Historically, North Atlanta has had the reputation of a win-challenged athletic program. While recent success across the program has begun to change this reputation, the Warriors still have not seen the same success as some of their neighboring programs. To go along with a lesser ability to attract players to the school, North Atlanta’s emergence as a top athletic program is hindered by one of the most competitive regions in the state. As a result, the Warriors have found themselves kicking dirt, wondering when their time will come.

Until recently, the Dubs were scoffed at when it came to sports, as the school has become very familiar with the cold feeling of defeat. However, it appears that times are changing for the school’s athletic program, as both the basketball and football team are coming off of their best seasons in years. In addition, firm coaching across the program as well as a recent increase in talent have junior football player Davis Bell and the Warriors feeling very optimistic about the future ahead. “We as the football team are definitely building something special with Coach O’Sullivan,” Bell said. “As a school I would say this is true too because of all of our talented coaches.”

However, North Atlanta is still hindered in their potential athletically. This is because of the fact that North Atlanta competes in one of the toughest regions in Georgia, which includes powerhouse programs like Pope, Cambridge and Alpharetta. As a result of this tough competition, North Atlanta has found themselves toward the middle or bottom of the pack year after year. While this is unfortunate for the Warriors, senior baseball player Nick Gaitan and his fellow student-athletes know that there is only one thing that can be done in response. “We need to stop making excuses and focus on competing at the same elite levels as some of the opposing schools we play,” Gaitan said.

The Warriors are forced to compete for athletes with local private schools, who generally play in easier regions against smaller schools. To go along with this, North Atlanta is restricted in the amount of potential students who can attend the school due to the district enforced by Atlanta Public Schools. Without being able to offer scholarships to student-athletes or present them with the a winning program, at least not until late, the Warriors have lost many talented athletes from their own cluster schools to private schools. While North Atlanta’s current upward trend suggests that the school has begun to develop its own athletes, if North Atlanta were to recruit, senior soccer player Evan Zappa and his teammates would be more equipped each season. “The school overall has definitely began to get on the right track but there are plenty of talented athletes in our area who chose private school over us,” Zappa said. “If we could attract them, it would only help us become a more competitive program.”