Putnam County earned its second consecutive win this past Friday, defeating McNair 45-37 in its region opener.
The War Eagles (2-3, 1-0, Class A Div. I, Reg. 4) survived a scare, as the Mustangs (2-3, 0-1), who trailed 30-7 midway through the third quarter, mounted a comeback late in the game but came up short.
Putnam head coach Joel Harvin said he was happy with the win but wants his team to learn to finish games.
“We came out pretty strong, hitting on all cylinders – special teams, defense, and offense – in the first half,” Harvin said. “Then, things got a little lackadaisical in the second half. We gave up some big plays.
“The game shouldn’t have been that close. We’ve got to learn how to win, put teams away, and not give them any opportunities. I’m absolutely proud of the win. But we must finish better and keep teams out of the game.”
With 3:03 remaining in the third quarter, Putnam led 38-13 right before McNair quarterback Jeremy Victor led the Mustangs’ offensive unit on several scoring drives.
As a 6-foot-3, 235-pound dual-threat shot caller, Victor made a difference with his arm and his legs. His dynamic ability to make plays helped McNair claw back into contention against Putnam, which didn’t have an answer. Victor gave his team’s offense a spark, running and throwing for several explosive plays in the second half.
Late in the fourth quarter, McNair was driving to score a touchdown and attempt a two-point conversion to tie the game. But Putnam’s defensive unit came up with a huge stop, escaping with the eight-point win.
Still, there were also several positives for the War Eagles, especially when Putnam jumped out to a 24-7 lead at the end of the first half.
It also represented a huge region win for Putnam, with junior quarterback Branan Griffin and tailback Rashod Daniel each scoring rushing touchdowns. Junior defensive back Bill Waters returned an interception for a score, and junior defensive back Kaleb Lawrence recovered a fumbled snap, returning it to the end zone for six.
Griffin rushed the ball 14 times for a team-high 95 yards, while Daniel had 80 yards on 18 carries. They played well without senior starting quarterback Jamarion Robertson, who will miss the rest of the season with an injury.
“We’ve got a plethora of guys who can run the ball, but you can’t replace J-Rob [Robertson]. He’s such a good kid and a team captain,” Harvin said. “It’s now by-committee of what we do on the offensive side of the ball.”
Harvin acknowledged that this contest could be a teaching tool for finishing the games.
“We’ve still got a lot of young guys on defense that are a little inexperienced,” Harvin said. “You’ve got 10th graders playing in certain spots who are still making mistakes that 10th graders make.
“But we’ve got faith in these guys to be able to step up and make the plans when we need to. It’s little mistakes that are easy to fix. The more reps we get these guys, the more experience they get, the more comfortable they’ll be.”
Putnam will face Social Circle at home this Friday. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m. at Al Reaves Field in Eatonton.