TUNNEL HILL, Ga. — On senior night at Northwest Whitfield High School it was the Bruins’ senior class that accomplished something great. Playing in light drizzle all game long and playing without several starters including running back Dominique Sistrunk, the Bruins defeated county rival Southeast Whitfield 35-14.

With the victory, the Northwest seniors made history by securing a spot in the state playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

“We overcame a lot tonight,” Northwest coach Josh Robinson said. “We’ve done what we need to get in the playoffs, and now it’s about trying to get a better seed. There’s a lot of goals left for us to achieve, and we (look to) achieve a lot of them next week.”

The Bruins (6-3, 3-2 in Region 6-4A) came out throwing, taking the opening possession 80 yards in seven plays and finishing with a touchdown when Seth Henderson caught a 23-yard over-the-shoulder score from quarterback Ty Fisher.

The two-point conversion was unsuccessful but the Bruins’ defense got the ball right back when it forced a three-and-out on Southeast’s opening possession. Fisher once again led the offense down the field and Jamarey Hull finished the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run up the middle. A converted two-point conversion made the game 14-0 less than nine minutes into the game.

Southeast (3-6, 1-4) fought back on its next possession, going on a 14-play, 59-yard drive. On fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line, quarterback Adam Sowder rolled out to his right but was bottled up and reversed field, running backwards and across to the left side of the field before hitting a diving Zac Cole for a touchdown. The point after made the score 14-7. Sowder found Cole again later in the half and the two teams entered the halftime locker room with Northwest leading 21-14.

“I gave an old-fashioned rear-end chewing at halftime, especially to the defense,” Robinson said. “And those guys haven’t really deserved that a lot this year. The mental mistakes were unacceptable.”

Fisher ended the first half 10-for-20 for 199 yards and one touchdown, but when Northwest came out in the second half it was clear the goal was to the run the ball. Running primarily behind the right side of the Bruins’ offensive line, backup running back Brady Hughes had the game of his career. Hughes finished the game with 18 carries for 168 yards and two touchdowns, with 146 of those yards coming in the second half. Playing in place of the injured Sistrunk, Hughes was ready for the opportunity.

“It’s something that we talked about at the beginning of the year, I knew he could play like this,” Northwest running back coach Eric Mays said. “This is something I knew he could do.”

Hughes praised his offensive line and his teammates were noticeably happy for the senior running back.

“It was great to do this against our cross-county rival and on senior night,” Hughes said. “For me to be in the class that has made the playoffs four straight years, it’s unbelievable.”

The Northwest defense clamped down on a Raider offense that was without its starting running back Christian Gillespie for most of the game after he left with an ankle injury. A interception by Jacob Sanders in third quarter shifted the momentum decidedly for the Bruins. Hughes gained 48 yards on two carries on the ensuing drive, scoring on a 25-yard touchdown run while dragging Raider defenders with him over the goal line. Robinson said Friday was probably the best the Bruins’ offensive line had played all season. Northwest attempted zero passes beyond the line of scrimmage in the second half.

“Brady played a great game,” Northwest offensive tackle Jeb Brooker said. “It was a great night. We work every day and to have all those early mornings pay off with a playoff appearance feels amazing.”

With the loss, Southeast was eliminated from playoff contention.

Northwest will play at Heritage next week with the winner receiving the No. 3 out of Region 6-4A and the loser receiving the No. 4 seed.

Regardless of playoff seeding, this year’s senior class at Northwest Whitfield will have never missed the playoffs.