If you are walking around Midtown by Henderson Stadium on a Friday night, you will see packs of students decked out in their best camo, Hawaiian, or Togas-themed attire pouring into the Dubs’ Stadium. You will also hear piercing cheers and chants that carry throughout Piedmont Park, which come from none other than North Atlanta’s very own student section: Warrzone.

Friday night lights at North Atlanta are a special thing. Students from all grades, cliques, and backgrounds unite to cheer on the Dubs together. To an outsider, Warrzone looks like chaotic fun; to a Warrzone member, the environment is unexplainable. So what is it like to be deep in the midst of the North Atlanta crowd?

On a recent Friday night, the Dubs had a thrilling 27-13 home win over visiting River Ridge, and Warrzone was on full display. Despite students being dressed head-to-to in red, white, and blue, they bled black and silver as they did everything they could to give the Dubs the edge. “As fans, we have to make as much noise as possible to help our team, especially at home,” said senior Jackson Flores. “We are the twelfth man.”

The student section was rocking, as students packed in as close as possible and filled the stands all the way to the top. What may look like a random collection of students to a non-Dub student is actually quite a political setup. It is a long-standing rule that seniors run the front, followed by the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen. “It is the way it has always been, plus it is fun to be closer each year,” said junior Josiah Coleman. “I am eager to cheer on the Dubs from the front row when my time comes.”

No student section is complete without the many different cheers and traditions. Students scream, “Let’s Go Dubs,” or a crowd favorite, “Which way, that way,” when the Dubs get a big first down play. The most significant of all is the ‘rollercoaster’ at the end of halftime. Senior Warrzone leaders lead the crowd in a tradition like no other that ends with the entire section jumping up and down, pumped for the final half. “The rollercoaster is lit. The crowd dries up during the halftime break, so it pumps everyone up again,” said senior Ben Song. 

Every student section has noble leaders that take on the responsibility of making sure the crowd’s voices are heard from miles away. Dub spirit is coursing through their veins as they are front and center at each and every game. At North Atlanta, there is one man that stands above the rest: Senior Mac Perno. Perno, the loudest and most passionate fan in the crowd, has been dubbed the unofficial “mayor” of the student section. Even if you do not love football, the price of admission is worth it to watch him in his Friday night element. “Warrzone is electric,” said Perno. “There is nowhere I would rather be on a Friday night.”

The Dubs student section is like no other. Words cannot do the roaring crowd justice, you just have to experience it for yourself. From the tradition, the noise, and the people in it, the Warrzone is the place to be. Even though Henderson Stadium is miles away from North Atlanta, the Dubs run Midtown.