By By Tim Cottrell
The Northview Chiefs have had a long offseason working to recover from an 0-7 campaign in 2004. Long afternoons and nights have been spent in the weightroom and on the practice field, and now the Chiefs are happier than anyone to have game week here.
"It's game week and the kids are excited," said Northview head coach Cody Keene. "The kids will play physical and play hard. I know we're more physical than we were last year. But I'm ready to see how physical we are in a game."
The Chiefs will open their season at home Friday night against the Bozeman Bucks of Panama City. Keene said that the coaching staff was still getting to know Bozeman, even after seeing them in a jamboree Friday night.
"They have a little size up front," Keene said. "They're about like us, but maybe a little bit bigger on the lines. They've got a fullback that weighs about 220 lbs. We just don't know what to expect. We're going to have to be physical and bow up and play."
What most excited Keene, however, was that this game appeared to be a great opportunity for the Chiefs to knock heads with someone.
"I expect them to be physical, and I think they will," he said. "Our line will have to get down and win this game in the trenches. That's where we'll win it. Our offensive and defensive lines are going to have to play well for us to win Friday."
When an opponent has a big, bruising fullback, tackling is incredibly important to a team's victory. Keene felt the defense would have to really step things up for the Bucks.
"Defensively we're going to have to tackle well," he said. "We just can't miss tackles. We can't make mistakes and we can't turn the ball over. If we do that, we'll win."
Keene also said that he wasn't expecting to make any significant changes in the game plan.
"We're going to run every play we've got if it takes it to win," he said. "I'm hoping we can run right at them with our power plays. That's what we want to run the most of, and I think we'll have a chance to do that in this game."
Kickoff for the season opener is set for 7:30 p.m.