On Friday the varsity football team will take on W.T. Woodson once again in an attempt to win another game and improve its 1-4 record so far this season (The issue published too early to account for the match against West Springfield).

“We will watch film [of last year’s game] and study their offense and defense. I am confident that if we play up to our potential we will be able to get the win against any team,” senior Nolan Gilbert said. The team has not, however, been playing up to their potential, winning only one game out of the last five.

This game against Woodson is not just an opportunity to improve this years record. For the 22 returning varsity players on the team, this is an opportunity to revoke the win that Woodson got against the Atoms last year on our Homecoming night.

The coaches have a gameplan that they feel will be enough to help the Atoms to victory in this game. “We will try to be aggressive on defense and give them a couple different looks with pressure. Offensively, we are moving the ball well, we just need to eliminate the turnovers,” Head Coach Michael Scott said.

The team has been preparing both mentally and physically for the upcoming match. A common theme going through the heads of coaches and players is of being more united and focused as a team.

“We practice as a team and keep everyone focused,” senior Jae Min Kim said.

Last year, there was “Beat Woodson” fever going around AHS. Students made chants, printed flyers to post around the school and Tweeted about how that was their main goal. Sadly though, the game ended 7-14 after 2 hours of back-and-forth action. The players were disappointed and the non-seniors knew that they had to work even harder for the win this year.

“Last year we all felt horrible about the loss but this year we’ve come back with a new mindset,” junior Steven Schwartz says.

A main problem was coming up short of the end zone due to solid defense on the Cavaliers’ side and repeated turnovers– still one of Scott’s main grievances against the team. The pressure of Woodson scoring a touchdown with only five minutes remaining was just too much for the Atoms to overcome.

This year, in only five games, the offense has been able to score 97 points, 19 more than last year’s total of 78 points. The team has worked especially hard to be sure of progress.

“We changed up a lot of things; practice is more competitive now. We practice as if it were game day everyday,” senior Kristian Murphy said.

All coaches are hoping to put Woodson 2012 in the record books as a victory for the AHS.

“The Atoms will prevail in the Battle of 236,” Assistant Coach Keith Sholders says.