Northview’s game against rival Baker this week is going to be a challenge and a great opportunity for the players, Chiefs head football coach Derek Marshman said.

“They’re the top dog on our side of the state in 1A,” Marshman said. “They’re experienced; they’ve got veterans. They’re big and strong.

“There’s no question that we’re coming into the game as underdogs,” he said.

The game, which kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, will be held at NHS in Bratt, Fla.

At present, the Chiefs are 1-7 on the season while Baker is a spotless 8-0.

Marshman said BHS has talent all over the place.

“They have a really strong offense,” he said. “Their skill athletes are on another level. They completely dial it up front.”

Marshman said the BHS quarterback is a dual threat, and is the twin brother of one of the leading running backs.

“You’ve got to focus on several guys,” he said. “They have the opportunity to put up a bunch of different schemes.”

Defensively, BHS runs a 5-2 and is aggressive, Marshman said.

The Chiefs are coming into the game off of an open week.

Marshman said some of the injured were able to get healthy, the team focused on itself during the first three days of practice last week and they have been focusing on a game plan for Baker for more than a week.

“We hit the weight room hard all of those times, really going heavy,” he said.

After this week’s game, the Chiefs will end their season with a home game against Snook Christian on Nov. 3.

Marshman said the guys are going into the Baker game with a good mindset of winning.

“Football is a crazy game,” he said. “We’re going to go out there, and have a mindset of we’re going to shock the world. That’s what we have to do to create chaos to compete with a team like this right now.”