A tail of two halves made up Northview’s preseason game against Vernon, Fla. on Aug. 17.

Chiefs head football coach Derek Marshman said Sunday that the junior varsity squad played in the first half, and varsity played in the second.

Marshman said from a JV aspect, the players competed well.

“They’re going to win some ball games this year,” he said.

Varsity-wise, the Chiefs fell 20-7 to what is considered the favorite in NHS’s region, Marshman said.

“It was a good measuring stick for us,” he said. “I thought we played well in the first 14 minutes of the half, but the last 10 minutes were the reverse.”

Marshman said the Chiefs’ varsity defense, which also played in the first half, held Vernon’s offense well.

“They didn’t move the ball on us,” he said, adding that he thought NHS’s ball movement was spot on.

The preseason game comes right on the heels of the Chiefs’ first regular-season match up against Lighthouse Christian this Friday at Brent Park in Pensacola, Fla.

Marshman said the players are excited about the upcoming game.

“Lighthouse has new coaches and players since their first season last year,” he said. “We’re definitely excited and we really concentrated at practice the last two weeks.”

Marshman said the game plan over the last two weeks included practicing base stuff on offense and defense.

While the start of the season is exciting for the Chiefs, Northview is going to be hampered with a couple of injuries.

Jayden Jackson is out with a broken hand, and Trent Peebles has a high ankle sprain.

Marshman said both aren’t out for the season, and he hopes to see them back on the field this season.