After a devastating 34-15 loss to Oakton High School last Friday, the varsity football team is ready to take on the Lake Braddock Bruins at their house tonight, Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

“Tonight is Lake Braddock. We have been working very hard on offense and defense. We have some injuries up front but we are getting our guys ready to go.We have some new explosive plays. We will be okay for defense because we have a variety of coverages. We are going to be much more complicated than we’ve been,” said Head Coach Michael Scott.

Senior strong safety Kendall Sapp is optimistic about tonight’s game.

“We are going to bring everything we have out on the field. It is going to be a tough game, but Lake Braddock is a beatable team, we just have to believe,” Sapp said.

Last season, the Atoms lost 29-25, on a 68-yard touchdown pass after holding a 25-22 lead late in the final quarter.  The Bruins led 22-13 after the first half, but the Atoms scored a touchdown on senior Marcus Walton, who scored three of the Atoms’ four touchdowns.

Senior defensive tackle and offensive right tackle, Osman Abdullahi, is currently unable to play due to a torn ACL, MCL and hairline fracture on his Tibia. According to Abdullahi, Lake Braddock is known for their “short quick passes.”

“They throw the ball really well. Their quarterback is really good and they are pretty sound overall. Offensively, they are probably the best in our area. They run the ball about 40 percent of the time and throw the ball about 60 percent of the time, which is very good,” Scott said.

“Lake Braddock is heavily dependant on their pass run percentage. If we are able to shut down their runners and make them dependant on their passing, we have a good chance of winning,” Sapp said.

Due to injuries this season, such as Abdullahi’s and senior starting linebacker and running back Devin Hamlett’s, players are being moved around the field.

“We gotta get guys ready to play different positions that they may not be used to. We need to get young guys that haven’t really played yet to step up and help us out,” Scott said.

“I want to see my boys dominate and play to their full potential because I know we can do it,” Abdullahi said. Tonight I want to see our defense step up and show everyone what they’ve got.”

Tonight’s game is a RED OUT so everyone should put on their ‘Atom’s Red’ and come out to Lake Braddock to show their spirit tonight!

“They better buckle up, cause we’re gonna shock the world,” Scott said.