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Northwest Whitfield: A football team ‘divided’ makes its mark

Staff file photo by Robin Rudd / Northwest Whitfield football coach Josh Robinson and his staff split the roster into two groups for practices this season as a precaution against the coronavirus, and despite the division during the week, the Bruins have come together on Friday nights to win their first four games.
Staff file photo by Robin Rudd / Northwest Whitfield football coach Josh Robinson and his staff split the roster into two groups for practices this season as a precaution against the coronavirus, and despite the division during the week, the Bruins have come together on Friday nights to win their first four games. Staff file photo by Robin Rudd / Northwest Whitfield football coach Josh Robinson and his staff split the roster into two groups for practices this season as a precaution against the coronavirus, and despite the division during the week, the Bruins have come together on Friday nights to win their first four games.

By Lindsey Young 5 min read

TUNNEL HILL, Ga. – Josh Robinson and his Northwest Whitfield staff took an interesting path to developing a football team that has, in the veteran coach’s words, shown rare chemistry on the field.

Out of necessity, the Bruins were literally split in two during training camp. The COVID-19 pandemic forced athletic teams to be creative in efforts to keep players safe while also preparing for competition.

After studying several options, Robinson and his coaches decided to create two completely separate teams. The twist was they weren’t split according to offense and defense or even where players stood on the depth chart.

Welcome to Northwest Whitfield Fantasy Football.

“We basically had a fantasy draft, split the team into two groups, and we had very little interaction with the other group,” Robinson said. “One ‘team’ ended up with about six or seven starters on it on offense, the other the same on defense. It’s definitely changed the way we practice.