After a strong season debut against Greene County, Putnam County struggled in its second game of the season.
The War Eagles played Morgan County on Friday at Bill Corry Stadium and were defeated 46-14 on a wet and rainy night.
Putnam County led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, but then the Dogs scored 21 unanswered points. They led 27-14 at the half, and things only got uglier for the War Eagles, as the Morgan offense scored several more times before the game was over.
It was a learning opportunity for the War Eagles, who struggled on both sides of the ball after the first quarter.
Putnam County made several errors, notably failing to successfully exchange the snap between the center and quarterback on offense. While a wet ball caused most of these issues, head coach Joel Harvin stated there are no excuses.
“Well, obviously, we’ve got to minimize mistakes. I mean, when you fumble a snap nine times, you’re already down, you’re behind the chains,” he said after the game. “So, I understand the conditions are wet, but that’s no excuse to not catch a freaking ball and run with it. We kind of bit ourselves on the tail on that one.”
The War Eagles also struggled on the defensive side of the ball, as Morgan County exploded for 518 yards of total offense. The Dogs tallied 220 passing yards and a touchdown, plus 298 rushing yards and four scores.
Harvin thought the War Eagles’ defense struggled at times, but noted that many of his players never came off the field.
“Defensively, we’ve got to figure out what’s going wrong,” he said. “I’m proud of my guys. We’ve got what we’ve got. A lot of our guys are playing every snap, not coming off the field. Japeth Nelson is one of those guys. Bryson Brown, who caught the touchdown at the very beginning, never comes off the field and never complains. [It’s an] Iron Man football mindset, but we got some younger guys who have got to step up quick.”
Harvin mentioned that when the game got out of control, some of his younger guys received some valuable playing time.
“We’re young and we’re old at the same time. So, we have a good young group that, if they can play right now, they’re physically capable,” Putnam County’s coach said. “A lot of them are only 13 or 14 years old, so I asked them to go play … but we’re trying to sneak them in there and steal some reps and get them ready for region play because we are going to need them. We’re a little thin [on both sides of the ball] right now.”
Beyond the obvious negatives, Harvin said he still had a few positive takeaways as well.
The War Eagles’ defense made a crucial stop on Morgan County’s opening possession. Then, their offense put together an impressive touchdown drive, with quarterback Ethan Whatley throwing a scoring pass to Brown.
Senior running back Omarion Butts also contributed significantly on offense, rushing 21 times for 115 yards and a touchdown. Putnam County’s offense totaled 159 rushing yards against the Dogs.
Harvin explained his team simply didn’t execute what it needed for a win.
“I thought the game plan was there,” Harvin said. “It was just that if you don’t execute and you don’t hold onto the ball, it doesn’t matter the conditions, you’re already shooting yourself in the foot.”
The War Eagles (1-1) hope to rebound this Friday at home against Laney (1-1). The Wildcats are coming off a 32-12 win over Hephzibah. The two teams will meet at Al Reaves Field for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.