Football Recap: Oconee County Takes Down Northwest Whitfield in a Playoff Battle + How To Watch

With a playoff win on the line, Oconee County rose to the challenge on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Northwest Whitfield Bruins, sneaking past 39-37. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Warriors have posted since November 1, 2024.

Darius Darden

Rushing Yards

11/14/25 @ Northwest Whitfield	87
10/31/25 @ Jefferson	41
10/24/25 vs Monroe Area	0
09/05/25 @ Loganville	14
08/29/25 vs Morgan County	62
+ 2 more games

Oconee County's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Darius Darden, who rushed for 87 yards and a pair of TDs. That's the most rushing yards Darden has posted since back in November of 2024. Caiden Wood helped out on the ground, rushing for 84 yards and a rushing touchdown.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Oconee County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 276 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

Despite the loss, Northwest Whitfield still got an impressive performance from Gavin Nuckolls, who threw for 340 yards and five touchdowns while completing 81% of his passes, and also rushed for 33 yards. Nuckolls is becoming a predictor of the Bruins' success: when he posts at least three passing touchdowns the team is 5-1 (and 2-3 when he doesn't). Kade Mitchell was Nuckolls' top target, picking up 40 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Oconee County is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 30.0 points over those games. As for Northwest Whitfield, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-4 record this season.

Oconee County will take on West Laurens at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. That matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Wood and Ty Cummings. Northwest Whitfield does not have any more games scheduled as of now.