The Northview Chiefs will be moving on to the second round of the Class 1A Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs with a 22-19 road win over Vernon.

The Chiefs scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 37-yard run by Ladarious Thomas, with about five minutes to go in the game, said Northview coach Sid Wheatley.

Thomas also scored on a 1-yard run in the first half and the other touchdown came on a pass from Daulton Tullis to Keondrae Lett.

Wheatley said the Chiefs did a good job limiting turnovers in the game. Northview gave up an interception, but forced two turnovers.

“I thought we played pretty well,” he said. “I thought we played hard on both sides of the ball.”

The Chiefs rushed for more than 200 yards in the win, and Wheatley said play at the line of scrimmage was a big advantage for Northview.

Wheatley also gave his team credit for stopping a team, who had previously been “rolling.”

“Vernon came in on a seven-game winning streak,” he said. “It’s big to go on the road against a team like that and get a win.”

Wheatley has preached the importance of making and performing well in the playoffs to his team, which is the defending Class 1A state title holder. He said he believes that has helped so far.

The Chiefs will travel to Cottondale Friday for the state quarterfinals. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. for the playoffs.