With all of the fall sports at North Atlanta wrapped up for the school year, the winter teams are closing out on their seasons and the spring squads are just getting started. Although the winter Warrior athletes have already adjusted to playing with pandemic precautions, many spring athletes will be competing athletically for the first time since COVID crushed their seasons last year. However, the Dubs’ spring athletes will be looking to continue the domination their fall and winter predecessors have enjoyed in the school’s new region.

As far as winter sports, the Dubs basketball team headlines the group as Kerry Sarden’s squad has squashed their competition so far. The star-studded team has big playoff aspirations, as the Warriors currently stand at 42nd in the state with a near-perfect 12-2 record due to narrow losses at the hands of South Gwinnett and Westlake. The Warriors are led in scoring by senior stars Charlie Hamilton (12.6 ppg) and Montavious Myrick (12.4 ppg). The Dubs will hope to add another in the win column on January 8 when they travel to Fairburn to take on the 6-3 Langston Hughes Panthers. 

The Water Warriors have not enjoyed the season they thought they would thus far, as several COVID cancellations have held the school’s swim team to just two meets through two months. However, coaches Tim Storsteen and Allen Joel have amped up the team’s intensity to make up for the lost time. The coaches recently increased practice time by 30 minutes and scheduled six meets over the course of the next three weeks. “The holiday break was definitely a nice time to relax, but I’m glad I have so many chances now to push out a personal record before the season ends” said sophomore Will Moriarty.

Looking toward the future, the spring sports teams have not yet begun tryouts, however some are soon approaching. The North Atlanta track team has seen a massive increase in intensity in comparison to recent years, as the team will be trying out on January 11 after weeks of conditioning instead of the previous late January date. Head coach Bryce Doe was disappointed to see his dominant track team’s season cut short last year, however he has made big offseason moves to make sure the squad comes back even stronger. Doe has brought in almost an entirely new staff, including new distance coaches Chip Owens and Matthew Farrell. “I’m so excited about being here and so far I have to say I’m really impressed with the talent I’m seeing here,” Farrell said. “I believe it’s going to be a great season.” 

Sports this new year will in no way be like usual, as we soon approach the one-year anniversary of the massive mid-March in-building school cancellation prompted by a pandemic that still ravages on. The winter sports teams have had mixed results in their seasons, but are still hoping to finish strong as the statewide competitions draw closer. On the other hand, the spring sports have not even started and the very virus that ended their seasons last year continues to be a nuisance. However, there are no planned cancellations for spring athletics this time around as North Atlanta says the show must go on. Go Dubs!