After beating McNair last Friday, Putnam County (3-2, 1-0) continues its region schedule this week at Social Circle (3-2, 1-0).
The Redskins defeated Utopian Academy 52-0 last Friday in their first region game. The defending Class A Division I Region 4 champions want to claim another league title, but the War Eagles stand in their way.
Social Circle has the focus of Putnam County head coach Joel Harvin, citing the experience the Redskins bring back.
“They’ve got an older group. They lost a lot of seniors, but they have a lot of guys coming back; their offensive line is back. Defensively, they’re solid,” Harvin said. “They don’t play a whole lot of guys both ways. They’re the defending region champs, so it’s going to be a challenge for us. They’ve had a good season so far. We look forward to the challenge, man. They’re going to be a tough team to beat, especially at home.”
Offensively, quarterback Remi Farmer leads the charge for Social Circle.
Through five games in 2025, he’s completed 65% of his passes for 639 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. He’s also rushed for 224 yards and two scores.
Farmer’s mobility and ability to take care of the ball have been a positive for the offense.
“He can pull it and make you pay with his feet. He’s also very accurate throwing the ball, and he steps up in the pocket and delivers a strike when he needs to,” Harvin said of Farmer. “He’s a really good football player.”
Junior running backs Kayden Fears (355 yards, 10 TDs) and Christian Paggett (191 yards, 4 TDs) shoulder the workload on the ground for the Redskins. Senior wideout Elliot Hamilton (24 catches, 390 yards, 3 TDs) and junior AJ Bailey (14 catches, 173 yards, 1 TD) are also the offense’s best deep threats for Farmer to target.
“(Social Circle) has got two running backs. They rotate in there to keep fresh, and they run it hard, man,” Harvin acknowledged. “They get tough yardage when it’s not there, and then they’re able to break off big runs, too, so it’s going to be a challenge for us to stop them.
I think they have three receivers they use, and they’re always deep-threat guys. They can catch quick screens and take it 65 yards.”
Putnam County’s defense must play as well as it did the last two games, as Social Circle averages 36 points a game.
Defensively, Social Circle has faced challenges, especially in stopping the run.
Still, the Redskins have allowed only 18 points per game going into Friday’s matchup. Against more powerful offenses, though, including in losses to KIPP Atlanta and Whitefield Academy, they surrendered an average of 38 points per game. They gave up a combined 662 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground in those two losses.
The War Eagles’ offensive forte is running the ball. They’re led by Omarion Butts, who has 370 yards and six touchdowns through five games. Their second-leading rusher, Kumari Thomas, is injured, so the staff has had more designed runs called for quarterback Ethan Whatley. Elijah Dunn is also starting to see more reps.
Putnam County and Social Circle will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Redskins Stadium.