The football program, coming off of a subpar season, is ready to turn things around.
Junior varsity coach Chase Cole would like to keep a positive record throughout the season: “I think getting to .500 or above would be an amazing accomplishment. I think that we just have to stay healthy, not get injured, and keep a positive mindset,” Cole said, “that will lead to more victories.”
Senior receiver Jeremiah Nelson has high expectations due to the team’s recent improvements: “We got a lot better over the off season, and we [are] gonna win some more games this season,” Nelson said, “We’ve got a lot of chemistry, and that’s definitely going to help us on the field.”
Similarly, junior varsity quarterback Noah Plank believes good team chemistry is necessary to succeed, “It has been very important to build comfort and trust with teammates,” Plank said.“Being open and honest with them is the only way to be successful,” he added.
After losing to the Falls Church Jaguars on September 19, 44-32, the Atoms focused.
“It’s time to mature as players and as a team, we have to realize what areas need improvement.” Nelson said.
While some of these issues could be small, and easily fixable, there could be some things that hold them team back completely, “I think the main thing many players, including myself, struggle with is dwelling on mistakes,” Plank said, “A lot of us will hold onto failure and challenges instead of learning from them and moving on.”
It is hard not to dwell on mistakes when coaches are yelling at you, the lights are bright, and almost the entire school is watching you play. It is definitely something that almost all players in every sport have to deal with.
On September 5, the Atoms won their first game against the Freedom High School Eagles, scoring 42 points and holding the Eagles to only 6 points. Senior Jeremiah Nelson, who scored 3 touchdowns against the Eagles, said the game was a big step in the right direction:
“I think that game proved something to other teams and also proved something to us–that we can really compete.” Most of the games are very high scoring. Most games end with at least one team having about 30 points.
Senior tackle Zade Khreshi attributes this to the team’s talented offense, and improvable defense. “We’ve got a lot of talented offensive players, which is a big advantage, and also why some of our games are so high scoring,” Khreshi said, “our defense, however, could use a little bit of work. It’s a lot of athletic guys who do not have much experience playing defense.”
According to sophomore JV defensive end Alexander Jones, all of the football players at AHS are great friends, and have good team chemistry:
“Some of these guys have been playing together for the last 2-3 years, and our connections help us to get past obstacles and play well together.”
In, perhaps, the Atoms’ most diminishing defeat on September 19, they lost to the rival Falls Church Jaguars 44-32, there was not much the Atoms could have done better offensively, as they put up over 30 points. The Jaguars seemed to overwhelm the Atoms’ defense, putting up over 40 preventable points. This was just one of the Atoms’ recent losses.
On September 12, the Atoms took a daunting loss against the Mustangs at Meridian High School. While the Atoms still scored an impressive 20 points, they just could not stop Meridian, who scored 52 points.
The Atoms will need to tighten up their defense if they want to start winning more games. In their next matchup, the Atoms will take on the Justice Wolves at Justice High School on October 3rd. They will definitely need their defense to be on point against Justice, an offense-heavy team.
If you’d like to support the Atoms football team, you can show up to their upcoming games on October 3rd, 10th, and 17th.
Some other ways to support the football team are by following their Instagram page @annandaleatomsfootball, or even by buying a “red card” from a player. A red card costs $20, and comes with tons of discounts for local businesses and restaurants around the Annandale area.
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