The long, hot hours spent on the field over the summer paid off for the North Atlanta football team as team members kicked off their 2018 campaign on Aug. 18 with a convincing win over APS rival, the Grady Knights. A score of 20 to 7 makes it back to back years that the Warriors have won their season opener against their cross-town district rivals.

The Warriors received the opening kickoff and wasted no time scoring as junior quarterback Wiley Hartley threw a touchdown pass to Justin Sanders to cap off a flawless opening drive. For the next possession, running back TK Mack barreled his way through the Knights defensive line with a three-yard push to paydirt to make the score 13 to 0. In the second quarter, Hartley and Sanders connected again for a 58-yard touchdown to put the Warriors up by 20. As the game played out, the Knights defense could not find an answer for the potent Warrior attack. “The offense had a great week of practice leading up to the game,” said Hartley. “With the way we moved the ball, I wouldn’t expect anybody to be able to stop us.”

The Warrior front seven dominated Grady’s line all night, continuously getting in the backfield. The defense allowed just one touchdown, as the momentum was in favor of the Warriors all night. Defensive standouts like defensive ends Andrew Robinson and Enzo Vasallo and linebacker Davis Bell seemed to have the Grady ball carriers on a leash, as the Knights had a hard time getting their offense started. “They couldn’t handle the physicality we were bringing the entire game,” said Bell.

Even the special teams got in on the rout. Not once, but twice on fourth down, the Warriors blocked the Grady attempt to punt the ball away.

The work this football team has put in, is what it takes to be successful in this region. This win has allowed to team to see the fruit of their labor. The Warriors are looking to keep this momentum and energy into the rest of the season. “This was a great moment for the entire school, but we are looking to win more than just this game, we are looking for a winning season,” said Hartley.

The Warriors couldn’t be happier for the win over Grady, but they are looking forward to their upcoming game against Kipp Atlanta at Grady Stadium on Aug. 31. With an season-opening win and plenty of joy associated with beating a rival — yet again — the team is hoping to carry this positive momentum through its 2018 gridiron campaign