A shutout over Freeport earlier in the season does not mean the Northview Chiefs are taking their playoff game Friday night for granted.
The Chiefs have advanced to the regional final portion of the playoffs and will face the Freeport Bulldogs this Friday in Bratt.

The Chiefs played Freeport earlier this season on the road and came away with an impressive 42-0 win, but head coach Sid Wheatley said he knows this game will be much more difficult.

“They got a playoff win tonight,” Wheatley said. “They’ve strung together a couple wins in a row, so I know they’re going to be confident and I know they’ve got to feel like that first game’s not indicative of the level of play that they play at. They’ll come over here hungry and they’re well-coached and [coach Anderson will] have them very-well prepared. So, that 42-0 game, you can kind of throw that one right out. It’s a whole new season.”

Freeport has won three games in a row. The team beat Graceville 26-21 to advance to the regional final. They also defeated Graceville 27-7 during the regular season. Two of the three wins came on the road. Overall, the team has a 6-5 record.

As for shared opponents following Northview’s 42-0 road win, Freeport beat Jay 46-7 and lost to Chipley 39-13. Meanwhile, the Chiefs beat Jay 62-14 and beat Chipley 50-29.

The Chiefs are coming off a big 57-6 victory over Cottondale. The team has won five of their last six games. In the five wins, they allowed only 26 total points.

Oddly enough, the two teams faced each other at the exact same point in the season last year. Northview had beat Freeport 35-21 during the regular season and went on to beat the Bulldogs in the playoffs by a score of 43-13.

The Northview Chiefs will host the Freeport Bulldogs in Bratt this Friday with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.