As much as the Chamblee vs. Dunwoody game was anticipated by the whole school, it did not conclude as Chamblee had hoped. Both teams put all of their efforts into the game, but Chamblee fell short, losing 39-7. 

“For the first quarter before Dunwoody got their first touchdown, [there] was a point where [the teams] were stopping [each other] from getting the ball, [and] I [thought] we might have a chance, but after that first touchdown I started losing hope,” said cheerleader Asia Prejean (‘25).

While Chamblee’s football team hoped to end victorious, the game did not align with their expectations. The team’s strategy after the loss is to prepare and practice situations that could happen in the field. 

“The biggest thing that we’re practicing this week is executing in high-pressure situations, whether it be first down, third down, or red zone opportunities. We did a lot of competition-type practices this week to try to simulate high-pressure situations. That way, we can perform when it matters,” said Michael Freeman, assistant coach of the Chamblee football team.

As the team practices, they have to translate all the information they learned through their previous mistakes onto the field. 

“The biggest thing is that Dunwoody is a good team, [but] we just didn’t play to the best of our abilities. We weren’t consistent,” said Freeman. 

Despite the loss, whenever the team was in the red zone or got their first downs, they did have a chance to score—and when they scored, the students and everyone else watching once again revived their morale for the team.

During this game, not only did the football team see what they could improve on, but the cheerleaders also plan to introduce new elements to the games based on their observations. 

“[For the upcoming game], we’re going to do some stunts [to] get the crowd more involved and try to make it more fun,” said Prejean. 

As many of the students are also excited for our second home game, they will continue to cheer for this year’s football team. 

“I hope that in future games we win—all of them,” said Glory Jones (‘25). 

Even if this rivalry game was a defeat for Chamblee, the school looks forward with anticipation to what the football team may bring in the future, hoping that the team will give it their all and give us the greatest comeback.