Nothing went right for Putnam County in the fourth quarter of last week’s region game against Social Circle.
The War Eagles led 28-14 going into the final period, but the Redskins fought hard and never gave up, erasing that two-touchdown deficit by scoring 24 points in the last 12 minutes to secure a 38-28 comeback victory.
Putnam County head coach Joel Harvin was disappointed after the game, taking the blame for the loss.
“The biggest thing is to learn from it and not sit there and try to point fingers,” Harvin said. “I take the blame for it if it makes people feel better, because ultimately it is my responsibility to try and win that game.”
The War Eagles led 21-7 midway through the third quarter when quarterback Ethan Whatley scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the night, pushing their lead to 28-7 after the extra point.
Social Circle responded on the next possession. The Redskins moved down the field and scored as quarterback Remi Farmer connected with receiver Elliot Hamilton for a 44-yard touchdown, making it a 28-14 game.
Putnam County lost the ball on a fumble during its next drive. Social Circle started with a short field but couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, as the War Eagles' defense stopped them on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
The loss of downs didn’t bode well for Putnam County, though. The Redskins made a crucial defensive stop in the end zone for a safety, reducing the War Eagles’ lead to 28-16 with 10:01 remaining in the final quarter.
Social Circle regained possession after the safety, but soon faced a 4th-and-5 situation. That’s when Farmer proved his worth and fired a long pass to a receiver inside the Putnam County 10-yard line. The Redskins then made it a one-score game as running back Quentavious Smith crossed the goal line from three yards out.
Clinging to a 28-23 lead, the War Eagles needed to seal the game by running the ball to drain the clock. They got close to midfield before facing a 4th-and-7, which Harvin decided to go for, but the offense came up short.
Whatley was sacked, giving the ball back to Social Circle with only a few minutes left and momentum on their side.
“I rolled the dice just because I didn’t want our defense on the field. They were tired, and I wanted to try to put the game away,” Harvin said. “Hindsight’s always 20-20. I probably should have punted the ball away, put it back deep, and put the pressure on their offense to try and drive the entire field and score to win the game.”
It didn’t take long for the Redskins to get on the scoreboard. They took the lead a few plays later when running back Kayden Fears scored a touchdown, putting them in control for the first time since the opening quarter.
Social Circle’s AJ Bailey iced the game with a 22-yard pick-six with 1:22 left on the next possession.
“They made the plays when they needed to make the plays,” Harvin said. “Hats off to them.”
Whatley completed 8 of 16 passes for 91 yards and an interception. He led the War Eagles in rushing with 154 yards on 15 attempts with four touchdowns. Putnam running back Omarion Butts also rushed for 91 yards on 15 carries.
The War Eagles fell to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in region play with the loss to the Redskins (4-2, 2-0). They hope to rebound this Friday at home in Eatonton against Utopian Academy of the Arts (1-5, 0-2).
“They’re a heck of a lot better team this year than they were last year,” Harvin said of UAA. “And we’ve got a lot of distractions going on with Homecoming.
“They’re a team coming in that, yeah, their record probably doesn’t truly reflect how well they play. But if you watch them on film, they’ve got some good athletes on both sides of the ball. They hustle to the ball,” Harvin added. “So, we’ve got to be on top of our game and not allow them to stay in the game and continue to take care of the football. And then we’ve got to finish in the second half and really have a whole game put together this coming week.”