Northview’s Season Ends In Regional Semifinals

May 4, 2026

Northview was at bat, down 9-7 in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded with one out. Everybody in the dugout was up and loud. A standing-room only Chiefs family cheered. There wasn’t a cloud in the blue skies over Bratt on a beautiful Sunday afternoon for baseball. A regional championship for the Chiefs seemed like a very real possibility.

Everything was perfect.

Until it wasn’t.

A groundball up the middle and one, two…a double play by the Chipley Tigers earned them a 2-1 series win and a Rural Region 1 semifinal win.

“It hurts.”

That’s how first-year Northview Chiefs head coach Justin Raley reacted to Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Chipley Tigers.

“It hurts because you know how much it means to the seniors, to everybody that’s a part of this program. It hurts. I know what it’s like to win it, and I know how it feels to lose it, and it hurts so bad,” he said. “Especially when you know you had a chance. Oh yeah, so many chances, and we just kind of left it out there.”

Friday rain had forced two games on Saturday in the regional semifinals, with Chipley taking the first game 10-3 in a best-of-three series, and Northview powering back with a big 16-8 win in the nightcap.

Chipley held a 5-2 lead in the top of the third on Sunday, but the Chiefs battled back before Chipley took the lead 9-6 in the top of the seventh.

Bryant Mason went 2-5 to lead the Chiefs in hits on Sunday, while Grayden Sheffield, Dane King, Grayson Burns and Cole Davis each added one hit.

Portwood went four innings on the hill for NHS, allowing five hits, five runs (four earned), striking out three and walking six. Jackson Bridges went for three innings, surrendering four hits and four runs (one earned), striking out five and walking three.

For a photo gallery, click to enlarge.

“Guys, I’m proud of you,” Raley, who last year was an assistant coach at Jay, told the team after the game. He pointed out the team was 19-10, and had beat Jay three times, including once to claim the district championship.

“It was a great year and we did so many great things with this group of guys. They changed some stuff around here, and I’m proud of them,” he said, already looking forward to next season.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys coming back, a lot of guys that are going to return and do good things,” Raley said. “There’s a good chance we can be back in the same spot next year, if we do what we are supposed to do.”

Chipley will now travel to Holmes County for the Rural Region 1 final on May 8-9.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT TOP, Sports, TOP sports