By By Adam Prestridge
Senior quarterback Courtney Whatley had South Walton's number Friday night as he led Northview to a huge 41-7 district win on the Chiefs home turf.
"Coach said that we had to have intensity on defense and that's what we haven't had in the past three weeks that why we've been losing," Whatley said. "On offense, the line gave me enough time, blocked well and I was able to scramble and come away with some things that weren't supposed to be there."
Whatley not only played with intensity on defense by snagging two interceptions and running one back for a touchdown, but also proved to be a force on offense finishing 5-of-9 for 102 yards with two touchdowns and a couple of two-point conversions.
"I'm real happy for our kids, I'm real proud of them," NHS head coach Cody Keene said. "It's a good district win for us. I thought we executed and played a lot better; we didn't turn the ball over. We executed in the red zone except for one time and we haven't done that in the last three weeks. I'm real happy for our players."
Northview scored first and often in the first half. Sophomore running back Nakita Myles bulled his way into the end zone from five yards out midway through the first quarter to put the Chiefs up 6-0. The point after kick was no good.
In the second quarter, Whatley connected with senior receiver Ahmadh Simpson on a 37-yard scoring strike to add to Northview's lead. Whatley and Myles hooked up on the two-point conversion to give the home team a 14-0 lead.
As the second winded down, Whatley intercepted an errant South Walton pass. He finished the job later when Myles hauled in his 51-yard pass for the touchdown. The PAT gave Northview a 21-0 lead.
With less than three minutes remaining until halftime, the Chiefs worked quickly and scored two more touchdowns to go up 35-0 at the half. Myles scored first on a three-yard run followed by Whatley, who snagged his second interception of the half and returned it 30 yards for the score. Whatley and Simpson connected for the two-point conversion to make up for the failed kick following Myles' score.
"I thought our kids played real hard," Keene said. "We had a pretty good week of preparation, really two weeks because we had an unexpected open date. I thought we executed well and we're just going to keep working to get better. Hopefully, we'll get those mistakes out and keep getting better."
Junior running back Deonta Davison scored Northview's final touchdown of the game on a 54-yard scamper into the end zone in the third quarter. The PAT was blocked, but the Chiefs had a commanding 41-0 lead.
The South Walton Seahawks managed to score late in the third quarter, but it was a little too late as the Chiefs ran away with the win.
"When you execute, you don't the ball over and you've got a chance to score, it doesn't matter who play," Keene said.
Myles finished the night with 12 carries for 113 yards, two touchdown runs, a touchdown reception and a two-point conversion.
Northview is scheduled to play John Paul Catholic next Friday night on the road, but the game could be cancelled because JPC played Saturday night. Look in the Wednesday Advance for more information.
The Chiefs win over South Walton guaranteed them a spot in the playoffs. They will play Baker in another district contest on Oct. 28 to determine the district championship and home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.