This Friday, the Greene County-Putnam County football rivalry will be renewed for the first time in five years.
The teams scrimmaged each other the past two seasons, but the result will count this Friday. The longtime rivals haven’t played during the regular season since 2019, when the War Eagles knocked off the Tigers 43-35.
The last time these rivals played, each program had different head coaches. Shaun Pope led Putnam, while Larry Milligan coached Greene. This year, though, the War Eagles’ Joel Harvin and Tigers’ Terrance Banks will officially face off against each other for the first time. The new coaches are happy the rivalry is being restored.
Each team will also face bordering rival Morgan County during the regular season.
“Playing games [against Morgan and Greene] is good for this area,” Harvin said. “There’s a lot of good football in this area, and we want to ensure we’re trying to promote it. It gives our kids something to look forward to because there’s some familiarity. They’re used to playing against some of these kids, and they will both be great games against great teams. I was hoping we could put these games together, and luckily, we did.”
Banks agreed.
“Depending on who you talk to, one rival is bigger than the other. For the older generation, Putnam County is our biggest rival. For the younger generation, it’s Morgan County,” Banks said. “Regardless, it’s a cool opportunity for my guys to compete against guys they grew up with. Games like these are why kids want to play.”
Putnam is on the rise heading into Harvin’s second season. The War Eagles went 6-5 last year, losing in the first round of the playoffs. They return a wealth of starters but hope for a better result in year two under Harvin.
Putnam brings back seniors Jamarion Robertson and Rashod Daniel. Each will play a huge role for their team on both sides of the ball. The War Eagles will also heavily rely on several younger playmakers this year.
Putnam has spent the last two weeks in scrimmages against West Laurens and Washington County. Harvin said the scrimmages will help identify things the team needs to fix before facing Greene in its first game.
“After not playing in a spring game, we had a lot of questions that needed answers. Seeing what kids help us after the summer OTAs, we’re trying and experimenting with different things as you should in the preseason,” Harvin said after the first scrimmage. “Coming out of it, I was kind of pleased with it. We’ve got certain kids stepping up and playing where we need them to. There’s always a lot to fix in a preseason game.”
Greene hopes to continue its success after going 10-2 last season in Banks’ second year. The Tigers barely lost to Bowdon, the eventual back-to-back Class A Division II state champion, in the second round last year.
Greene returns Division I prospects in Kevin Wynn, a Florida State pledge, and Steve Miller, who committed to Mississippi State.
The Tigers will also depend on senior linebacker RJ Monford and new junior quarterback Landon Garretson. They lost 17 seniors in the offseason, so younger players must step up.
Greene scrimmaged Northeast (Macon) this past Friday. Before the scrimmage, Banks said this past Friday would be a great opportunity for his younger players to see the field before the team’s opener against Putnam.
“We have potential, but I won’t see the product until we’re on the field. [The scrimmage] will help form an idea,” Banks said. “It will also show what we excel in and what we need to work on before the season.”
Putnam leads the all-time series 28-26-1 against Greene. Since 2020, the Tigers and War Eagles have split the rivalry 10-10.
This Friday’s 7:30 p.m. matchup at Tiger Stadium in Greensboro will be another great game.