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Odom accounts for 4 touchdowns in tonight’s win

Northview’s Kaden Odom accounted for four touchdowns and the Chiefs held on late to defeat Holmes County (Fla.) 34-26 tonight during a chilly FHSAA Class 1A Rural Regional Semifinal at Tommy Weaver Memorial Stadium in Bratt, Fla.

With the victory, the Chiefs improve to 11-0 overall and advance to face Chipley in the regional final next Fri., Nov. 25, at home. CHS defeated Baker 33-20 in the other regional semifinal, enters next week’s game also undefeated at 11-0. NHS defeated Baker 49-10 on Sept. 23.

Both teams went back and forth for the best part of the first half, but the Chiefs pulled away to lead 28-13 at the break. The Blue Devils cut the lead by nine with more than 5 minutes left in the third, and threatened in the fourth.

HCHS scored late in the fourth and tried an onside kick, but Northview recovered and kneed to victory.

“Hat’s off to Holmes County,” NHS head football coach Wes Summerford said. “They did an excellent job. I told their coach that. They gave us some trouble all game long. We struggled to be who we are.

“That’s something we’ve got to look at this weekend and get it fixed,” he said. “We’ve got a tough team coming in here. We’ve got to get better, and we’ve got to play better than that. We just weren’t ready. That’s my fault, and that’s one me.”

Odom’s first touchdown of the night came on a 75-yard kickoff return late in the first quarter. With the point after, the Chiefs tied the game 7-7.

Odom’s second touchdown came early in the next quarter on a 5-yard rush to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game.

On the ensuing kickoff, Holmes County’s Jameson Bacon answered with a kickoff return of his own from 68 yards out. The PAT was no good.

Odom then went on to add his third on a 31-yard rush with 8:19 left in the first half.

Northview went ahead by 15 on a Jamarkus Jefferson 1-yard touchdown run with 29 seconds in the second.

In the third, Holme’s County’s Hunter Duncan rushed in from 1-yard to cut the lead.

On the Chiefs’ next offensive drive, a fourth-down-6 conversion helped pave the way to an Odom 19-yard scoring rush with 1:56 to go in the third.

Summerford said that was a big score, adding that the Blue Devils’ turnovers helped them, too.

“We’ve just got to do better, and have better execution on both sides of the ball,” he said.

Holmes County quarterback Landon Lumpkin, who led a Blue Devils veer option attack, connected with Bacon on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 1:06 to go.