As the summer approached for the Dubs football team, a new face arrived for summer workouts. Dean Paulson is a linebacker who transfered from Midtown to play his senior season here at North Atlanta. Paulson was a huge topic of conversation amongst the team, standing at 6’1 225 pounds of pure muscle, the outside linebacker is a force to be reckoned with. After losing many key players on defense from the previous year, Coach Amos Myles- the Warriors defensive coordinator- was looking for players to step into some huge roles. With one year left in high school, Dean is willing to do whatever the coaches need him to do in order to help the team be successful.
When transferring to a new football program there are many adjustments necessary in order to become situated and comfortable. Joining a new team means plenty of new faces. For Dean, it’s a whole different group of guys over here in the North. One thing that has helped him out with the transition is bonding with his teammates. “I’ve been able to hang out with some of my new teammates outside of football. It’s really helped me feel at home,” said Paulson.
However, there’s a more strategic side to football that Dean has had to get used to in his new home. When completely changing teams, the defensive schemes are nowhere near the same. Coach Myles runs a 3-3-5 defense, which is much different from Midtown’s 5-3-3 alignment. Things like this can be overwhelming for a new player, especially if you’ve never worked in a similar scheme. Not to mention the challenge of learning and properly executing a new scheme effectively in such a short period. “Adjusting to the new defense has been a bit of a struggle, but I feel like I’ve really settled in nicely since I got here,” said Paulson
Friday night lights shine bright under Eddie E. Henderson stadium, but Dean is no stranger to the pressure. Midtown being the host location of Eddie E. Henderson stadium, Paulson knows the terrain better than any other North Atlanta football player, spending practices, school days, and of course games at the arena. The only difference is he now dons black and silver instead of red and white, a knight turned warrior. “I feel right at home when playing at Henderson, the only difference is the Dubs fans are much louder,” said Paulson
Although Dean has been faced with many hardships and has had to adjust to a completely new environment he loves being a part of the Warrior family. Paulson hopes to help lead his new team to a winning record and a playoff run. It is safe to say anyone on the defensive side of the ball can feel much safer with the star linebacker standing beside them on the gridiron.
