As the hot, humid Georgia summer wanes and the crisp southern autumn takes its place, the sights and sounds of America’s pastime once again return to center stage. The thud of the pads, the screech of the whistles, and the yells of excitement signify the start of yet another highly anticipated season of North Atlanta Football. The expectations surrounding the program have never been higher as the squad hopes to continue to ride their streak of historic success. With a new division and a new region awaiting the Warriors, they continue to prepare for the gauntlet that is the high school football season.
North Atlanta football has seen a revitalization under the leadership of fifth year head Coach Jamie Aull. He led the Warriors to back-to-back playoff berths for the first time in school history in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Now, in 2024 he has his eyes on securing the school’s first ever region championship. While it will be difficult to surmount the highs of the previous 2 seasons, where the Warriors won 8 and 9 games respectively, everyone surrounding the program believes that this 2024 roster can once again make history. “We know who we are and what we can be,” said Aull, “ it’s all about executing and taking the season 1 game at a time. The most important game on our schedule is always the next one.”
The class of 2024 was a truly outstanding one for the Dubs with multiple players leaving to play college football. Star wide receiver and defensive back Xaden Benson left for Harvard, fellow defensive back Darius Malclom is now at Wofford, running Back Demetrius Barnes is now at Wittenberg University, and multiple other key contributors have left for division 2 and division 3 programs. These departures will be sorely missed, however there is more than enough talent to replace them as Aull has impressively filled out the depth of this roster. On the offensive side, Senior starting quarterback and Virginia Military Institute commit Ian Reynolds returns for his second year as a full time starter. Senior wide receiver and defensive back Grant Thompson is the top returning target and looks to have a massive impact on both sides of the ball. Senior tackle and Naval Academy commit Ben Diedrich anchors a strong and experienced offensive line that sees 3 of 5 starters return from the 2023 season. “I feel really confident with the guys we have on this team,” said Reynolds, “I think we can hang with just about anybody we play and we expect nothing less than a region championship.”
On the defensive side, they are anchored by their star-studded defensive line led by Senior 4-star defensive end Chase Linton. Linton led the team in sacks and tackles for loss in 2023 and holds offers from Georgia and Rutgers. The Linebackers are the most inexperienced position group on the roster, with 3 new starters this season. Despite this inexperience, Senior and new transfer from local rivals Midtown is a true difference maker and is expected to lead this young group to success. In the defensive backfield, Senior and Kennesaw State commit Tobi Adewoyin consistently makes life difficult for opposing quarterbacks and receivers. “The level of competition here is miles ahead of what I had at Midtown and we have enough talent to make a run this year,” said Paulson.
With the preseason now officially over, all that’s left to do is for the Dubs to take care of their business. With records to shatter and sky-high expectations, the Warriors are welcoming the challenge of living up to these lofty goals set for them. Now, the Dubs can only wait for that first kickoff, that first home game, that first warrior stomp, and hopefully that ever elusive first region championship.
