It wasn’t supposed to be this year according to Atlee head coach Roscoe Johnson.  Johnson has been quoted a few times this season saying his young Atlee team, that only features four seniors on each side of the ball, was assumed to be better next year.  To the chagrin of their opponents, next year appears to be now. 

  Friday night the Raiders used a stingy and opportunistic defense to rout Patrick Henry 46-7.  The win marks Atlee’s first ever 3-0 start in school history and only their second ever win over the Patriots.  Atlee, which had not beaten Patrick Henry since 1993, took out its frustration with a vengeance scoring 33 straight points until Patrick Henry managed a touchdown with 2:26 left to go in the third quarter.

  “They whipped us in every phase of the football game,” said longtime Patrick Henry head coach Ray Long. “When it rains it pours I guess.  They came to our place hungry.  They want to win.  I take my hat off to them.”

  Patrick Henry’s offense seemed bewildered throughout the game, which could largely be contributed to the Raiders.  Atlee’s defense swarmed and harassed the Patriots offense holding them to 119 total yards and only five first downs.  Raiders’ senior linebacker Hunter Brooks, who scored on a 33-yard interception and 28-yard fumble return, said the team uses the Baltimore Ravens defense as their model.  He and Coach Johnson credit defensive coordinator Chad Blackstock as creating an environment in practice that carries over to the game.

  “Every day Coach Blackstock tells us to model ourselves after the Ravens who won the Super Bowl,” Brooks said. “Their defense carried them the whole season and that is the heart and soul of our team.  That’s what we try to do.  We try to rely on our defense.”

  The Raiders’ defense, that allowed a few big plays in an earlier win over Benedictine shored up there coverage schemes and blitz packages to take the Patriots completely out of their game.  Again, Blackstock’s name comes up when Johnson talks about his team’s defensive prowess.

  “Chad Blackstock was added on my staff this year,” Johnson said. “Robert Levy my defensive coordinator last year had to step down and I brought Blackstock in and I told him to bring excitement to this team.  He has brought a lights-out, play-hard, were going to come and get you mentality.  The way we play is the way practice is.  It’s a dog fight in practice.”

  Even though the defense did most of the heavy lifting the offense performed well moving the ball at will down the field.  Senior quarterback Dylan Garthright finished the game with 63 yards rushing and two touchdowns.  He also completed 13 out of 23 passes for 128 yards.  Fellow senior Micah Spiers finished the game with 71 yards and one touchdown on just three carries.  In addition, two of his five catches went for scores.

  The Raiders next game is also on the road against Douglas Freeman.  Coach Johnson calls it a business trip.

  “We got called to be there next Friday against Douglas Freeman,” Johnson said. “We will be wearing white because that is what you wear.  We have to be clean cut.  We are going to go to war.  We are going on a business trip.  None of these kids talk about being 4-0.  I am the only one that says it.”

  If they become 4-0 next Friday, history will be made again.

Atlee .......................... 7 7 19 13—46
Patrick Henry…..........0 0 7   0— 7
A —Gathright 2 run (Boothe kick)
A —Gathright 8 run (Boothe kick)
A —Spiers 14 pass from Ferguson (Boothe kick)
A —Brooks 33 interception return (kick failed)
A —Brooks 28 fumble return (kick failed)
PH — Straus 4 pass from Waller (Dyer)
A —Spiers 18 pass from Gathright (kick failed)
A —Spiers 27 run (Dalton kick)