TUNNEL HILL — All four of Northwest Whitfield’s non-region games in 2024 are against teams from either Whitfield County or Murray County, and that’s no accident.
“Our non-region games are all local teams,” Northwest head coach Josh Robinson, who is entering his 14th season leading the Bruins, said. “That’s what makes high school football really fun.”
Coahulla Creek, North Murray and Southeast Whitfield are on the schedule, and, for the first time since 2019, Northwest will play against Dalton.
“This place is going to be filled up, and they’re going to be standing in the end zone,” Robinson said, standing in the Bruins’ stadium. Dalton will travel to Tunnel Hill on Aug. 30. “It’s a big game, and it’ll be fun. The kids will remember it.”
Northwest will use its all-local non-region slate — the first four games of the season — to get a team that mixes returning standouts and younger players stepping into larger roles ready for a Region 7-3A schedule.
Back is all-region quarterback Gavin Nuckolls, who tossed for 2,566 yards and 22 touchdowns as a sophomore, but his two top targets, receivers Hudson Gray and Isaiah Foster, were lost to graduation. Returners like Akendris Douglas and Evan Jones will step into larger receiving roles.
“We also want to be able to run the ball more,” Robinson said.
Running backs Cameron Collins and Jacob Lea will likely be leaned on in the run game, as well as Nuckolls himself.
All-region linebacker Caden Ramsey anchors the defense, and all-region defensive backs Kade Parker and Rayvon Foster also return.
Northwest, which falls down to Class 3A this season after being in 4A since 2004, faces a new-look region. Only one team that played with Northwest in Region 7-4A last season made the drop with the Bruins: Ringgold’s Heritage.
Adairsville, Gilmer, LaFayette and Ridgeland are in Region 7-3A, as is Calhoun, which missed the playoffs for the first time since 2001 last season mostly due to playing in a strong region in Class 5A.
There are no private schools in Region 7-3A, but the new playoff system put in place this season, in which private schools in Class A through Class 3A play for a separate state championship than the public schools, could still affect the playoff race. Exiting private schools from other regions will open up slots for at-large spots in the Class 3A playoffs for schools that finish outside the top four in each region.
Robinson said that Calhoun is the “team that came in as the favorite,” but says the new region will most likely be highly-competitive.
“I think there is a lot of parity within our league,” Robinson said. “I think you could see the region champ probably lose one or two games, or have two or three close games, and then probably two through five will probably be kind of bunched up.”
“You better come to play every single week,” Robinson said. “Every coach in America says that, but I think that there are a lot of teams in this league that possess the athletes and the linemen and quarterbacks that they can come and beat you if you don’t play well.”
Region 7-3A
Adairsville
Calhoun
Gilmer
Heritage, Catoosa
LaFayette
Northwest Whitfield
Ridgeland
Key losses
WR/DB Hudson Gray
DE Myles Mays
WR/DB Isaiah Foster
Key players
LB/RB Caden Ramsey, senior
QB Gavin Nuckolls, junior
WR Evan Jones, junior
DB Rayvon Foster, senior
Circled on the schedule
Dalton, Aug. 30
• For the first time since 2019, Dalton is back on the schedule for Northwest Whitfield. The intra-county rivals have played 37 times over the years, and Dalton’s taken 32 of the games. The last time Northwest beat Dalton was 20 years ago, in 2004. Dalton’s won the 11 games played in the series since.
Gilmer, Sept. 20
• After playing four Whitfield or Murray County teams in a non-region slate to start the year (Coahulla Creek, North Murray, Dalton, Southeast Whitfield), Northwest begins play in its new Region 7-3A with a home game vs. Gilmer. Gilmer was a playoff team in 3A a year ago.
At Calhoun, Oct. 11
• One of the favorites for the Region 7-3A championship is Calhoun, the longtime power that drops down into 3A this season from Class 5A. Calhoun missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2001, but that was due in large part to playing in an incredibly tough Region 7-5A. If Northwest has region title hopes this year, it will likely have to go through Calhoun.
