By By Adam Prestridge
Senior quarterback Zach Shubert picked apart Northview's secondary Friday night to lead the Chipley Tigers (2-0) to a 49-36 road win.
Shubert connected for 12 of 24 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns to hand the Chiefs (1-1) their second loss to the Tigers in 10 months. Chipley eliminated Northview 20-14 in the first round of the FHSAA state playoffs last season giving the home team one more reason to knock off the visitors.
"Zach had a good game for the most part," Chipley head coach Dilly Webb said. "He made a few bad decisions, but man he had a good game throwing the ball. We spread Northview out a little bit and caught them a little bit by surprise, but they were able to adjust. It was just a back-and-forth kind of game. It got down to which team had the ball last and we were able to get a stop or two. We got some lucky breaks."
Northview head coach Cody Keene chalked the loss up to his team committing too many errors on the defensive side of the football against a quality opponent.
"We just made some mistakes," he said. "Chipley's got a good football team and our hats are off to them, they did what they had to do to get the win. We scored 36 points and that's plenty enough to win. We just didn't play defense and that's what we're supposed to be about."
Northview lit up the scoreboard first when Nakita Myles raced into the end zone on a 54-yard run early in the first quarter. The extra point was no good giving the Chiefs a 6-0 lead.
Chipley answered back with a score of its own with 3:37 left in the first quarter when Shubert connected on a 5-yard pass to sophomore receiver Leon Broxton. The touchdown was set up by a 51-yard Shubert bomb to senior receiver Paul Hardrick. Junior place kicker Cody Sikora's PAT was true giving the Tigers a 7-6 edge over the Chiefs.
Myles ended Chipley's scoring threat early in the second quarter, which was highlighted by a 58-yard reception by Hardrick, with an interception in the end zone, the only turnover in the game.
The Chiefs retook the lead on the first play of their next possession when senior fullback Farrin Jackson danced his way into the end zone on an 80-yard run. The two-point conversion failed, but the home team was back on top, 12-7.
Northview's lead was short lived as Chipley quickly answered back with a score of its own less than two minutes later when Shubert scored on a one-yard run. Sikora's kick was good, giving the Tigers a 14-12 lead.
On their next drive, the Chiefs scored on a one-yard run by quarterback Jeff Price. Myles ran in for the two-point conversion giving the home team the lead once again, 20-14.
The Tigers managed one more score before the half retaking the lead on a 26-yard pass from Shubert to Hardrick with 43.9 seconds remaining in the half. The PAT was true, giving the visitors a 21-20 lead at the half.
The second half proved to be as much of a back-and-forth offensive battle as the first half. Chipley's defense did manage to stop Northview's powerful offense twice and capitalize with two scores.
The Tigers padded their lead less than two minutes into the second half with a one-yard run by senior running back Joe Green. The kick was good giving CHS a 28-20 lead.
The Chiefs didn't rollover following the score tying the game 28-28 with an eight-yard plunge into the end zone by senior fullback James Lewis. Jackson converted the two-point conversion thanks to a surge by his offensive line to knot the game up.
Chipley went on to score three consecutive touchdowns; one late in the third quarter, one early in the fourth quarter and one late in the fourth, to extend its lead to 49-28. The scores came on a 14-yard run by junior running back Jaquez Givens, a 19-yard pass from Shubert to Hardrick and an 18-yard quarterback sneak by Shubert.
Northview made a late surge, scoring on a four-yard dash into the end zone by Myles, who set up the score with a 42-yard gallop on the previous play. Myles converted the two-point conversion for the final score of the game, 49-36.
Keene said he is proud of his offense's performance, but believes the defense needs to work on fundamentals before next Friday's road game against Walton.
"We've got good kids, but we did not tackle well," he said. "We're going to have to work and get better and that's all we can do. We've got to work harder in practice and get better. We've got to get back on track."
Myles led the offensive attack for the Chiefs with 20 carries for 214 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions. Jackson ended the night with 152 yards, one touchdown and a two-point conversion on 10 carries. NHS had a total of 360 yards rushing.
Chipley finished the game with 535 yards of total offense including 254 yards on the ground and 281 yards through the air.
Northview's game against Walton next Friday will kickoff at 7 p.m.