Cougars top South for first win

Saturday, September 2, 2017
North Putnam offensive linemen Austin Huffman (61) and Luke Sanford (55) open a big hole for quarterback Hayden Rudes to run through against South Putnam on Friday night.
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

ROACHDALE — South Putnam was looking to get back on track Friday night after losing last week, while North Putnam was looking for its first win of the season.

The Cougars put up 20 first-quarter points, eventually scoring on their first four possessions to defeat the Eagles 48-21.

North Putnam’s Scott Proctor returned the opening kickoff to near midfield, setting the tone for the game’s beginning.

South Putnam quarterback Christian Zeffel barely gets a pass off over Cougar defender James Upleger..
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

The Cougars marched 51 yards in eight plays, with Hayden Rudes connecting with Gage Bell on a 32-yard TD pass for a 6-0 lead.

The Eagles used some aerial tactics of their own, as Christian Zeffel hit sophomore receive Kain Gregory on a 45-yard pass to get his team in a good position — then connected with Gregory on a 28-yard TD pass.

With the extra point, the Eagles led 7-6 and a shootout looked to be ensuing.

Thanks to the strong running of Ethan Christy, the Cougars marched back down the field and scored again on a 3-yard pass from Rudes to Lucius Alexander.

With 3:25 left in the opening period, the Cougars took a 13-7 lead.

North Putnam’s defense then took over, holding the Eagles scoreless until the third quarter. By that time, the Cougars had amassed a 41-7 lead and were well on their way to a victory.

North Putnam coach Sam Carnes picked up his first career head coaching victory, but downplayed the milestone.

“It’s all about our seniors,” he said. “I’ll coach a lot of teams for a lot of years, but for our seniors this is their last chance. I’m happier for them than myself.”

While the throwing of Rudes, the running of Christy and Chris Murray and the receiving of Bell were all highlights, Carnes pointed to one specific area of improvement for their successes.

“Hayden had a great night,” Carnes said. “He stepped up in the pocket and made the throws. At the end of the day, though, our O-line and D-line just won the battle of the trenches and gave him all kinds of time back there.”

Carnes said Christy was able to adapt on the few occasions when the line didn’t block as well.

“He just ran them over,” he said. “Buck is a great football player. Gage Bell had a great night. It was a team effort, and we got a lot better from week 2 to week 3.”

Carnes did not point to any certain work that led the line playing its best of the year.

“We’ve focused on fundamentals since the first week,” he said. “We want to be a solid fundamental team.”

South Putnam’s Nathan Aker recognized Christy’s importance in the game.

North Putnam's Scott Proctor makes a shoestring tackle on Kain Gregory of South Putnam to save a touchdown.
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

“He’s a great player and we knew that,” he said. “He put on a show, and it’s a credit to his team to open holes for him. They had a heckuva night.”

Aker’s team was missing a few players due to injury, most notably junior linebacker and defensive leader Dalton Scott.

He was impressed with the continued improvement of Zeffel as a passer.

“He’s done a really nice job, and North Putnam’s passing game has come along as well,” Aker said. “It looked like they were using the pass to set up the run.”

The toughest thing to do is pass protection, Aker said.

Aker also credited Gregory, who had four catches for 140 yards, with having an outstanding game.

“We knew we could get him the ball, and he did a great job of running with it,” Aker said. “He accomplished that objective early and often in the game.”

The Eagles scored two of the last three touchdowns in the game, and Aker was concerned with how his team started.

“We didn’t start practice well two of three days this week,” he said. “That’s my fault for not having them ready. We have talked about it and will continue to address it.”

The Eagles will look to break their two-game losing skid on Friday as they meet Greencastle.

“There’s no way a South Putnam team with Eagles on its helmet will not be ready for ‘county seat week’,” he said. “There is no way in the world we will come out flat this next week.”

South Putnam 7 0 8 6 — 21

North Putnam 20 7 21 0 — 48

NP — Bell 32 pass from Rudes (pass failed), NP 6-0

SP — Gregory 25 pass from Zeffel (Hodge kick), SP 7-6

NP — Alexander 3 pass from Rudes (Bell kick), NP 13-7

NP — Christy 8 run (Bell kick), NP 20-7

NP — Bell 24 pass from Rudes (Bell kick), NP 27-7

NP — Christy 1 run (Bell kick), NP 34-7

NP — Murray 15 run (Bell kick), NP 41-7

SP — Wood 3 run (Zeffel run), NP 41-14

NP — Murray 57 run (Bell kick), NP 48-14

SP — Zeffel 1 run (kick failed), NP 48-21

Individual stats

Rushing — South: A.LeBlanc 14-32, Zeffel 14-71, M.LeBlanc 5-8, Wood 2-5. North: Christy 16-106, Rudes 8-24, Bell 2-14, Murray 4-96, Greene 1-2, Baker 1-3.

Passing — South: Zeffel 11-22-1 223. North: Rudes 8-10-0 118.

Receiving — South: Gregory 4-140, Glover 3-53k Adams 1-4, Wood 3-26. North: Bell 2-56, Christy 2-36, Alexander 2-6, Tennis 2-20.

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