’ve each worked hard over the summer months to prepare for the upcoming year.
At cornerback, the War Eagles have a lot to replace with Bland gone. Despite bringing back some upperclassmen, those at the position don’t have much playing experience at the varsity level.
Putnam County seniors Sharod White and Keith Justice lead the way for those two starting spots. However, underclassmen such as Don Dorsey, Kavar Andrews and Bill Waters Jr. are competing, too.
Dorsey, Andrews and Waters are all juniors, so their presence, even if not playing much this year, gives the War Eagles some depth for next year.
They’ve each taken steps in the right direction. Hopefully, for Putnam County, the scrimmage will present a clearer picture of who’s going to start.
The Tigers should test the War Eagles’ secondary with their passing attack led by Steve Miller.
So, the scrimmage against Greene County will be a good litmus test for the defense as a whole, but specifically the secondary as it tries to lock down the depth chart heading into the season opener.