Aug 21, 2008
Every football player at Chapel Hill high school wears the same number on his helmet - the number 90.
It's the number one of their teammates wore just last season.
Atlas Fraley died last week, only a few hours after a preseason scrimmage, and the Tigers team is remembering him by wearing his number.
Chapel Hill’s players aren’t quite ready to talk about the circumstances of Fraley’s death, but they are ready to move on after an extremely difficult time.
Their season opener is Friday.
"We're very anxious to get on the field, to be ready to get on the field Friday - all of us feeling good about it," said Robert Crisp, a junior lineman on the team. "We're just very excited."
The Tigers are not without talent. Crisp is already considered one of the state’s top prospects and senior defensive end Jared McAdoo has committed to play football at North Carolina.
"I just felt like that was the place for me," McAdoo said. "I felt right at home, so I just went ahead and made the decision to get it over with."
Chapel Hill is coming off a deep playoff run in 2007, and they’re hoping to improve on that this fall.
"Our expectations are not to just go to the playoffs again, [but] to get the ring this year," said Rodney Torain, a linebacker with the team.
They have been through a trying and emotional time, but now Chapel Hill’s football team can look forward to something - the start of their season.
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