When people think about the most prestigious and successful sports at North Atlanta High School, the soccer, baseball, football, and track teams come to mind. While these have all seen immense success in recent years, none compare to the dominance of the often-forgotten North Atlanta Fencing program. Despite consistently thrashing opponents, and placing among the top teams in the state, fencing remains overlooked by the wider North Atlanta community.

     The North Atlanta fencing team has sliced through their competition in recent years, securing back-to-back state titles on not only the 6A level, but defeating other teams from all levels of Georgia high school competition. This dominant squad is led by junior sensation Christopher Shankwiler and sophomore stud Preston So who are ranked among some of the top fencers in the state. These two talents have consistently dominated their opponents throughout their tenures at North Atlanta. This domination has been especially notable with Shankwiler, who is a consensus top 5 fencer in Georgia. These two standout performers are supplemented by fellow standout senior Alfred Ponder who is the glue guy and heartbeat of this impressive Dubs squad. With most of the talent on the North Atlanta saber fencing team consisting of underclassmen, the Dubs expect to continue to control their destiny in the state title race for the foreseeable future. “We know we can hang with anyone else in the state and we expect to continue to dominate as we continue to move forward in our season.”

     So far in their 2024-25 season, the Warriors have continued where they left off from their state title charge in 2023-24. So far in this young campaign, they have walked out of their only tournament of the season with a first-place finish. This first-place finish was highlighted by strong performances from the ever-reliable Shankwiler and So. Their season continues with three more tournaments of preparation and tune-up prior to the ultimate test of the season, attempting to win yet another state title. “We’ve worked incredibly hard for this one moment,” said junior Fuller Stoll, “and we are willing to do anything to secure another state title.”

     The North Atlanta Saber Fencing Team only looks to continue their winning ways, and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. They are the consummate definition of dedication, hard work, and success, no matter how much attention or praise they receive.