For years, North Atlanta boy’s soccer has stood as one of the best programs in Georgia. Yet after a down 2023 season and the departure of several key seniors, few had high expectations for this Spring’s campaign. In spite of this, the Warriors have not only returned to their former prominence- but far exceeded the standard of years prior. Currently ranked #27 in the entire country and previously in the top 20 after a 9-1-1 start, North Atlanta hopes to climb back up the standings and compete for a chance at the state title. The question on everyone’s mind: What changed for the Warrior’s to make such a drastic jump in proficiency?
Aside from stellar play from familiar faces like Owen Patton, Kellar Martin, Jackson Montgomery, Mcclendon May, Junior Moreno, and others, the arrival of junior striker Lathan Johnson formerly of Midtown High School has made a considerable impact. The leading scorer on the team, Johnson has immediately stepped in to become the catalyst for an explosive North Atlanta team who accumulated more wins in the first 5 games than they did during the whole season next year. Averaging a goal a game for a total of 11 so far, the striker is as good a scorer as they come. This past season with Midtown, he was one of the state leaders in goals scored en route to earning Georgia 5A player of the year. As only a junior this year in his first year with the team, the future is bright from the talented transfer. “It’s a lot more fun seeing him score for us rather than against us,” said senior goalkeeper Keller Martin
Another major improvement to this new look North Atlanta team is the emergence of outstanding sophomore Miles Glover. A central-attacking-midfielder or CAM, Glover is second on the team in scoring only behind Lathan Johnson, and first in assists with lines of 7 and 4 on the year. Starting on the varsity team as a freshman, Glover is already as experienced as most of his upperclassmen teammates. The young veteran has 2 years left in his North Atlanta soccer career in addition to the remainder of the 2024 season and the sky’s the limit. “He’s scary good, especially for how young he is to be arguably the best player on the team, he’s special,” said junior midfielder Hunter Black.
Although both of the aforementioned players are as skilled as anyone else in the state and maybe even nationwide, the immense success of the 2024 season can’t be boiled down to just 2 players. Through years of development, winning, losing, and learning, this team has come together to be the state title hopefuls that everyone inside the stark former IBM building knew that they could be. With that being said, the season is far from over with 7 more games to go and the Warriors certainly can’t let off the gas now. Given this success can be carried over the course of the season and playoffs, a new era of North Atlanta could be coming to fruition, re-establishing the lost dominance of seasons past.
