South Putnam ends regular season undefeated, attention on Cascade

South Putnam at Cascade can be heard Friday on GIANT fm Sports 94.3 WREB. Pregame with Patrick Rady and Paul Gable is 6:35 pm. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

For the second time as head coach of the South Putnam football team, Chuck Sorrell has guided the Eagles to an undefeated regular season. 

The first time was in 2020 -- his second season at the helm—when the Eagles won a sectional and lost to Covenant Christian in the regional. 

This season, Sorrell hopes his team can finish the season where it did last year: Lucas Oil Stadium during the Weekend of Champions. 

Sorrell, who is in his eighth year at South Putnam, said the success if the result of an administration that allows him to do what he does. 

"They let me run the weight room how I want to run the weight room. They let me coach football the way I want to coach football. They let me hire my assistant coaches. We have had anywhere from four to six assistant coaches in the building since I have been here at all times. These other coaches would love to have one. Danville only has one coach in the building. We have five right now. It is huge for us. It is a program, and we had a special group in 2020 that got beat by a Covenant Christian team that was 15-0 that year," Sorrell told The Putnam County Post. 

Last week, the Eagles closed out the regular season with an emphatic 63-0 win over Putnam County rival Cloverdale. The win was the fifth shutout of the season and marked the seventh time South Putnam had allowed seven points or less in a game. As a unit, the Eagles are allowing only 4.4 points per game and its starting defense went nine weeks without allowing a point. 

In the win, South Putnam churned out 550 yards of offense, with running back Ty Benton accounting for 258 yards and two touchdowns, Defensively, Cloverdale was held to only 37 total yards of offense.

"It was a good accomplishment for our kids. They won the county, won the conference, and were the second team ever to go undefeated during the regular season. Hats off to the players. We start in December and that was one of our goals, which we accomplished last Friday night. Now on to bigger and better things," Sorrell said. 

Sorrell said it was important for his team to set the tone early against the Clovers. 

"I thought our offensive and defensive lines came out and did what they are supposed to do. We dominated the football game and dominated the trenches. One thing we have been known for the last couple years is a really good offensive line and a really good defensive line. I think our offensive line is playing really well. If you give Ty a little space, he'll do what he does. The defensive line sets the tone, but our entire defense has played well and makes many tackles. We had 14-and-a-half tackles for a loss Friday against Cloverdale," the veteran coach said. 

The veteran coach said his starting defense not allowing a point all season is "quite an accomplishment."

"It's something we are proud of. We have many good players, and they have all played many minutes. We see these other teams and we have seen so much that we are ready for about anything thrown at us. We have many good football players on that defensive side. Our staff works hard, and we break down a lot of film. For nine weeks, we have been able to stop it," Sorrell said. 

He admits he was surprised by his defense's performance. 

"I have never been part of a team where the defense doesn't give up scores. You'd think there would be some time where a gap assignment is missed or a player gets beat over the top. It takes some luck. Last week, Cloverdale had a receiver who beat our defender deep, but they bobbled the ball. A couple weeks ago, they got loose. Last week, we fumbled the punt inside the 20. Our guys keep stepping up, getting tackles for a loss, knocking down passes or whatever. You'd think someone would at least try to kick a field goal on us. We will take it. It's something to be proud of. We went 18 quarters with our starting defense not giving up a point," Sorrell said. 

The defense and South Putnam will look to continue their solid ways Friday when they travel to Cascade (8-1) in the opening round of the Class 2A Sectional 38 Tournament. 

"Cascade runs the same exact offense as Pioneer. They are very physical, and they have a big offensive line. They will be the first team that is bigger than us. Their running back is powerful and runs downhill at you. Defensively, we need to keep them inside the box and slow them down before they gain momentum. We want them going horizontally defensively. They are going to give us things defensively and we have to get the ball to Ty. It is not going to be a game where we get 40 yards a coverage, and when they give us some man coverage, we have to take advantage. Hopefully, at the end of the night, we have more points than they do," Sorrell said. 

Sorrell said both teams have played in big games, pointing to the recent win over Northview as an example of his team handling a big-time atmosphere and taking care of business.

"That was the game of the area that week .Last year, we won the third quarter in every game. This year, we have won the second quarter. We have to win the second quarter, and we have to get out to a good, quick start and a lead. The goal is to get a stop or two early and get our offense going and see what they do with pressure on them. It will be fun. We have to line up and play football," Sorrell said. 

What do the Eagles have to do to win?

Sorrell said the game will be won in the trenches. 

"They've got five offensive linemen that is as big as our offensive and defensive linemen. The good thing for us is they have about eight guys who go both ways. We have four offensive linemen who play one way, so we will be a little fresher. We have to win the line of scrimmage. If we do that, we will win the football game," Sorrell said.