Sports

North Atlanta's Warriors Headed to State Baseball Playoffs

The North Atlanta High baseball team is headed to state playoffs as No. 2 in the region.

As the school year winds down to a close, some North Atlanta High seniors are hoping to celebrate another momentous occasion in addition to their graduation.

The North Atlanta High Warriors baseball team, No. 2 in 6-AAAAA region, heads to the Georgia High School Association Championship Playoffs on Friday against Kell High School after finishing the season at 18-5.

“It is a wonderful testament to their perseverance and dedication to playing baseball,” said Jeff Johnson, whose son, junior Will Johnson, has been on the varsity team since his freshmen year.

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The Warriors finished second in the region after Dunwoody High and will host Kell on its home turf, fondly called “The Rock.”

Members of the Warriors baseball community say the team’s success was due to strong senior leadership, along with a perfect storm of precise coaching and a high level of parental involvement.

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“Every year, they’ve gotten better. This year was just a banner year,” Johnson told Patch. “It was just a wonderful effort by everyone–the parents, administration, players and coaches.”

Coach Gip Johnston has coached the Warriors for the last three years and has a son, junior Jake Johnston, on the team.

Johnston said he has seen the team grow over the last three years.

He said he coaches because he loves doing it. He wants the Buckhead community to know, “We’ve got some great athletes in the Buckhead area.”

And the Warriors baseball team is full of them.

College scouts are coming to the games to check out the players and “it hasn’t always been that way,” Johnston said. “Buckhead’s always been a hotbed for college recruiters, but often it was at Westminster and Lovett.”

It won’t be easy to lose the “good senior leadership,” consisting of players such as Jackson Echols, Austin Hedrick, Wells King, Harrison McClure and Campbell Toye.

“It’s tough,” Johnston said. “It’s always tough to lose your seniors, especially those you’ve grown with…They should be proud of what they accomplished and have built this program to what it is.”

Expect the Warriors will dominate on the field again next year because the rising seniors took notes from the current seniors and their talent has shone on the field just as brightly, explained Johnston, who has coached Buckhead baseball for the last two decades and can recognize athletic talent and leadership better than most.

And he wants the Buckhead community to know without a doubt, “There’s good baseball being played at North Atlanta, and we have great kids.”

Johnston coaches the players “to play loose.”

He tells them, “If you play your best and play up to your abilities, good things are going to happen.”

Play ball.

The double-header against Kell High School takes place on Friday. Admission is $7 per person.


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