Northview head coach Doug Vickery estimates he made about “six or seven” different schedules for the Chiefs this fall. While many Rural classification schools decided to join the Sunshine State Athletic Association before going to the FHSAA’s new Independent League, Northview remained a full member of the association. That means the Chiefs will play in District 1-1A with Baker, Blountstown, Holmes County and Port St. Joe this fall after the FHSAA merged the 1A and Rural classifications in late January. Central and Jay will play independent schedules this fall. “It was just a constant shuffling of teams,” Vickery said. The moves leaves Northview in a challenging district not just for competition, but for travel too. Baker is the only team within an hour of Bratt, and the Chiefs will have to travel over two hours for district games against Blountstown and Holmes County. Northview was the only team not to play in the postseason after opting out of the Rural Florida Invitational Tournament. Blountstown was the Rural state runner-up last fall and Baker was undefeated before falling to Chiefland in the Regional finals. Holmes County lost to Port St. Joe in the FIT semifinals, while the Tiger Sharks lost to Fort White in the FIT championship. “It’s brutal man,” Vickery said about the district. “I think Holmes County’s going to be really good. He had a really physical football team last year, really impressed with Holmes County. We gotta go down there. Port St. Joe, I don’t know much about them. They’re traditionally pretty dang good. Obviously Baker is a perennial 1A power and then Blountstown, they’re rolling right now with the guys they got.” Here’s what else to know about Northview, the area’s lone District 1-1A team this fall. Northview: 'Our guys got a lot stronger'
Head coach: Doug Vickery (2nd season) 2025 record: 3-7 After a subpar 2025 ended with two straight wins, Vickery wanted to see how his team responded to his first full season. Vickery, who was the long time coach at Flomaton before crossing state lines last year, started tracking weightlifting personal bests in November and never had to stop. “We actually broke from November to just here a couple days ago, we broke 266 personal records in different lifts,” Vickery said after practice on July 29. “I know that sounds kind of insane, but we really kept track of it. The guys got a lot stronger.” That was the biggest offseason positive for the Chiefs, who enter 2026 with another young team. Northview will have just seven seniors, but also have good building blocks in sophomores and junior classes that are both 12 players strong. Chiefs don’t want to go 3-7 again, a mark that could have been better after going 0-3 in one possession games last fall. At the end of one practice early in camp, Northview was running sprint after sprint just to get in that much better shape for the end of games. “Our record would have been positive for sure if we finished through the fourth quarter,” senior tight end/defensive end JJ Helton said. “I mean that’s all it was.” Expect Northview to throw the ball a little more this year to get the ball in the hands of its playmakers. Senior Caleb Levins returns at quarterback and has a pair of talented receivers in senior JJ Jacobs and sophomore Tyson Phifer. Junior Hunter Parker is currently slotted as the starting running back, while junior Brody Hall will lead the way up front. Parker, Helton and senior Christian Callender return as starting linebackers. Jacobs, Levins and Phifer started last year in the secondary. Look for sophomore Bentley Jones to lead an inexperienced defensive line. Northview’s schedule will look a little different this fall without longtime rivals Jay and Flomaton, the return of district play and three new opponents from southern Alabama. But even with all the change, the Chiefs expect to be ready for whatever comes their way. “Coach always gives us a good speech before games, gets us hype,” Levins said. “We’re always ready.” District 1-1A schedule
Sept. 4: Baker at Holmes County Sept. 11: Blountstown at Baker, Port St. Joe at Northview Sept. 25: Blountstown at Port St. Joe, Northview at Holmes County Oct. 9: Baker at Port St. Joe, Northview at Blountstown Oct. 16: Holmes County at Blountstown Oct. 23: Baker at Northview, Holmes County at Port St. Joe
MaxPreps District 1-1A Preseason Rankings
Blountstown Baker Holmes County Port St. Joe Northview
PNJ District 1-1A Preseason Prediction
Blountstown Holmes County Baker Northview Port St. Joe
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Northview football prepares for 'brutal' District 1-1A in 2026