The Putnam County defense made great strides this past Friday night against Haralson County.
Coming into the game, the Rebels had the highest scoring offense in Class A Division I, averaging 39.0 points per game, while the War Eagle defense had allowed 35.6 points per contest. Putnam significantly improved on that side of the ball this past Friday by holding Haralson to a season-low 14 points in a close 16-14 win.
The Rebels are a run-first team, led by junior athlete Khemp Boyd.
“Obviously, (Haralson) has got they got some playmakers on offense with Khemp Boyd, the quarterback, and another running back,” Putnam head coach Joel Harvin said. “The biggest thing we wanted to do was stop [Boyd]. He was their biggest playmaker, and we wanted to make sure that we had eyes on him every play.”
The War Eagles held Boyd in check and pitched a shutout in the first half. However, in the second half, a few mistakes on offense allowed Haralson to gain momentum and get a lead late in the game. Harvin noted the Rebels made changes on offense in the second half, but said his players adapted well.
“Our kids did a really good job in the first half, and then they came out in the second half and handled some stuff that we hadn’t seen before, but it wasn’t anything major,” Harvin stated. “It took us a minute to get adjusted to it, but once we adjusted, our kids did a good job stopping it.
“[Boyd] is a really good player. We watched film on him throughout the whole week. We’ve seen him make explosive plays, breaking 50- and 60-yard runs,” the coach continued. “So, we wanted to keep him contained and make him earn it. I think we did a really good job on defense, focusing on tackling and being physical.”
Putnam’s defensive front plugged the run gaps, but also got after Haralson quarterback Paxton Ray with pressure. Omarion Butts, Blake Williams, Elijah Dunn, and Steven Grandt played well for Putnam on Friday.
The War Eagles' defensive showing against the Rebels represented significant improvement.
The unit gave up 46 points each of the two previous weeks to Morgan County and Laney.
Putnam has a bye this Friday, and while Harvin was satisfied with last week’s performance, he said the unit remains “a work in progress.”
“We’re continuing to get better every single day. And the games against Morgan and Laney are obviously not who we are. We’re a better football team than what we showed in those two games,” Harvin stated. “And for our kids just to keep showing up and going to work, man, it means a lot.
“They showed up this week with a good mindset, and I promised them after the Laney game that we would fix things on the adults’ end and push them to keep going to work. And they did,” he continued. “Playing a team like Haralson, which was on a roll, in a really tough environment, was tough. They had a lot of fans. It was loud, with cowbells and everything. For our guys to be able to battle and get through it, man, what a way to win.”