For a high school football player, life as an athlete can be very exciting. The glory that comes with representing a high school on the gridiron, and playing the great game of football in front of hundreds of roaring students on Friday night is something that sticks with the athlete for years to come after their high school career. However, being a North Atlanta football player is not all sunshine and rainbows, as the coaches and players make winning a top priority, forcing players to make sacrifices during the summer and the season.
While most NAHS students are lying in their beds snoozing in the waking hours during their much-needed summer break, North Atlanta football is waking up at the crack of dawn at the time of 7:00 to perfect their game and get ready for the long-awaited season ahead. During the summer, practices start at 8, which mostly involves lifting weights first, followed by a coach-led film session which includes watching the weaknesses of the team from the season before or focusing on the strengths of their future opponents. At 10, the Warriors take the field and gear up for 2 hours of no-pad practice. “Waking up during the summer was a little hard at first,” said senior offensive lineman Reis Holzworth, “But after a while, you just kinda get used to it and focus on winning rather than sleeping.”
Even after summer comes to an end and the amount of schoolwork and stress starts to ramp up, the Warriors are still expected to wake up at sunrise to get ready for their next game. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the football team wakes up at around 5’clock to get ready for a grueling and taxing practice ahead. Just like summer, the Warriors start the practice off with film sessions and weightlifting, which then goes into a tough physical practice to start the player’s days. As the season progresses and better opponents emerge, the practices will typically only get tougher for the Warriors. “Waking up early to work out and all that jazz is something that is needed to win, and everyone understands that.” Said senior safety John Ramseur.
As the Warriors settle into a new season, it’s important to stay consistent in a practice routine as the team tries to better themselves every day. A high precedent has been set in the two record setting years prior and continuity is expected. With hard work on and off the field, it will be exciting to see all the off-season and on-season work pay off on Friday nights under the lights.
