Kings in the north: Northwest bests Coahulla Creek late in back-and-forth battle of north end rivals

Aug. 27—VARNELL — Two late drives for Northwest Whitfield High School in a back-and-forth game on the road against rival Coahulla Creek ended in turnovers.

The third time was the charm.

Quarterback Owen Brooker made the most of that third chance, powering in on a 9-yard, go-ahead touchdown run with 43.2 seconds to play to deliver Northwest Whitfield a 35-31 win over its neighbors from the north end of Whitfield County.

That first late drive came when Northwest (2-0) was leading 28-24 late in the third. Brooker and the Bruins drove deep into Coahulla Creek (1-1) territory, trying to put the game away, but Manny Dominguez stepped in front of a Brooker pass in the end zone.

Creek was able to grab the 31-28 lead in the fourth when Kace Kinnamon found Dominguez for a touchdown for the third time on the night.

A potential Northwest response was wiped out when the Bruins fumbled the ball away at the Colt 24.

The Colts weren't able to run out the clock, and Northwest put together the game-winning drive, which was capped by Brooker.

Kinnamon was able to hit on a few passes late, but the Colts ran out of time.

The game was the second straight in the series between the two teams with a wild ending. Coahulla Creek downed Northwest 31-25 last year in a triple overtime game in Tunnel Hill, the first win for the Colts over the Bruins.

Northwest seized bragging rights back with its fourth win over the Colts now in five contests.

The back-and-forth final moments were nothing new compared to the rest of the game.

Creek led 3-0 after the first quarter thanks to a 24-yard Logan Fowler field goal, and that's when the fireworks started.

Kinnamon found Dominguez for the first of the pair's three scoring connections with 11:48 in the second on a slant pattern from 20 yards out.

With Creek leading 10-0, Isaiah Foster sparked momentum for Northwest by returning the kick out to midfield, and Brooker dropped a deep pass into the hands of Hudson Gray at the Creek 5. Brooker hit Caden Ramsey for the 5-yard score.

Kinnamon and Dominguez answered though, first with a deep pass to the 8-yard-line, then for a 6-yard score on 4th-and-goal to give the Colts a 17-7 advantage.

Kinnamon passed for 270 yards and three touchdowns on the night, with six passes, 113 yards and three scores going to Dominguez.

Brooker was back on the field next though, dealing a deep post to Foster on a 67-yard score.

After both teams exchanged punts for the first time, Northwest got its break.

Ramsey read a Kinnamon quick pass to the sideline, stepped in front of it, and waltzed in for an 18-yard interception return for a score.

That gave Northwest its 21st point in the second quarter and a 21-17 lead at half.

After the receiving touchdown and the pick-six, Ramsey found another way to get into the end zone. A 5-yard rush gave Northwest its first double-digit lead at 28-17 with 5:48 in the third.

Kinnamon and the Colts were back though, galloping down the field for a 43-yard run followed by a 2-yard Karim Bradley plunge.

The next drive resulted in Brooker's end zone interception by Dominguez, and the whirlwind final quarter was set in motion.

Despite that interception, Brooker piled up yardage and big plays. He tossed for 364 yards and two touchdowns, while adding his game-winner on the ground. Hudson Gray caught 10 passes for 99 yards.

With the Northwest win, head coach Josh Robinson becomes the winningest head coach in Bruin history.

It was his 78th victory, passing Don Murray, who won 77 games as Northwest head coach from 1981-1993.

Northwest Whitfield is set to host Ringgold next Friday at 7:30 p.m. Coahulla Creek is idle next week before playing its final non-region game. The Colts travel to Summerville to play Chattooga on Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m.