Putnam County (5-4, 4-2 Region 4-AA) had plenty of chances to score inside the red zone this past Friday against Laney (6-2-1, 5-1), but the War Eagles couldn’t punch it in when it mattered most.
The Wildcats also stepped up on defense when needed, leading to a 27-6 victory over Putnam County. Offensively, they also exceeded with explosive plays as the War Eagles missed several tackles.
According to War Eagles’ first-year head coach Joel Harvin, Laney “made plays,” and his team didn’t.
“At the end of the day, when you get to the two-yard line and you don’t stick it in, you’re not going to beat any team,” Harvin said. “Laney is a good team. They’re big, physical, and have good athletes if you don’t make tackles. The small things are what cost us. It’s a week-to-week thing.”
Putnam’s loss to Laney was its second in a row following a devastating defeat to reigning state champion and No. 1 Thomson a week before. The War Eagles had won five straight before this skid.
Putnam has faced its toughest competition in the last two weeks, and the War Eagles haven’t fared well.
However, they’ve also suffered a fair number of self-inflicted wounds in those two games.
“I feel like we’re doing the same stuff. We had kids open, and we’ve had different things happen every week,” Harvin said. “It always seems like we’re one person or play away from scoring touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball. “Defensively, [Laney] pounded the ball and were hard to stop because they’re so big and physical. Their quarterbacks also do a great job of finding a hole and getting it loose for three or four yards. So, we just didn’t make the plays, and they did.”
Laney’s versatile quarterback, DJ Daggett, made plays with his feet to extend plays for first downs. His mobility sparked the Wildcat offense early as Putnam’s defense started to load the box.
A pivotal play in the game came when Daggett hit one of his wide receivers in the middle of the field and raced toward the end zone. The Laney pass catcher broke several tackles on his way for six.
“We just didn’t do a great job tackling and being physical. They also ran the ball well,” Harvin said. “They got down inside the red zone and ran it.
It was hard to stop, but again, we missed tackles. Anybody you miss a tackle on is going to make you pay. They’re a good team and made us pay.”
A positive was Putnam’s ability to move the ball with running backs Kaleb Crawford and Rashod Daniel. It’s just that once the War Eagles got down inside Laney’s 20, they would stall out.
Harvin wants to correct those mistakes at practice this week before Friday’s final game of the year.
“This week, we’re going to try and focus a little bit more on us. We need to tighten up some base stuff we do on both sides of the ball,” Harvin said. “We’re going to work on being fundamentally sound, improve our tackling, blocking, and hitting the open receivers. All of the basic stuff. We need to get where we’re a little bit more comfortable in what we’re doing. Focus on us and get better.”
Next up, Putnam County faces Washington County (5-4, 4-2) at home. With the loss to Laney this past Friday, the War Eagles are tied for third in the region standings with the Screaming Eagles. The winner of this final game will solidify the third spot entering the Class AA state playoffs.
Harvin hopes his players can forget about the last few weeks and play mistake-free this Friday.
“Hopefully, we can enter this game, win it, and go into the playoffs with some momentum,” Harvin said.