Putnam County High School Football snags a 28-7 win over Jefferson High School. A big offensive game for the
A big offensive game for the War Eagles shines a bright light on what is to come in the fall. PCHS has a quarterback that will be in ninth grade come the fall and his future as a War Eagle looks promising. In the scrimmage, he completed a 54-yard touchdown pass to give them the 21-0 lead. Quarterback Branan Griffin connected to two-way player Jalon Kilgore in the third quarter of the scrimmage for the touchdown. Griffin not only can get the job done with his arm but with his legs too as he scored a rushing touchdown during the first PCHS offensive drive.
The lone passing touchdown was complimented by the run game as there were three rushing touchdowns in the game. There were four different players who rushed the ball for the War Eagles. Running back Tamarion Peters, despite not having a touchdown, led the squad with 66 rushing yards on 10 carries. Peters is an upcoming senior who will play a pivotal role in the run game come the fall season. As a junior Peters had 53 carries for 463 yards with 10 touchdowns.
Upcoming freshman quarterback Griffin also contributed to the run game with six carries for 42 yards and a touchdown. Omarion Butts, also an upcoming freshman, nabbed 40 rushing yards in the scrimmage on one carry which led to a touchdown that came in the fourth quarter. The rising sophomore Corey Foster had five carries for 26 yards and a touchdown to complete the run game for the War Eagles. Last season Foster had eight carries for 50 yards in his four games played as a freshman.
There were two touchdowns scored in the third quarter of the spring game for a game-high. PCHS scored one touchdown in the first, two in the third, and one in the fourth. For two quarters the War Eagles had a 7-0 lead over Jefferson for two quarters then the offense blew the game open jumping ahead to 21-0 in the third quarter. The offense put together two scoring drives with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown.
The 28-7 lead was not complete without the impressive defensive performance. The defense held the JCHS passing game to only six completions on 11 attempts for 23 total yards. They were also able to limit the run game to a total of 55 yards on 18 rushing attempts. Newcomer Tra Smith, who also holds a bright future for PCHS, led the defense with two tackles including one for loss, an assist, two pressures, and a sack. There were three total sacks in the contest coming from three different players. Mark Watkins and Blake Tiller, both upcoming sophomores, secured the other two sacks. Tiller had two sacks and 35 tackles last season with Watkins securing 17 tackles. The senior Kilgore had the lone War Eagle interception in the contest. He had both a touchdown and an interception on both sides of the ball. Kilgore ended last season with 88 total tackles on defense and 37 receptions on offense with 921 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The newcomers to the fall roster will add great versatility to the squad especially Griffin as he is a dual-threat quarterback. The veterans such as Kilgore will provide phenomenal leadership to the upcoming freshman and sophomores. The juniors and seniors will also aid in the development of the younger guys.
Coach Shaun Pope and the War Eagles will kick off their 2022 fall season on Sept. 2 against Oconee County. This will be a non-region home contest with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.