North Atlanta is consistently an outlier in a district of more than 50,000 kids and 17 high schools. When it comes to cross-country, the Dubs, time and time again, have shown up and showed out against the other schools in the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) District. Their goal was simple; put the championship mindset on display and dominate the podium. Going into the meet, the boys’ cross-country team had been on a tear, making them #1 across all of 6A by mile split.

The expectations going into the APS Championship were sky-high. There was pressure on the boys to perform at their normal, dominant level, but pressure makes diamonds–and champions. Blowing the competition out of the water, the Dubs cruised to a first-place finish. They commanded the podium, taking spots one through four in the race, and having nine runners finish in the Top-25. While adding a trophy to the cabinet is always nice, this was far from the Dubs’ best performance. Many took this meet as a break in the season. The Warriors earned a 17:54 average time, two minutes slower than the team’s 15:45 average, a personal best at the Asics Invitational on October 1. “We dominated this meet, but this is nowhere near our best,” said senior captain Holt Harris. “We used this meet as a chance to have some fun and recover, but the rest of the season is all business.”

The Dubs then looked to carry their momentum to their revamped region at the regional championship. Facing stiff competition from rivals Marist and St. Pius, they still managed to win convincingly, taking all three podium spots, with all five varsity runners finishing in the Top121. “We had tons of success early in the season, but our goals are still far ahead of us,” said junior Teddy Meredith. “Regional champions is only the beginning. The end goal is a state championship.”

This regional victory awarded the Dubs their second trophy of the season and qualified them for the state championship meet in Carrollton, a coveted end to the fall season. Despite being the consensus favorites to win 6A this year, the Warriors are carrying themselves as if they are underdogs. “It’s always exciting to win races and go fast,” said senior captain Sumner Kirsch. “But all of the success will be for nothing if we don’t perform in Carrollton.”

On November 5, your APS and Georgia High School Association (GHSA) 6A- Region 4 champions will make the hour-long trip to Carrollton, with the chance to cement themselves in the history books and bring home North Atlanta’s third state championship in the past two years. Come support the boy’s and girls’ cross-country teams as they run for glory.