The North Atlanta football team took on Cambridge on October 2. The match pitted the Warriors against a perennial 7 5A Region powerhouse. The Bears might have come to Grady Stadium expecting a rout against the Warriors, similar to what they had in last year’s game. What they got instead was a Warrior team that played tough in soggy conditions and that stood toe to toe against a tough region foe.

The loss 16 to 35 dropped the team to a 2-win-4-loss record. But the outcome showed the heart that Warriors had against a bigger and deeper foe. Players were interviewed about their perspective on the game and what the outcome showed about a battling team that refuses to give up its fighting spirit.

“We’ve never competed on such a high level. Everyone stuck it out and didn’t quit. It was really kind of inspiring.” – Joel Maldonado, senior, defensive line, team captain

“I think we played a tough game. We went in hard but it wasn’t enough. But we kept on fighting.” – Ezra Naylor, senior, wide receiver

“Nothing comes easy. We have to come to games with the right mindset.” –Akaydie Welch, senior, running back

“The outcome showed that even when we’re down, we play with heart.” – Dartavious Davis, senior, defensive end

“We have a lot of confidence in ourselves and we always keep our heads up during the game. We believe in each other.” – Mykel Barber, junior, defensive back

“We are getting better and I think we can all see this, in spite of our record. What I saw against Cambridge was a team that never gave up and that went down with a fight.” – Majeste’ Hansberry, junior, linebacker

“We never game up and we tried hard. That’s just the way we are as a team.” – Victor Navarrete, junior, linebacker

“It showed that we fight to the end no matter who the opponent is.” – Graeme McCleod, junior, wide receiver

“We always fight, even when we’re losing. It’s what being a Warrior is all about.” – Alex Figueroa, junior, linebacker

“It showed that we never give up and we always try to bounce back.” – Desmond Thomas, sophomore, wide receiver

“We stuck in there and continued to fight and tried to come back even though we were down.” – Tariq Moore, sophomore, running back

“Even though we were down in the middle of the game, we didn’t give up and we stuck together.” – Terrian Rainey, sophomore, offensive line

“I believe we handled adversity well. It showed us what this team is all about.” – Ross Graves, sophomore, defensive line

“The team never gave up and it showed how strong we are as a unit. You could see that we fought to the very end.” – Devin Lassiter, freshman, wide receiver

“Even though it was a loss it revealed that we believe in each other. We do our best and we don’t give up.” – Malik Everett, freshman, linebacker

“Throughout the game our leaders really stood out. Throughout the game we fought hard with pride.” – Christian Banks, freshman, running back