Putnam County will face a familiar foe in Fitzgerald during the first round of the Class AA state playoffs.
The Purple Hurricanes, who won a state championship in 2021 over Thomasville and finished runner-up to Thomson a year ago, have eliminated the War Eagles from the postseason the past two years. They also finished as runners-up during the 2020 season after losing to Callaway.
Fitzgerald (7-3) enters the Class AA state playoffs as the No. 2 seed from Region 1. The Purple Hurricanes lost Oct. 27 to top-seed Cook 14-7 in the Region 1-AA championship.
Putnam County head coach Joel Harvin doesn’t think Fitzgerald is a typical No. 2 seed, acknowledging the Purple Hurricanes lost a heartbreaker to Cook a few weeks ago in a close game.
“I know Cook beat them, but Cook was playing with a lot of adrenaline,” Harvin said. “Cook threw a long pass on third down, and the guy caught it for a touchdown to go up on them. Fitzgerald ran the game until late, but they usually find a way to win.”
Fitzgerald is a run-heavy team behind a veteran offensive line. The Purple Hurricanes have several skill players, including Calvin Tillman, Laphabion Boone, Brandon Brown, and Antwan Doctor.
Fitzgerald’s offense averages around 249 rushing yards per game, near the top of Class AA. The Purple Hurricanes love to spread the wealth around and involve many players in the run game.
“They are run-heavy and run a single-wing T (offense). They also do a play-action and screens. Stuff like that,” Harvin said. “So, they’re really good up front on both sides of the ball, on the offensive and defensive lines. It is going to be a challenge for us, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Putnam is coming off a close 49-47 win over Washington County. The War Eagles totaled 432 rushing yards and six touchdowns last Friday. They hope to continue that success on the ground this week.
According to Harvin, the key to the game is to attack Fitzgerald and establish a consistent run game. If the War Eagles can do that, they can limit the amount of time Purple Hurricanes’ offense is on the field.
Defensively, Fitzgerald’s ability to stop the run is its strong suit. But Putnam has several tailbacks it can use, including Kaleb Crawford, Rashod Daniel, Mark Little, Omarion Butts, and Bryson Foster.
Still, the War Eagles must move the ball consistently on the ground and through the air to pull out a win. Their offense has struggled at times this season to move the ball and find a steady rhythm.
“We know how good [the Purple Hurricanes] are. We went up against them earlier in the summer during OTAs,” Harvin said. “We know what they bring to the table, and we’ve played them the past two years in the playoffs. We expect a big game on Saturday, and hopefully, our kids can believe we can beat them.”
Putnam County and Fitzgerald will kick off at 4 p.m. Saturday at Jaycee Stadium in Fitzgerald.