Putnam County continued its strong start to the 2026 season, rolling through Hancock Central 55-6 to improve to 2-0 Friday night in Sparta.
The War Eagles controlled the game on both sides of the ball, using a balanced rushing attack to build a commanding lead while the defense kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone until late in the game.
Rasha Ellison led Putnam County’s offensive attack with three touchdowns, with quarterback Caleb Reeves accounting for two more through the air. Christian Lane, Kumari Thomas, and Elijah Kelly also found the end zone as the War Eagles spread the ball around.
For Putnam County coach Joel Harvin, the biggest benefit of Friday’s blowout was the opportunity to give younger players some meaningful varsity experience.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of taking care of business and doing what we needed to do to win the game and get a lot of young guys playing,” Harvin said. “We’re going to have to use those guys at some point throughout the season. I thought it was good for them to be able to get some reps.”
Harvin said the War Eagles were able to spread the ball around, with seven or eight players from the first group getting touches. That included Reeves, who continued to grow into his new role at quarterback.
After making things simpler for Reeves in practice during the week, Harvin said the sophomore responded when given opportunities against Hancock Central.
“He did a really good job in the game and capitalized on some of that stuff that we’ve been working on,” Harvin said. “Finally, I think he went three for three with two touchdowns, hitting guys that needed to be hit.”
Reeves has been learning on the fly, continuing to get comfortable in high-pressure situations.
“He’s still getting some experience under his belt; never played quarterback before,” Harvin said. “We’re just trying to get him comfortable to where he’s used to being able to do that in high-pressure situations.”
Defensively, Putnam County has allowed just six points through its first two games. The War Eagles opened the season with a shutout of Greene County before Hancock Central found the end zone Friday.
Harvin said Putnam County made things more difficult on itself while experimenting with different defensive looks.
“We kind of outcoached ourselves a little bit,” he admitted. “We’re trying a lot of different things and gave them a lot of creases to run in.”
Once the War Eagles resumed their defensive identity, however, they were able to close the door.
“When we just settled down and did what we do, we were able to make the stop when we needed to; caused a couple turnovers,” Harvin said.
Despite the lopsided score, Harvin said there are still areas for the defense to improve, particularly with gap assignments and inexperienced players in the secondary.
“We’ve got to continue to get better on that side of the ball as far as filling gaps and knowing where to fit,” he said.
Putnam County now gets a week off before returning to action against Oglethorpe County. Harvin said the open week will give the War Eagles a chance to recover physically, catch up academically, and begin preparing for their next opponent.
“It’s just a good week to kind of get back to business and get our legs under us,” he said.