On a warm October night under the lights of Henderson Stadium, the North Atlanta Warriors gave their homecoming crowd plenty to cheer about, rolling past the Alpharetta Raiders 28-12 in front of a packed house. The Warrzone, donning star-spangled attire, packed the stands in a sea of red, white, and blue and set the tone for a huge Dub victory.
The Warriors began the game with fireworks. Early in the first quarter, junior quarterback Weston Goodman dropped back and fired a screen pass to senior wideout Jack Ellenburg. Ellenburg looked upfield and turned on the burners for a 55-yard touchdown that electrified the Warrzone. After a defensive stop, the Dubs struck again. Senior running back Cayden Edwards, known as ‘Chunky’ by the team, found a hole and burst free for a 50-yard touchdown run, extending the Warrior lead to 14-0. “We set the tone up front, and Chunky did the rest,” said sophomore offensive tackle Javier Rivera.
Halftime brought a break from the action as a dazzling homecoming court took the field to be honored. However, the Dubs remained focused and came out firing in the second half. On the opening drive of the third quarter, Goodman broke loose for a dazzling 50-yard touchdown run, capped off by a triumphant point towards the sky. From there, the Dubs’ ground attack took over. Senior running backs Bryce Little and ‘Chunky’ pounded the Alpharetta defense. Little rushed for 70 yards while Edwards scorched the Raider defense for 97 yards and two touchdowns. The offense finished with 378 total yards, including 256 on the ground, while Goodman accounted for one touchdown and 122 yards through the air. “Weston Goodman is the greatest quarterback ever to touch the North Atlanta football field,” said junior Wit Powell. “The way he plays the game is second to none.“
North Atlanta’s defense played with the same intensity as the offense. Jakori Kareem came up with a clutch interception in the red zone with ten minutes left in the fourth quarter, helping seal the game for the Warriors. Junior linebacker Quinn Herring had a pick of his own in the first half, and he led the team with 12 tackles, while two-way phenom Josh McCullough tallied seven tackles while playing with a broken thumb. One of the highlights of the game came in the closing moments of the second half as Alpharetta lined up for a field goal. The Warriors’ defense came through in dramatic fashion, blocking a Raider field goal that kept the momentum firmly on the Dubs’ side. “The defense balled out,” said Herring, “but that’s just what we do. It felt good to defend our home field.”
As the final seconds ticked away, the Warriors celebrated North Atlanta’s third-straight homecoming victory. As both sides of the ball finally begin to show what the Warriors can really do, North Atlanta has cemented itself as a fearsome contender for a deep playoff run.
