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Pritchett Looks to Bring "Tradition" to North Atlanta

Nine-year pro replaces former coach Brian Montgomery at the Warriors' helm

It’s been a long time since football fans at have had a reason to celebrate on Friday nights.

The Warriors’ last playoff appearance came in 1996, the same year that the Miami Dolphins selected a certain South Carolina Gamecocks fullback and Atlanta native in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

That fullback was Stanley Pritchett.

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Pritchett enjoyed nine fruitful years in the NFL with the Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons. He now hopes to translate his success as a pro over to the Buckhead school as the new head coach. Pritchett replaces Brian Montgomery, who was hired away by Shiloh High School in February.

“I’m excited to be at North Atlanta,” Pritchett said. “I’m really looking forward to bringing some stability to the program and building a tradition.”

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After an NFL career that was capped by a one-year stint with the Falcons in 2004, Pritchett spent the last three years as the head coach at another Region 5-AAA school, Booker T. Washington.

In three seasons at Washington, he led the Bulldogs to a 19-12 record, including a state playoff appearance in 2008.

Pritchett will have something to build on at North Atlanta: The Warriors went 7-3 last season, posting just the second winning season in program history.

North Atlanta athletic director Robert Whitman is confident that the former Falcon is more than up to the task.

“Not only does he have the [football] experience at every level, he also is a teacher,” Whitman said. “That’s one of the true definitions of a coach. There are a lot of people who are great players or competitors, but have difficulty breaking down the parts. That’s what is awesome about [Coach Pritchett].”

Teaching, as Whitman explained, is the Pritchett family business: Pritchett’s father, Dr. Stanley J. Pritchett Sr., is the president of Morris Brown College, and his mother was a teacher for 34 years before retiring in 2008.

Pritchett’s teaching skills will be tested right away on the football field at North Atlanta, with the new head coach planning to move away from the spread offense that the Warriors ran under Montgomery and install his own pro-style offense.

As one might suspect with a former fullback calling the plays, the running game will be a major component of the North Atlanta attack next season.

“I’m a pro-style guy so we’re going to work out of multiple formations with the quarterback under center a lot,” Pritchett said. “The emphasis is going to be on the running game. We probably won’t be much of a passing team but we’ll pass when we have to.”

The Warriors kick off the 2011 season on Aug. 26 vs. crosstown rival South Atlanta.

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