Northview’s Chiefs had trouble stopping the Choctawhatchee Indians offense Friday night, as the visitors from Fort Walton Beach came away with a 35-0 victory in Bratt.

Although the Chiefs’ defense played well at times, Northview coach Sid Wheatley was occasionally disappointed with their efforts on third down situations. One such play came late in the first quarter, with Choctawhatchee facing a third-and-14 from the Northview 33 with 1:10 remaining.

Choctawhatchee’s Chase Whitehead took a handoff and broke several Northview tackles, as he pulled away for a 33-yard touchdown run that made the score 14-0 just before halftime.

“That play was really a back breaker for us,” Wheatley said. “If we could have held there it could have still been a 7-0 game or 7-7 at halftime, and instead we gave them momentum.

“Our defense did a good job tonight of getting them in third-and-long, we just didn’t finish the job and allowed some conversions.”

Although Northview was shut out, Wheatley said his team did some positive things on offense. Quarterback Daulton Tullis finished 12-of-25 for 138 passing yards, and the Chiefs also had 117 yards rushing.

Northview’s Keondrae Lett had 10 carries for 49 yards and Ladarius Thomas added 40 yards on 12 carries. Senior Neino Robinson was the leading receiver, finishing with six catches for 90 yards.

“I thought our kids played hard and competed,” Wheatley said. “I don’t think the scoreboard is indicative of how competitive the game really was.”

The Indians increased their lead to 21-0 with 6:55 left in the third quarter, and then added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Northview had two drives end due to lost fumbles. One especially crucial fumble came late in the third quarter, with the Chiefs facing a third-and-2 from the Choctawhatchee 30. The ball was fumbled and almost bounced out of bounds, but an Indian recovered it at the Choctawhatchee 22 with 2:13 left in the third quarter. Seven plays later, the Indians scored to increase their lead to 28-0.

“Our effort was good tonight, but sometimes the execution wasn’t there,” Wheatley said.

Northview (1-3) opens its district play Friday night, as they travel to Jay with kickoff set for 7 p.m.