Football Recap: Northwest Whitfield Wins Going Away Against Dalton + How To Watch

The matchup between Northwest Whitfield and Dalton on Friday hardly resembled the 12-0 effort from their previous meeting. The Bruins were the clear victors by a 62-42 margin over the Catamounts. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Bruins considering their 13-point performance the contest before.

Gavin Nuckolls

Passing Yards (Career)

08/29/25 @ Dalton	261
10/04/24 vs LaFayette	200
09/20/24 vs Gilmer	199
09/28/24 @ Heritage	183
08/16/24 @ Coahulla Creek	183

Gavin Nuckolls was a one-man wrecking crew as he rushed for 199 yards and two scores on only 15 carries, and also threw for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 10.9 yards per attempt. Those 261 passing yards gave him a new career-high. Gage Parker was another key player, gaining 149 total yards.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Northwest Whitfield was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 301 rushing yards. They rushed for 94 more rushing yards than Dalton's also-impressive total of 207.

Dalton lost despite a true team effort on offense. The best among them was Caine Woods, who threw for 394 yards and three TDs, and also rushed for 82 yards and one score on only 11 carries. Nash Smith was Woods' top target, picking up 65 receiving yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 111 yards and a pair of TDs on only 12 carries.

Northwest Whitfield now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Dalton, they are on a 13-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-3.

Northwest Whitfield will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Southeast Whitfield County at 7:30 p.m. on September 12. As for Dalton, they will welcome Rabun County at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 1,033 yards in their previous games.