Over the weekend, the Putnam County football team had six players attend the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association’s Battle of the Rock competition, which featured offensive and defensive linemen from across the state.
The War Eagles who participated didn’t have to travel far, since the event took place at Rock Eagle. The players in attendance were Johnny Bishop, Jayden Bishop, Janorie Reid, KeMarious Williams, Jabius Farley, and Joe Ward. Each showcased their skills in the trenches against other players from the Peach State.
Putnam County head coach Joel Harvin thought it was a good idea for a few of his players to attend the camp.
“I think they had over 300 kids from all across the state of Georgia come to Eatonton and participate in the camp, so it’s right here in our backyard,” Harvin told The Eatonton Messenger. “We were able to send six of our guys to camp there, and next year we hope to send even more. It’s a great camp. It teaches the fundamentals of both the offensive and defensive lines. The kids get a lot of work. It’s sunrise to sunset, so they’re trained by some of the best high school coaches in this area. It’s a really a good little thing for them.”
Harvin and Putnam County offensive line coach Charlie Farmer were also there to help coach their kids.
As for their performances, Harvin thought his players who attended the Battle of the Rock camp competed well. They got several opportunities during the three-day camp to improve their skills and also learn a few things.
“I thought they held their own. You know, it’s not really a contact camp at all,” Harvin said. “Every drill is without pads, and they have competitions throughout the camp to figure out who is the best group there. For our first year attending this camp, I thought it went well. I thought our guys did a really good job, and I think it was kind of eye-opening for them. They learned a lot along the way, so it was a good camp.”
Harvin knows that all six players who attended the camp will take what they learned back to practice this week. He hopes the players in the trenches who didn’t have an opportunity to go will learn from those who did.
Harvin thinks the team’s strength heading into next season will be its line of scrimmage, particularly the offensive line.
“We expect our offensive line to be better than it was last year. We’ve got most of the guys coming back,” he said. “They’ve had a really good offseason as far as getting bigger and stronger. Attending camps like this has also helped them build their confidence. We’re going to rely heavily on these guys. We’re going to be a little bit more physical than we were last year, and we’ve got some big guys that’ll be playing up there.”