Chattahoochee Tech closed out its second season of football with a resounding 51-6 victory over the University of New Orleans at Osborne High School on Saturday. The win puts the Golden Eagles, who hold the No. 1 spot in the National Club Football Association coaches poll, one step closer to a club national title.
The Golden Eagles (7-3) took down defending NCFA national champion New Orleans behind three total touchdowns from quarterback Rick Merritt and two rushing touchdowns from Michael Bolwaire.
“I thought we would have a chance to win the game, but I didn’t think we would win by this amount,” said head coach Tim Freeman. “It was a great win for the team and the program, and we beat the defending champions to hopefully solidify a spot for the national championship.”
Chattahoochee Tech will learn its final ranking on Wednesday when the last coaches poll of the season is released. The Golden Eagles finish the year 3-0 against fellow NCFA squads, including a Week 2 victory over No. 2 Orangeburg-Calhoun Tech.
The Golden Eagles opened the scoring after recovering a fumble by the New Orleans punter at the Privateers’ 11-yard line. Bolwaire scored his first touchdown of the afternoon several plays later, as the freshman back leaped over a would-be New Orleans tackler from a yard out.
Richard Kropacek added field goals of 42 and 30 yards in the first half, and the Golden Eagles held a 19-6 halftime lead after Merritt found wide receiver Bryan Owens for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Owens caught the ball near the 10-yard line between two defenders, but slipped by them down the sideline for his first touchdown reception of the season.
“He kind of underthrew me on it, but I just thought, I have to make a play on this,” Owens said.
Owens’s cousin, cornerback Justin Owens, helped set up the second touchdown drive with an interception in Chattahoochee Tech territory.
The Golden Eagles ran away from New Orleans in the second half, adding a 5-yard Merritt touchdown run minutes into the third quarter. On New Orleans’ next possession, Tae Miller blocked a punt out of the Privateers’ end zone for a safety. Then, Bryan Owens took the ensuing kickoff 70 yards back to the New Orleans 10, setting up a 4-yard Bolwaire touchdown run to make the score 35-6.
“The offensive line was doing a great job in holding their blocks,” Bolwaire said. “The offense, in general, everybody did their thing.”
The Golden Eagles capped off a 19-point third quarter with Kropacek’s third field goal, from 28 yards out. Kropacek was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals.
Chattahoochee Tech would score twice more in the fourth quarter, getting a 22-yard touchdown run from wide receiver Morgan Alexander on a direct snap and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Merritt to sophomore tight end Caleb Heindselman on the final play of the game.
The 51 points on Saturday were the most this season for the Golden Eagles, eclipsing the 40 points the team put up against Columbus State on Sept. 25.
“We’ve got a lot of injured players, but the guys that did play today, they stepped up and had a great day,” Freeman said.
The Golden Eagles have been No. 1 in the coaches poll since Sept. 28 after the team started the season 3-0.
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