Putnam County (5-4, 4-2 Region 4-AA) will host Washington County (5-4, 4-2) this Friday for Senior Night.
• Series History: Washington County leads, 13-1.
• Last Meeting: Putnam County defeated Washington County 26-13 in 2022.
Putnam and Washington enter the regular-season finale tied for third in the region standings. The winner of Friday’s game will be the third seed going into the playoffs and the loser ends up fourth.
Right now, Westside-Augusta sits in the fourth spot, but each team has beaten the Patriots in a head-tohead matchup already. So, even if Westside wins this Friday night, the loser of the Putnam County-Washington County game will hold that fourth spot because of its victory earlier this year.
Either way, War Eagles’ head coach Joel Harvin isn’t focused on the playoffs. Harvin hopes his group can bounce back after a pair of losses to Thomson and Laney the last two weeks.
Regardless, Harvin knows Washington County is going to present another tough test for his team. The first-year coach said the Golden Hawks’ success revolves around quarterback Cameron Beasley.
“They have a very good quarterback who was injured the last few games. He is very athletic, can pull it down and run, and is wide open when trying to spread it out and throw it,” Harvin said. “They [also] have some good athletes they get the ball to. The quarterback also can run, so we’re going to have to do a good job of making sure we keep our eyes on him. And like I mentioned, just make tackles [and do the easy things right]. Don’t let anything turn into a big play.”
Beasley has passed for 1,573 yards, 18 touchdowns, and only four interceptions this season, per MaxPreps. He’s also rushed for 271 yards on 59 attempts (4.6 yards per carry) and two scores in 2023.
After losing running back Dontavious Braswell, who is nowint South Carolina, Washington County has looked to current senior Jeremiah Steele. He’s reliable when the passing game is not working. Junior Jusden Culpepper and Steele have combined to rush for 347 yards and seven scores.
Senior Ka’Monta Durden is a serious threat out on the perimeter. He leads the team in receiving yards with 907 on 49 receptions (18.5 yards per reception) and a team-high eight touchdowns this year.
Harvin highlighted the Golden Hawks’ offense differs from any other team Putnam County has played.
“A lot of these past few games, these teams have been run-heavy, but WaCo is a little bit more pass-heavy,” Harvin said. “They do a good job of throwing screens, trying formations where they get guys open, and it gets tough on the back half [of the defense]. So, with the quarterback being able to pull it and run it, that poses a big threat as well. We’re going to need to get pressure on him.”
Putnam’s defensive front needs to wreak havoc and get into the backfield to throw Beasley off his game. The War Eagles’ secondary also must contain Durden and Washington’s other pass catchers.
Offensively, Putnam has the potential to move the ball but needs to fix its red zone issues from last week. If the War Eagles can do these things, they can pull off a victory against the Golden Hawks.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Harvin said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Washington County and Putnam County will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Al Reaves Stadium this Friday.