The Northview Chiefs used big plays and a punishing defense to claim their first district win of the season, a 26-0 shutout of the Jay Royals.

“Our defense got a shutout,” said coach Sid Wheatley after the game. “The defense had a great week of practice under coach Derek Marshman.”

The Chiefs’ offense looked sloppy at times with receivers dropping passes, but Northview was able to finish drives and find pay dirt.

“We moved the ball on big plays,” Wheatley said. “This was a solid win tonight.”

Wheatley said the win was a confidence booster for his team, which had started the season 1-3 before Friday night.

“This really helps us leaps and bounds,” he said. “Guys came back after last year and were not used to a 1-3 start.”

Wheatley added that beating the district foe is a good barometer for his team.

“It gives me an indication that we can be a good football team,” he said. “We can build off this win.”

The Royals started things off with a 12-play, 6:07 drive that ended when Royals’ quarterback Tate Upton was sacked and fumbled at the Chiefs’ 47-yard line.

Northview took over from there and gained 13 yards on a first-down run by Neino Robinson. Quarterback Daulton Tullis then connected on a 29-yard pass to Keondrae Lett.

A false start penalty on the next play backed the Chiefs up to the 16-yard line, before Ladarius Thomas scampered into the end zone. Nathan Shipps’ kick was good and Northview led 7-0 with 4:55 left in the first quarter.

Braden Cross carried the ball 5 yards for Jay on the first play of the ensuing drive, but a helmet-to-helmet hit call gave the Royals the ball at the 46-yard line. After an incomplete pass by Upton, a defensive holding call gave the Royals the ball at the Chiefs’ 41-yard line.

An offensive holding call sent the ball back to the 44-yard line and a delay of game call put it at the 49 on fourth-and-18. The Royals eventually punted.

Northview took over at the 16 and Lett immediately went to work. He broke runs of 13 and 11 yards, respectively, before Tullis connected with Robinson on two passes totaling 17 yards.

The drive ended when Thomas fumbled, after a pick up of 39 yards. The Royals were forced to punt on the ensuing drive after a three-and-out that saw Upton sacked again.

Northview scored on one play on the next drive, when Tullis connected with Lett for 46 yards. The Shipps kick was good and Northview led 14-0 with 9:41 left in the second quarter.

Jay fumbled the ball away on its next possession and Tullis capitalized on a 27-yard pass to Robinson that went for a touchdown. The Shipps kick was blocked by Upton and the Chiefs took a 20-0 lead with 8:47 left in the second quarter.

Jay was forced to punt after the following possession, but Northview also punted after its drive stalled. The drive included a 30-yard run by Tullis and a 9-yard run by Thomas.

The teams punted back and forth once more before Jay sustained a drive and a Dakota Smith field goal attempt of 35 yards was no good.

Northview punted the ball after its first possession of the second half. The possession included a sack of Tullis by Brandon Boutwell. The next Jay drive ended when A.J. Nash’s fake punt attempt failed to gain the required yardage. The possession included a sack of Upton by La’Quan Thomas.

Northview took over possession at its own 42-yard line. Thomas carried for two yards before Tullis connected with Robinson for six more. Thomas was then stuffed at midfield before Tullis broke a run for a touchdown.

Tullis failed to convert the two-point conversion with a pass that sailed incomplete and Northview went up 26-0 with 6:08 left in the third quarter.

Shipps broke up an Upton pass to help force a Jay punt during the next drive. Northview failed to score on the ensuing drive, but Tullis did connect with receivers Lett, Shipps, Robinson and Cameron Newsome for a total of 47 yards.