Golden Eagles Selected National Champions

The football had held the since late September after a 3-0 start, but there was still a measure of suspense before the final coaches poll was released on Wednesday. Relief came when head coach Tim Freeman received a call that morning from NCFA president Sandy Sanderson, who delivered the news of a Golden Eagles national championship.

“We were on pins and needles all day,” Freeman said. “It was very exciting for everyone when the news came out that we were national champions. It’s a great feeling.”

Freeman led the program to the club football title in just its second season, improving on a final 2010 finish of seventh. The Golden Eagles finished 7-3 with seven first-place votes in the final poll, more than twice that of any other team. The 3-0 record against NCFA opponents solidified their place atop the poll, culminating in a 51-6 blowout win over 2010 club champion New Orleans at home.

The team brought in a talented freshman class totaling over 60 newcomers and featuring numerous all-state and all-region players from Georgia and beyond. But despite the high turnover from the inaugural season, the Golden Eagles had big plans.

“Before the season, our goal was to win the championship,” Freeman added. “The very first day of workouts, that’s what our goal was. Throughout the season we had to learn what to do to win. We just took it one game at a time.”

The team held serve at home, going 6-0 at in Marietta. The Golden Eagles outscored visiting opponents 211-47, an average margin of victory of over 26 points per game.

However, it was the closest game of the season, a 23-20 double-overtime victory over Orangeburg-Calhoun Tech at home in the second contest of the year, which was the jumping-off point for a championship. Brett Snyder’s field goal gave the Golden Eagles the win over OC Tech, which finished No. 2 in the final poll with three first-place votes.

“It was our first NCFA win, that was most important,” Freeman said of the overtime victory. “It was our first win that we knew was going to be big in the voting in the national championship picture. We knew that was a must-win game.”

Chattahoochee Tech got off to a 5-0 start before falling for the first time on the road. The , and , all programs stocked with talent and depth. Even though the team absorbed losses against those high-powered opponents, the experience served as an eye-opener for the Chattahoochee Tech players

“The main thing they took away from those games as players is that they had to step up their level of play,” Freeman said. “They saw what the competition is going to be like at the next levels. After playing those games, they knew what it was going to be like to play against those guys if they had ambitions of playing Division II, Division I football.”

Chatt Tech athletic director David Archer, along with Freeman, former school president Dr. Sanford Chandler and current president Dr. Ron Newcomb, has helped shepherd the fledgling football program through its first two years.

“It’s a great accomplishment for Chattahoochee Tech football to win a national championship in only its second year of existence,” Archer said. “A lot of sacrifice and hard work has gone into the club football effort since the program’s inception last year. 

“Tim Freeman and his coaching staff have done an excellent job of getting the most out of what they have to work with. Their perseverance has paid off with a season that will go down in the history books of our college.”

For Freeman and the rest of the coaching staff, the focus now turns to securing another strong high school class as well as ensuring that current Golden Eagles are able to move on to play at four-year schools. The national title will only boost both efforts.

It will help us a lot with recruiting,” he said. “It lets people know we’re recruiting good players and building a winning tradition.” 

Freeman and his fellow coaches have already begun working their contacts in the coaching world to raise awareness of their current players, and Freeman believes that the 2011 team will eventually provide a number of prospects to NCAA and NAIA schools.

 “We’ve had great response from coaches already,” he said. “A lot of our guys are getting looks.”

The Golden Eagles are already looking forward to preparing for what the coaching staff promises will be another challenging schedule in 2012. Winter workouts will begin Jan. 9 and run through mid-April in the school’s brand-new weight facility, and spring practice will take place the last two weeks of April.