Suffocating Bruin defense keeps Colts down in shutout win

Published 5:00 pm Saturday, August 17, 2024

VARNELL — Coahulla Creek was breaking in a young, new-look offense in their first game of the season, but a suffocating Northwest Whitfield defense didn’t allow for much room to grow for the Colts in game one.

Northwest Whitfield (1-0) allowed Creek (0-1) less than 60 total offensive yards, took the ball away three times and shut out Coahulla in a 35-0 Bruin win Saturday.

Northwest’s defense scored a touchdown — a second quarter Caden Ramsey fumble return for a score — before it allowed an offensive conversion for a first down — a Colt conversion in the third quarter — in a game that was originally scheduled for Friday night but postponed to Saturday starting at 11 a.m. because of storms in the area on Friday.

After forcing the first of several 3-and-outs on the Colts’ first drive, Northwest used a drive of mostly running plays to get the ball down to the 2, and Cameron Collins burst in for a rushing touchdown to put the Bruins up 7-0 with 6:40 left in the first.

Another stop led to the second Bruins touchdown.

Quarterback Gavin Nuckolls scored on what appeared to be a busted play. Nuckolls collected a high snap that disrupted the timing for an intended handoff. Nuckolls instead jetted up the middle and sprinted past the Colt defense for a score, making it 14-0 late in the first.

The Colt defense, which gave up a few big plays but settled into the game and started limiting the Northwest offense, got its first stop of the day, but a stretch of three turnovers in eight plays — a muffed Creek punt, a Northwest fumble and then the Caden Ramsey scoop and score — resulted in a 21-0 hole for Coahulla.

Something about the rivalry with Coahulla Creek apparently brings out Ramsey’s ballhawking instincts. The fumble return marks the third straight year he’s had a defensive takeaway against the Colts. He had an interception return for a touchdown in the 2022 game, and picked off a pass that set up a score in the 2023 game. Ramsey also picked off a pass later in the game Saturday.

Northwest scored its final points of the first half when Nuckolls found Cal Manning on a 4th-and-8 play from the 31. Manning caught the ball inside the 10, spun away from a Creek defender, and housed the ball to make it 28-0 at half.

Creek got a spark of offense in the third when new starting quarterback, sophomore Waelyn Baliles, hit Kobe King on a slant pattern for the first time the Colt offense picked up a first down without the aid of a penalty. King shook off a defender and sprinted up to midfield, but the Colts couldn’t keep the drive going.

Creek was playing its first game with a very inexperienced offense — breaking in essentially a whole new skill group without much varsity action — but the lack of success seemed to have just as much to do with the ferocious Bruin defense.

The defensive line batted several Baliles passes down at the line of scrimmage, and hawking defensive backs closed on receivers quickly when Baliles did get passes off.

Nuckolls added his second passing touchdown — his third overall — when he dropped the ball to an open Corbin Bates for a 41-yard score. Bates bobbled the ball initially, but secured it and headed into the end zone to make the score 35-0 late in the third.

The fourth quarter was played with a running clock.

Nuckolls finished 12-for-20 for 183 yards and the two passing scores and the rushing touchdown, while Collins totaled 89 yards on the ground. Manning had four total receptions for 49 yards.

For Creek, Chris Ewart forced two fumbles, and Wyatt Mann and Nathan Guess recovered fumbles.

Northwest now leads the overall series against the Colts 6-1.

Northwest will travel to North Murray Friday at 7:30 p.m. Coahulla Creek heads to Chattooga Friday for their only other non-region matchup this season at 7:30 p.m.