The prestigious high school homecoming game is a time for celebration and recognition for the homecoming court and victory for the home team. For the New Manchester Jaguars, homecoming was filled with disappointment and disheartenment as the Dubs dominated from the very beginning.

Coming into their third game, the Dubs were red hot, starting with two statement televised wins. The first was a come-from-behind 31-27 victory over North Forsyth in the Corky Kell classic; the second was a shutout of Drew, 50-6, in the home opener. Despite their undeniable success, New Manchester disrespected the Dubs by scheduling North Atlanta as their homecoming opponent. North Atlanta did not take kindly to the decision. They wanted to make the Jaguars pay. “Scheduling us as a homecoming game was not something we took likely,” said senior Charlie Grier. “We wanted to spoil their fun.”

With extra fuel added to the fire, the Dubs were ready to take on New Manchester, but they would have to do so without senior starting quarterback Trey Lennon, the MVP in the first two games. This allowed up-and-coming sophomore quarterback, Ian Reynolds, to start a varsity game for just the second time in his career. Reynolds showed off his arm, throwing for 120 yards and two touchdowns, including a beautiful 49-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Jamie O’Kelly. In addition to his passing performance, he did his best imitation of Lennon, adding 63 more yards on the ground. “After my poor performance in my first start, I wanted to prove myself in my next opportunity,” said Reynolds “I’m glad I was able to perform and help get the win.”

Reynolds was one of many Dubs stars to ball out on the cold, rainy night in Douglasville. Both sides of the ball were firing on all cylinders, allowing the Dubs to take an imposing 21-0 first-half lead. After that point, they never looked back. The Dubs finished the game with two more touchdowns in the second half to complete a dominant 35-0 victory and improve to 3-0. “We are where we want to be at this point of the season,” said Warriors Head Coach Jamie Aull. “We need to continue to improve each week if we want to achieve our goal of going to the playoffs.”

While the Dubs are off to an incredible start, they face a tough task next week as they host an elite River Ridge team that also comes into the game undefeated. North Atlanta is hoping to avoid history repeating itself. This is not the first time the Dubs started 4-0. After the elite start, the team lost three consecutive region games and missed the playoffs. This feeling left a bad taste in the school’s mouth, but hungrier than ever for postseason success. Their unique combination of experience, star power, and depth has them poised to make a deep run.