By LEXXI BAGGETT
News Sports Writer
What the Northview Chiefs were hoping for obviously did not happen Friday night. In what has become a great rivalry, neighboring school Escambia Academy upset the Chiefs on the Chiefs’ home turf, with a score of 41 to 14. A packed stadium on both sides and standing fans all around both ends enjoyed the evening, but for the Chiefs, the defeat was disheartening.
Not even scoring until the third quarter, obviously after some half-time adjustments, the Chiefs just could not outperform the Cougars. In the first quarter alone, the Escambia Cougars scored 12 points on major runs, and then gained 16 more points in the second quarter. At the half, the score was a whopping 28 to 0 with the Cougars leading. Finally Northview’s Jaden Jackson punched through the Cougar defense and ran approximately 72 yards for a touchdown during the third, but the Cougars answered with another 13 points of their own. That was the end of the Cougars’ point gain, and the Chiefs added 8 points in the 4th when Sophomore Aunterior Minor had a successful short run.
Head Coach Derek Marshman is definitely trying to keep spirits up for his players. “We played a lot of younger kids during this game, a lot of freshmen and sophomores. EA looked and played like a more experienced team,” he said after the game.
If that is the case, then Northview has a tough road ahead. Many of their opponents have teams full of juniors and seniors, which probably equates to experience and size. Competition is definitely a good thing for any team, and all games should be learning experiences, but Northview needs to figure out quickly what will and won’t work for this year’s group of young men.
South Walton will host Northview next week, and the Chiefs know going in that South Walton has a tremendous passing game and speed. This upcoming week will be brutal for the Chiefs in preparation, but they are known to bounce back. See ya there!