Streak snapped: Northwest overcomes miscues to down Dalton for first time since 2004, breaking 11-game streak

Published 10:30 pm Friday, August 30, 2024

TUNNEL HILL — It was a game of missed opportunities for the Northwest Whitfield Bruins in their rivalry game against Dalton Friday night.

Northwest receivers let three separate would-be touchdown grabs slip through their fingers.

The Bruins missed one field goal and had another one blocked.

When Northwest did score touchdowns, they missed a pair of two-point conversion attempts.

But, thanks to the suffocating Bruin defense, Northwest could afford a few missed opportunities.

The Northwest defense smothered Dalton, the offense made plays when it counted and the Bruins are celebrating something that none of its players have been alive to experience.

For the first time since 2004, Northwest has knocked off the Catamounts.

The Bruins defeated Dalton 12-0 Friday night in Tunnel Hill to break an 11-game win streak for Dalton in an intra-county rivalry series that renewed on the field Friday night for the first time in five years.

”We didn’t play our best game, but I thought we were super physical,” Northwest coach Josh Robinson said during a postgame TV interview. “I’m just really proud of these young men.”

The Bruins (3-0) held Dalton (0-3) to 120 total yards of offense and didn’t let the Catamounts inside the 40 until Northwest held a 12-0 lead in the fourth quarter.

When Dalton did reach the Northwest 13 midway through the fourth, hoping to capitalize on a Bruin lead that could have been larger, Northwest stuffed Dalton on fourth and short.

The game was delayed an hour to an 8:30 p.m. kickoff because of lightning in the area, and, once the game started, both offenses were delayed in getting going too.

Four straight drives to begin the game ended in punts, and the score was 0-0 after one.

On the Bruins’ third drive, QB Gavin Nuckolls found a wide open Will Wade all alone behind the defense, but the pass slipped just out of Wade’s hands.

Nuckolls and running back Cameron Collins led Northwest down the field afterward, and Nuckolls dropped a pass into a slim pocket in the back corner of the end zone on third and goal, only for the ball to glance off a receiver’s hands.

The Bruins called on the field goal unit, but the kick was short.

After Northwest shut Dalton’s next drive down, Wade made amends.

Nuckolls found Wade open again in the end zone from 28 yards out, and Wade grabbed it this time, putting the Bruins up 6-0 with the missed 2-pointer.

The score remained 6-0 at half, and the first Bruin drive of the third quarter ended in another near miss.

Collins ripped off a couple of long runs, and a Nuckolls pass to an open receiver in the back of the end zone wasn’t brought in.

An ensuing field goal try was blocked by Dalton, and Kendrix London scooped the ball and headed to midfield, but Wade made the potential touchdown-saving tackle.

Northwest defender Lucas Amos brought down Dalton quarterback Caine Woods for a huge sack to shut down Dalton, one of many hurries, sacks, and tackles for loss for the swarming Bruins.

With the struggles in the passing game, Northwest turned to the ground attack, and it paid off.

Collins ripped off a 14-yard touchdown run, running over a defender at the goal line to put Northwest up 12-0 late in the third.

Collins ran for 137 yards on 21 attempts.

“Those guys up front really did an outstanding job,” Robinson said.

Dalton’s next drive reached inside the 15, but Northwest turned them back on fourth down and didn’t let Dalton get close again.

”We haven’t played a perfect game yet, but it’s a good thing that we’re 3-0,” Robinson said.

The last time Northwest beat Dalton before Friday was 2004, a 38-35 win. Since then, Dalton had won 11 straight, culminating in a 59-7 romp for the Catamounts the last time the two schools met in 2019, with now-NFL running back Jahmyr Gibbs torching the Bruin defense.

Dalton has won 32 overall in the series, and Northwest now has six wins.

Dalton travels for its final non-region game next week, a game at Rabun County Friday at 7:30 p.m.

After the 3-0 start, Northwest gets a week off before another intra-county rivalry game on Sept. 13 at home against Southeast Whitfield.