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Northview Football Preview
September 4, 2009
First-year Northview High School Head Football Coach Sid Wheatley has been looking forward to this day, and he’s confident that it will be good one.
The Chiefs open their football season tonight against Graceville, and Wheatley is ready.
“You always start the year a little nervous,” he said Thursday night. “But I feel like we have worked hard, and we are in great shape. We are ready.”
He has worked as an assistant coach at Northview for the past four years, so he knows the young men that will suit up in the garnet and gold, and they know him. It was a good, ready to work relationship when Wheatley took over as head coach just three weeks before the season’s first game.
Friday night’s final score, Wheatley said, will depend on just a few factors.
“It’s a matter of execution,” he said. “We just need to limit our mistakes, play smart and play hard.”
The Chiefs, who were 2-8 last season, will have one really big challenge tonight against Graceville, 8-3 last year. His name is Leron Hoover, a 230 pound running back that had 1,200 yards last year as Graceville advanced all the way to regionals.
Perhaps the Chief’s big strong point is 20 seniors in this year’s lineup, and Wheatley said those seniors have been instrumental in providing leadership and motivation for the entire team. Seniors to watch this season include John Sellars, Anthony Pierce, Brian Knight and Austin Cooper.
Chris Sheets is expected to be a standout this year at defensive back/wide receiver. Sheets had 36 tackles, one interception and 564 yards receiving last season. His brother Brandon Sheets, a sophomore, will be snapping the ball as quarterback for the Chiefs. Senior Brad Lowery will also have the QB job this year.
Austin Arrington, Shakel Holmes, Ka’Daris Grice and Aaron Chancery, Sameul Cooler, Tarus Thomas, and Montaio Mitchell will be other names likely to heard a lot on the stadium’s public address system.
The Chiefs are a classification lower this year, meaning more district games. Northview is now Class 2A District 1 with Jay, Baker, Vernon, Sneeds, Freeport, Holmes County, South Walton and Bozeman.
“We are excited about the new class; it will bring a lot of excitement,” Wheatley said. “It is going to be a very competitive district. We are going to work and put ourselves were we want to be.”
A big highlight of the new district will be the mid-season October 23 game at Jay. The Royals are an old rival, but the two teams have not met since 2004. Jay won that game 27-7.
Northview’s first district game is a week away on September 11 at home against South Walton.
Pictured above: The seniors for the Chiefs: (front row, L-R) Phillip Coon, Casey Hare, Steven Long, Sam Cooler, Coach Sid Wheatley, Austin Cooper, Lance Yuhasz, Shakel Holmes, Chris Sheets, Dayton Porter; (back row, L-R) James Shook, Devin Moorer, Ka’Daris Grice, Aaron Chancery, Wesley Morris, Anthony Pierce, Brian Knight, John Sellars, Seth Leonard, Jeremy Jackson, Brad Lowery. Submitted photo by Lisa Chancery for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge. Pictured inset: Northview Head Coach Sid Wheatley Thursday at night at the annual Meet the Chiefs event. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
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