Chatt Tech Title Hunt Includes Four from Paulding

is building its young football program into a national power by focusing on the talent all around the two-year college’s campuses in Marietta, Canton, Woodstock, Northeast Cobb, Acworth, , Austell and Jasper.

The goal is to build locally, then reach across the state, head coach Tim Freeman said Wednesday. “Georgia has some of the best high school football around.”

The media day on the main campus in Marietta was a first for the football program as it enters its second season, and college officials said the team gives them reasons to be proud on and off the field.

On the field, the team finished its first season competing in the National Club Football Association with a 4-4 record and a No. 7 national ranking.

The Golden Eagles enter this season with that same national ranking and a 10-game schedule, although the season opener against Shorter University’s junior varsity team has been canceled.

Chat Tech will play all home games at , including homecoming Oct. 30 against Rollins College and the season finale Nov. 12 against the defending club national champion, the University of New Orleans.

After playing last year with 53 players, Chattahoochee Tech has a roster of 67 this season, most of them freshmen. Freeman said his recruiting philosophy, in addition to emphasizing local talent, is to start with the offensive line and build from there.

All the players are benefiting from one of the off-field improvements, a new weight center, which Freeman said is helping his players develop and is preparing them to play JV teams from four-year schools as well as other two-year colleges.

The coach said his goal is to win the national championship this year, then move up to the National Junior College Athletic Association. That’s the process the college has used for all of its growing number of intercollegiate sports.

“We do not spend state dollars on athletics,” college President Sanford Chandler said. “We’ve had to scrap to make this work.”

He and Associate Provost Ron Dulaney, who oversees athletics, said that financial situation makes local support and strong attendance crucial, another factor in recruiting locally as much as possible.

Fans of Paulding County high school football might recognize a few Chattahoochee Tech players. According to the college's mid-August roster, local talent includes freshman tight end Kyle Brownell and freshman running back Terrance Williams, both formerly of ; freshman defensive back Dartez Reedy of and grad Caleb Heindselman, a sophomore tight end.