With high school football summer practices in full swing, The Eatonton Messenger is doing a two-part series on the upcoming schedule breakdowns for Putnam County and Gatewood. This week, the Putnam County High School War Eagles.
Putnam County enters its second season under head coach Joel Harvin with an action-packed schedule in 2024.
The War Eagles have moved from the Georgia High School Association’s Class AA to Class A Division I this season and in a new region, too. Hence, their schedule features some familiar opponents, plus a few new faces.
Harvin’s squad will take on two neighboring rivals during the season’s first two weeks.
Putnam County begins its season on Aug. 16 at rival Greene County. The two programs haven’t played each other since 2019, when the War Eagles topped the Tigers 43-35 at home at Al Reaves Field under previous head coach Shaun Pope.
One week later, on Aug. 23, Putnam County will face another nearby rival in Morgan County for its 2024 home opener. The War Eagles last played the Bulldogs three years ago, winning 37-0 at Bill Corry Stadium.
“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 two games together, and luckily, we did.”
Greene County went 10-2 last season under second-year coach Terrance Banks. The Tigers return a ton of talent, including heavily recruited prospects such as defensive lineman Kevin Wynn and athlete Steve Miller. They won a playoff game last season and are surging in the right direction, heading into Banks’ third year.
Last year, Morgan County went 10-2, won the Region 4-AAA championship, and secured its first playoff win in 11 years. The Bulldogs graduated a few key pieces in 2023 but return a veteran junior class under head coach Clint Jenkins, who is entering his fourth year with a playoff-caliber team.
“We want to play the best we can early on to prepare us for region play. I don’t think we could’ve chosen two better teams to play in the first few weeks,” Harvin said. “[Greene and Morgan] present a challenge, and we look forward to that challenge. These are two rivals that were second-round playoff teams last year.”
In week three, Putnam County will travel to Augusta to play Laney, a familiar foe. Although the War Eagles and Wildcats have been in the same region for the past few years, this matchup will be a non-region game for both.
Laney won last year’s matchup 27-6 en route to going 8-3-1 and winning a playoff game before losing to eventual state champion Pierce County. The Wildcats will also be a formidable opponent this year, especially at home. Putnam County’s final non-region opponent will be Haralson County at home on Sept 6. The Rebels went 2-8 last season but hope for a better record this year under new coach Randy Crutchfield. These two teams have never met so that it will be an intriguing matchup between the War Eagles and their opponent from northwest Georgia.
“Laney made it to the second round last year and got beat by the eventual state champions. So, they’re no slouch,” Harvin said. “And we picked up another game against Haralson County, (so) we’re excited about the non-region part of our schedule. Our kids are excited about it. I look forward to developing these kids and seeing if they can help us in our region games.”
Putnam County will have a bye on Sept. 13 before hosting McNair the following Friday night to begin Class A Division I Region 4 play. The War Eagles’ contest against the Mustangs will be their homecoming game.
McNair has not been a strong program historically. Under coach Mario Drayton, it went 4-6 overall last year.
On Sept. 27, Putnam County will remain at home to face rival Social Circle. The Redskins are coming off a 4-7 season after playing in a tough region last year with Prince Avenue, Commerce, and Rabun County.
This year, fifth-year head coach Rob Patton hopes for a better result, and Social Circle wants revenge for a 42-22 loss to Putnam County during the 2021 season. The War Eagles lead the all-time series 9-2 over the Redskins.
On Oct. 4, Putnam County will play at Utopian Academy, where it will face a football team in its first season this year. The War Eagles will return home on Oct. 11 for Senior Night to face Towers, another team they’ve never encountered before. The Titans from Dekalb County went 1-9 last season under first-year head coach Henry Garrett, who returns.
Putnam County’s biggest region matchup arguably comes on Oct. 18 at Lamar County. The Trojans, who lead the all-time series against the War Eagles 7-1, won a region title in 2023 and have been a second-round playoff team under Travis Ellington for the past two years.
They went 9-2 last season and brought back a lot of talent this year.
Finally, Putnam County will close out its regular season at rival Jasper County. The War Eagles, who lead the all-time series 37-27, won last year’s matchup 24-17, but the Hurricanes finished their 2024 campaign with a 5-6 record.
Jasper County head coach Ashley Henderson has his program headed in the right direction going into year three.
Harvin believes the move from Class A to Class A Division I will help the program.
But he knows a few schools, specifically Social Circle, Jasper County, and Lamar County, will have their calendars marked for the War Eagles.
“There will be some familiar teams we’ve played before that have been in the region before, and we’ll be back in it with them. It’ll be very competitive and will be a tough challenge,” Harvin said. “We’re excited about the region. We also get a few region rivals back, and our kids look forward to playing against them again.”