Northview Chiefs Go For Historic Playoff Win (With Video)
December 3, 2010
It’s history in the making tonight for the Northview Chiefs. It’s the first ever football playoff game east of Tallahassee, and the first ever semifinal game for the school. And, as Head Coach Sid Wheatley is quick to point out, it is just four quarters between now and the chance at a state championship trophy.
(This article was originally published prior to Northview’s 49-14 loss December 3 against Trinity Christian.)
The Chiefs will take on top rank Trinity Christian at 6:30 p.m. Century time in Jacksonville in the Region 1-A finals.
Join NorthEscambia.com tonight for live updates from Jacksonville.
“We are four quarters away from a possibility of a state championship, and that’s what we are shooting for, obviously, right now,” Wheatley said.
It was 1979 when the Eagles of Ernest Ward High School last brought the only modern time Class A football championship back to the area. Ernest Ward would later merge with the Century Blackcats to create Northview. It’s been a long time coming.
“We are excited to have an opportunity to play in the state semifinals,” said Wheatley as his team boarded the bus for Jacksonville. (See video at bottom of page.)
Trinity Christian (10-2) will be first private school Northview (11-1) has faced in the playoffs. As a private school in metro area like Jacksonville, Trinity is able to draw players from among the city’s best. Like the Conquerors’ Andrew Buie.
Buie is ranked as the number four all purpose back in the nation by Rivals.com, and the 103rd best player overall in the country. The running back is being recruited by more than a dozen major colleges, including Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi and Michigan. He’s rushed for nearly1,500 yards this season with 22 TDs.
There’s no one-man show for the Chiefs. The running back trio of sophomore La’Mikal Kyles, sophomore Roderick Woods and senior Dustin Yuhasz has over 1,700 combined rushing yards this season. At quarterback, junior Brandon Sheets has added over 400 yards rushing.
By the numbers, two-time state champ Trinity has 35 playoff wins, while Northview has three. Fifty plus players dress out for the Conquerors; Northview moved seven JV players up to make a varsity roster of just 38.
But those are just numbers on paper. The real story will be four quarters of action Friday night and a group of young men making history from rural North Escambia.
“I feel like if we can control the ball offensively and continue to play great defense, that we’ve got an excellent opportunity to win the football game,” Wheatley said.
Pictured top: Northview defender Tyler Brooks closes in on the Bulldog’s quarterback last Friday night in Freeport. Pictured top inset: La’Mikal Kyles scored a fourth quarter touchdown for the Chiefs in their 21-12 defeat of Freeport. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bike Ride To Benefit Toys For Tots
December 3, 2010
The Pensacola Off-Road Cyclists will host a cycling trail ride on December 4 to benefit the Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots program.
The ride will be held at the University of West Florida mountain bike trails. The 50-mile ride begins at 8 a.m.; the 25-mile ride begins at 11 a.m.; and a 10-mile ride begins at 1 p.m. The entry fee is at least one new, unwrapped toy donation for Toys for Tots.
The event will include feeding and mechanic stations, a post-ride meal and prizes.
Check-in begins at 7 a.m. at the trail head. For details, visit, porc.org.
Florida Hunters Could Be Required To Report Every Deer Harvested
December 2, 2010
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering new rule proposals requiring all hunters to tag harvested white-tailed deer and report the harvest to the FWC.
However, the commissioners directed staff to provide a menu of options regarding exempt hunters, showing how those hunters would report their harvest. Exempt hunters include individuals 65 and older and 16 and under.
Tagging and reporting game harvests is commonly done in many states, and FWC staff reviewed several other states’ harvest-reporting systems to see what might work well in Florida, according to a FWC news release The agency is seeking to craft a system where hunters would report their harvested deer, to better track where and how many deer are harvested in Florida.
FWC staff presented a draft proposal at five public meetings across the state and gathered input and feedback through an online poll.
The proposed harvest-reporting system would utilize a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week telephone and Internet system, and tags to attach to harvested deer.
Some of the information hunters would have to report includes their customer number, date of harvest, county, method of take, hunting with or without dogs, type of deer (antlered buck, button buck or doe) and number of antler points on bucks. All compiled statewide harvest data would be available to the public online and updated daily, but would not include hunters’ personal information.
“We want to make this system as friendly as possible for Florida’s hunters,” said Cory Morea, FWC biologist and deer management program coordinator. “We need the data to give Florida hunters what many of them have asked for – that is better management of the state’s deer herd, and at a more local level. This will give us one of the tools to enable us to do that.”
The new rules could be approved for final adoption at the February 2011 Commission meeting and would become effective July 1, 2011, and apply to the 2011-12 hunting season.
For more detailed information on the proposed harvest-reporting system, go to MyFWC.com/Deer.
Auburn QB Cam Newton Cleared By NCAA, Can Play Saturday
December 1, 2010
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is eligible to play in the SEC title game this weekend, but the NCAA says Newton’s father did break rules when he shopped his son.
The NCAA released the following statement this afternoon:
Auburn University football student-athlete Cam Newton is immediately eligible to compete, according to a decision today by the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff. The NCAA concluded on Monday that a violation of amateurism rules occurred, therefore Auburn University declared the student-athlete ineligible yesterday for violations of NCAA amateurism rules.
When a school discovers an NCAA rules violation has occurred, it must declare the student-athlete ineligible and may request the student-athlete’s eligibility be reinstated. Reinstatement decisions are made by the NCAA national office staff and can include conditions such as withholding from competition and repayment of extra benefits. Newton was reinstated without any conditions.
According to facts of the case agreed upon by Auburn University and the NCAA enforcement staff, the student-athlete’s father and an owner of a scouting service worked together to actively market the student-athlete as a part of a pay-for-play scenario in return for Newton’s commitment to attend college and play football. NCAA rules (Bylaw 12.3.3) do not allow individuals or entities to represent a prospective student-athlete for compensation to a school for an athletic scholarship.
In conjunction with the case, Auburn University has limited the access Newton’s father has to the athletics program and Mississippi State has disassociated the involved individual.
“The conduct of Cam Newton’s father and the involved individual is unacceptable and has no place in the SEC or in intercollegiate athletics,” said Mike Slive, Southeastern Conference Commissioner. “The actions taken by Auburn University and Mississippi State University make it clear this behavior will not be tolerated in the SEC.”
“Our members have established rules for a fair and equal recruitment of student-athletes, as well as to promote integrity in the recruiting process,” said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs. “In determining how a violation impacts a student-athlete’s eligibility, we must consider the young person’s responsibility. Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time, we do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity, which led to his reinstatement. From a student-athlete reinstatement perspective, Auburn University met its obligation under NCAA bylaw 14.11.1. Under this threshold, the student-athlete has not participated while ineligible.”
“We are pleased that the NCAA has agreed with our position that Cam Newton has been and continues to be eligible to play football at Auburn University,” Auburn University Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs said. “We appreciate the diligence and professionalism of the NCAA and its handling of this matter. “
During the reinstatement process, NCAA staff review each case on its own merits based on the specific facts. Staff decisions are made based on a number of factors including guidelines established by the Division I NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, as well as any mitigating factors presented by the university.
Reinstatement decisions are independent of the NCAA enforcement process and typically are made once the facts of the student-athlete’s involvement are determined. The reinstatement process is likely to conclude prior to the close of an investigation. It is NCAA policy not to comment on current, pending or potential investigations.
Northview Splits Games With Ponce de Leon; Aggies Get Wins
November 30, 2010
The Northview Chiefs split games with Ponce de Leon Monday evening, while Tate picked up two wins
Northview — Ponce de Leon
In boys action, Northview’s Chiefs defeated the Ponce de Leon Pirates 48-41, while the Lady Chiefs fell 66-23.
The JV and varsity boys will host Pensacola Christian Academy on December 2, while the varsity and JV boys and girls will host the Baker Gators on December 3.
Tate 58 Gulf Breeze 57
The Aggies picked up a 58-57 big win on the road Monday against Gulf Breeze, taking the lead with just 7.3 seconds on the clock.
Tate 60 Niceville 46 (Girls)
The Lady Aggies defeated Niceville 60 to 46. Tate improved to 4-1 with the win. Courtney Brown led the Lady Aggies with 19 points .
Class 1-A Playoff Brackets
November 29, 2010
Northview will face Trinity Christian at 6:30 Central time Friday night in Jacksonville in the Class 1-A State Semifinals.
Video Highlights: Northview Beats Freeport For Regional Title
November 28, 2010
Here are video highlights by Keith Garrison from Northview’s win Friday night over Freeport.
For game details, click here for the NorthEscambia.com story.
(If you don’t see the video, it is because a setting at your home, work or school firewall or computer is blocking YouTube videos.)
Northview Chiefs Win Regional Championship
November 27, 2010
The Northview Chiefs made school history Friday night as the only team to ever bring home a Regional title. And for the Chiefs, the victory was also sweet revenge over Freeport, the only team to beat the Chiefs this season.
In the Regional 1-A finals, Northview (11-1) defeated Freeport (9-3) 21-12 to advance to the state semi-finals next week in Jacksonville.
“I can’t put into words how proud I am of this group,” Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley said. “They went on the road to a tough place to play and a tough place to win. It was a huge win, a huge win for this football program.”
Less than a minute into the game at Freeport Stadium, Northview’s Taylor Martin picked off a Bulldog pass, returning it 35 yards. With a good kick from Lance Bushaw, the Chiefs held 7-0 lead with 11:12 to go in the first quarter.
“Taylor Martin’s interception was really, really big for us,” Wheatley said. “It was a really big boost for us and a good way to start a game.”
Freeport answered with a four-play, 70 yard drive that ended with a 16-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs missed the extra point kick, and the Chiefs held a 7-6 lead at the end of the first.
In the second quarter, the Chiefs drove hard on 16 plays for 62 yards, all the way down to fourth and goal from the Freeport four. Roderick Woods, who ended the night with 80 yards on 17 carries, plowed in for the touchdown. Bushaw put the pigskin through the uprights again, and the Chiefs held a 14-6 lead.
After a scoreless third quarter, La’Mikal Kyles was in the end zone in the fourth on a 43-yard dash through the Bulldog defense. Bushaw’s kick was once again good, and Northview was up 21-6 with 10:40 in the ballgame.
Freeport managed a two-yard touchdown run with 9:03 to go in the fourth.
Neither team could find the end zone on the following downs, and Northview sealed win with a big interception by Kyles with 1:49 remaining in the game. Kyles finished the game with 86 yards on a dozen carries.
“I thought we played extremely well on both sides of the ball. The defense made stops when we needed to, and the offense was able to produce enough points,” Wheatley said.
Northview will be on the road next week in the state semi-finals in Jacksonville to take on top-ranked Trinity Christian at 6:30 p.m. Central time. The winner of that game will be in the Class 1A state championship game in Orlando on December 10.
“It’s going to get tougher,” Wheatley said. “But we are in a routine, and we will continue to work to stand up to the challenge.”
Trinity Christian earned their trip to the semis with a 42-41 triple overtime win over Providence of Jacksonsville Friday night.
Pictured top: Northview defender Tyler Brooks closes in on the Bulldog’s quarterback Friday night in Freeport. Pictured top inset: La’Mikal Kyles scored a fourth quarter touchdown for the Chiefs in the fourth quarter. Pictured bottom inset: Taylor Martin returns an interception 35 years to put Northveiw on the board. Pictured below: The Chiefs score. Submitted photos and courtesy WEAR 3 for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Area Regional Final Scores, Pairings For 1-A Semis
November 27, 2010
Here are regional final scores from around the Pensacola area Friday night:
- Region 1-A — Northview 21 Freeport 12 [Read more...]
- Region 1-4A — Navaree 20 Pine Forest 18
- Region 1-3A — Pensacola High 25 Choctawhatchee 7
- Region 1-2b — Catholic 14 Taylor County 7
Here are the final scores and pairings for next week in the Florida High School Association’s 1-A:
1-A Regionals
- Northview 21 Freeport 12 [Read more...]
- Trinity Christian 42 Providence 41 (3-OT)
- Fort Meade Middle-Senior 35 Berkley Preparatory 14
- American Heritage School of Boca/Delray 33 King’s Academy 14
Next Friday 1-A
- Northview at Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonsville)
- Fort Meade Middle-Senior at American Heritage School of Boca/Delray
Fans Welcome Their Region 1A Champion Chiefs
November 27, 2010
A crowd of Northview Chiefs fans gathered early Saturday morning to welcome the Region 1-A Champions back to Bratt. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
