Putnam County and Greene County will get their 2026 football seasons underway Friday night, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. when the longtime rivals meet at Tiger Stadium in Greensboro.
The War Eagles head into the opener with some momentum after knocking off Class 4A West Laurens 24-21 in a scrimmage last Friday. West Laurens reached the Class 3A semifinals last season, giving Putnam a strong test before the games start counting.
Greene County, meanwhile, had an extra week to get ready. The Tigers beat Hancock Central 28-0 in their scrimmage before taking last Friday off.
First-year Greene coach Chris MacFarland used that extra week to tidy up and prepare his team.
“It was great to take the Hancock County scrimmage and be able to really evaluate it, make a lot of corrections last week, and actually start implementing things for this first game with Putnam,” MacFarland said.
The Tigers also used the week to get more reps, work on timing, and build some depth heading into Friday.
MacFarland said he liked what he saw from Putnam in the West Laurens scrimmage and knows Greene County will have to be ready for a physical game.
“They’ve got some talent on both sides of the football,” MacFarland said. “We’re going to have to play at a very high level.”
Putnam coach Joel Harvin holds a similar view of the matchup. He said he expects the Tigers to bring plenty of physicality, especially along the offensive and defensive lines.
“Every time I play Greene County, those guys are going to play hard,” Harvin said. “They’re very big up front and a lot bigger than we are.”
Harvin said his War Eagles will need to find a way to win those battles early and keep the game within reach heading into the fourth quarter.
“We’ve got a tough task ahead of us,” he said.
Friday’s game will mark MacFarland’s first Putnam-Greene matchup, adding another storyline to an already familiar rivalry. He knows the game means a lot to both communities, but also doesn’t want his team to put too much weight on one night.
“Game one is always important,” MacFarland said. “It’s like you’ve spent the entire season and offseason preparing for game one.”
The teams have split the last two meetings, with Putnam County winning 42-15 last season after Greene County came away with a 28-20 victory in 2024.
The War Eagles lead the all-time series 29-27-1.
Now that the preseason is behind them, both teams — and coaches — finally get a chance to see what they have when the Friday night lights come on in Greensboro.