Putnam County has relied on running back Rashod Daniel all season and did so again this past Friday.
Facing a 4th-and-2 situation late in the fourth quarter against rival Jasper County, Daniel picked up a pivotal first down and then some. The senior set up quarterback Branan Griffin to score the short game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left as the War Eagles topped the Hurricanes, 21-14.
Head coach Joel Harvin was proud of Daniel’s effort as his team escaped with a much-needed win.
“We’ve told him all year long that if my paycheck has got to be decided on somebody, it’s going to be on Rashod,” Harvin joked. “So, when the time [came], Rashod needed to run the ball. But he had played both sides of the ball all night long, playing linebacker and running back, and was tired.”
Putnam County had the ball at its 28-yard line, but Daniel took the handoff and found some room on the edge. The 5-foot-10, 215-pound senior toted it all the way down to the Jasper 3-yard line. Harvin acknowledged Griffin’s short touchdown wouldn’t have been possible without Daniel’s commitment.
“He dug deep and found a little extra effort to make a big play,” Harvin said. “I told him after the game he probably saved my job by getting that first down because if we did not get it, they would have the ball on our 28 going in. We needed a few more yards, and I’m proud of him and his effort.”
Another pivotal play came on special teams in the first quarter. Jasper County stalled on its first drive and was forced to punt. Putnam County blocked the punt, with sophomore wideout Bryson Brown catching the ball in mid-air and returning it to the end zone, giving the War Eagles an early lead.
Putnam County led 7-0 at the break before the game was back-and-forth in the second half. The Hurricanes’ rushing attack, led by senior Jalen Stewart, kept them in the game throughout the final two quarters.
Daniel scored his only touchdown of the night in the second half, giving Putnam a 14-7 lead after the PAT and before Jasper County tied it up again.
Daniel also broke the 1,000-yard mark in the win after finishing the night with 142 yards of rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries. Griffin also had 55 rushing yards and a score.
In the team’s regular-season finale, Putnam County improved to 5-5 overall and 3-2 in the region. The War Eagles are guaranteed a playoff spot but do not yet know who they will face in the postseason.
Due to Hurricane Helene, the Georgia High School Association pushed the season back one week to let teams across the state finish the regular season. Putnam County won’t play again until Nov. 15.
Regardless, Harvin said the War Eagles will spend the next few weeks getting healthy and working on getting better.
“I think we’ve played good football all year long. We’ve battled some injuries and had some the other night,” he said. “One of our top linebackers is out, and one of our main running backs and blocking back was out, so we hadn’t been healthy all year long, except for those first early few games. So, we’ve had to lean on some younger guys to help us and man, they’ve stepped up and created a lot of competition there. Now we’ve got a good chance to get healthy.”