Blog: We Love Our Northview Chiefs!
December 4, 2010
While the Northview Chiefs fell short of their shot at a state championship game, fans rallied behind the team before, during and after Friday night’s loss to Trinity Christian in Jacksonville.
Prior to the game, the Chiefs were guests of honor at a huge sendoff pep rally (read more), and a large group of dedicated fans made the cross-state trip to Jacksonville for the game, including two “spirit buses” (read more.). During the game, the visitor’s bleachers at Trinity Christian were near standing room only.
The Chiefs were not winners according to the scoreboard in Jacksonville. But the scoreboard is not the only measure of winning.
Their whole season stands as a testament to gridiron grit and determination. Blood. Sweat. And tears. They were not running backs, defensive linemen and quarterbacks. They were a team. It brings the Kenny Chesney “Boys of Fall” song to mind, “It’s I got your number, I got your back when your back’s against the wall…You mess with one man you got us all…The boys of fall.”
Two years ago, our Chiefs were 2-8. The fans were there. Granted, an extreme amount of spirit was hard to muster at times, but the fans were there. This year, at 11-2 and going to a playoff level never achieved by Northview the fans where there. And the spirit was obvious in the school, and in our communities.
Many fans never hear the post-game chant as the players, coaches and cheerleaders gather on the field after each game. It begins likes this:
“I’ll be a Chiefs, till the day I die…”
Fans are fans until the end. That’s school spirit. Sure, tears were shed after the loss and a win would have been great, but losing can be one of those life lessons. When boys become men and a team, cheerleaders, band, ROTC, fans, and a community become one.
It was when our Northview Chiefs earned the right to be called champions.
Within minutes of the game ending Friday night, our comments section and Facebook page became a testament to the fact that we are all proud to be part of the Northview Chief family. There was nothing negative, only praise for our champions. We wanted to share the thoughts of our Facebook fans, all posted within minutes of the game’s end:
- Sharon Martin-Dudley — great job Northview!
- Carl Emmons — WTG Northview Chiefs on an Awesome season !!!!!!
- Deni Deron — Great job Northview! You guys are awesome!!
- Gina Chandler Robbins — Awesome job our guy’s did playing this year..Go Northview!!!
- Jenn Castor — Way to go on an AWESOME season, Chiefs — proud of ya!
- Tammy Turner Amison — Great season Chiefs. Hold your head’s high!!!
- Terry Emmons — So proud of all you guys. Proud to be a Chief. Go Chiefs!!!!
- Brigitte Ward — Aww sad
but good job NHS! - Ashley Bonner — So proud of the guys & to be a Northview Chief! Yall had an awesome season! Go Chiefs!
- Kimberly Navarro Edmonson — Whether you won the last game or not ~You guys are Champs!!
- Brad Johnson — Great season Chiefs!
- Karen Driver — Proud of you Chiefs you had a great season.
- Laura Ziglar Gross — Win or lose I’m still proud to say I’m from Bratt home of the Northview Chiefs!
- NorthEscambia.com — We love our Northview Chiefs!
Hold your heads high. We are all proud of our Champion Northview Chiefs.
Trinity Conquers Northview In State Semifinal Game (With Three Photo Galleries)
December 4, 2010
The Northview Chiefs’ state championship dreams were crushed Friday night by the Conquerors of Trinity Christian in Jacksonville, 49-14, in the Class 1A State Semifinals.
The finals stats were good for the Chiefs, controlling the ball three times more than Trinity, three times the running plays and twice as many passes. But five Conqueror drives in five minutes gave Trinity over three times the points on the board.
For more photos from the game, click here.
For a second photo gallery, click here.
For submitted fan photos, click here.
The Chiefs (11-2) took the lead with 5:47 to go in the first quarter on a 12-yard touchdown run from Dustin Yuhasz to cap an 80-yard, six minute drive. The point after kick was blocked, and Northview held a 6-0 lead. But on the next sequence, Trinity answered with a 12-yard touchdown run of their own and a good kick. The Conquerors were on top 7-6 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second, the Trinity advantage increased to 14-6 with a 22-yard touchdown pass with 8:35 on the clock.
“We did what we needed to do in the first half,” Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley said.”We controlled the ball about 18 of 24 minutes in the first half. Taking the lead with that first touchdown was big, and overall we controlled the ball well.”
The first few minutes of the third were also looking up for the Chiefs. Trinity scored on a 15 yard run on the opening drive of the second half. Down 21-6, a 2-yard touchdown scramble from Roderick Woods put it at 21-12. The Chiefs were successful on a two point conversion attempt, put Northview within reach at 21-14.
But then there was the last five minutes of the third. “In those next five minutes, we lost the game. We didn’t play well at all during those five minutes,” Wheatley said.
In those five minutes, the Conquerors conquered the Chiefs with successive TD’s — a 20-yard pass, a 23-yard pass and a 23-yard fumble return — to end the quarter at 49-14. The fourth quarter was scoreless.
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. Friday night marked the first ever Semifinal appearance by a Northview team.
“I”m extremely proud of the season we had. They were the first team to go that far in the playoffs, and that says a lot,” Wheatley said. “We are going to work hard and build on it next year.”
- For more photos from the game, click here.
- For a second photo gallery, click here.
- For submitted fan photos, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos on this page an in first listed gallery by Will Dickey, the Florida Times Union, click to enlarge. To purchase photo reprints from this article, visit jacksonville.com. Photos in the second gallery by Heather Leonard for NorthEscambia.com. Photos in fan photo gallery courtesy Megan Carroll and Wayne Holland for NorthEscambia.com.
All 4 Area Teams Out Of The Florida Playoffs; Final Night In Alabama
December 4, 2010
Here is a complete roundup on state football playoff action from Friday night:
Florida Semifinals And Region
Class 1A State Semifinal: Jacksonville Trinity Christian 49 — Northview 14 [Read more...]
Class 2B State Semifinal: Ocala Trinity Catholic 21 — Pensacola Catholic 14
Region 1-3A Final: St. Augustine 7 — Pensacola High 3
Region 1-4A Final: Tallahassee Lincoln 34 — Navarre 33 (3 OT)
Alabama State Finals
Class 1A: Sweet Water 36, R.A. Hubbard 0
Class 2A: Leroy 34, Reeltown 7
Class 3A: Leeds 42, Hamilton 32
Class 4A: Thomasville 59, Deshler 34
Class 5A: Spanish Fort 14, Briarwood Christian 0
Class 6A: Daphne 7, Hoover 6
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.)