Chestatee High School

About Chestatee

Chestatee High School is an American four-year comprehensive public high school, one of six high schools serving students in Hall County, Georgia. It is located 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Atlanta. It serves 1,120 students in grades 9–12. Chestatee Middle School feeds into Chestatee High School.

Demographics

Athletics

Chestatee competes in Sub-Division A of Region 7-AAA. Chestatee fields teams in football, baseball, basketball (boys' and girls'), marching band, cheerleading/competition cheerleading, softball, cross country, tennis, track and field, wrestling, soccer (boys' and girls'), and volleyball. The school is a member of the Georgia High School Association. Chestatee now competes in subdivision A of 8-AAA.

Mascot and traditions

The school's mascot is the War Eagle, and its colors are maroon, silver, and black. The most famous fight song of CHS is "We ain't never scared," performed by the school's band. An older tradition that has been dropped is the "War Eagle Walk," in which the school's football team walked through the stands onto the field during home games.

The school's creed was initially "Chestatee... the place to be!" then "Chestatee, soaring to excellence," and, most recently, "Chestatee... illuminating minds and changing lives."

One of the newest traditions is the football team entering the field through the band while playing fight songs, then running through their banner. The school's student section is called "the black mob," named after the black paint usually painted on the bodies of the students.

Band

The War Eagle Band began in 2002 under the direction of Daniel Merck. The program started with a total of 48 players and has grown to 220, making them the largest band in Hall County. Since 2002, the band has performed and competed in numerous festivals and competitions where they have received superior ratings. The band's community involvement has grown much support for the program.

The band’s motto is "Commitment... Teamwork... Pride!"

Football

2002 marked the beginning of a new football program in Hall County which was appropriately named the Chestatee War Eagles. This program was split from the Class AAA traditional powerhouse, North Hall High School, after the 2001 season. The War Eagles won the first game played against the other new crosstown school, Flowery Branch High School, by one point. "The very first game played was the first annual Battle of the Birds. We won 14-13," - Stan Luttrell, Chestatee head coach. Battle of the Birds was the yearly match up between the War Eagles and the Flowery Branch Falcons because they both opened the same year. It became the school's first big rivalry. It continued until Flowery Branch went to Class-AAAA in 2009. Then scheduling conflicts prevented the two schools from facing each other on the field. Chestatee then had 21 straight losses before they found another "W" in the record books.

After three years of football play, in 2005, the students got their first taste of the playoffs after defeating their crosstown former self, North Hall, 17-10. The next year was better for the War Eagles, which sent them to the Class AAA playoffs for a second consecutive season. The 2007 season gave this program a 7-3 record and missed out on the playoffs because of a loss to rivals White County High School, during their homecoming game.

2008 got worse for the War Eagles as they started the season (4-2) but then dropped 4 in a row to finish the season 4-6. Chestatee's biggest rivals are Gainesville High School, Flowery Branch High School (Battle of the birds) and their biggest rival, North Hall High School.

2009 continued the streak of 4-6, and still no return to the playoffs.

2010 was even worse for the War Eagles, as they finished 3-7, with only one home win and still no playoff appearance.

2011 continued to be a no-playoff nightmare for Chestatee.

2012 marked a turnaround season for the War Eagles when they made the playoffs.

Notable seasons

2010 season

After starting the season (4-2) and having been tied for first place in 7-AAA, the War Eagles dropped four straight to possess an overall record of (4-6) and a league record of (3-3). After the regular season finale loss to Creekview, Chestatee was eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth straight season.

Baseball

War Eagle Baseball has sent a few players to the college level, most notably Alex McRee, who plays for the University of Georgia.

Cheerleading

The Chestatee competition cheerleading squad were the 2006 and 2008 Hall County region champions. They have ranked in the top ten in state every year except one since the cheerleading program was started. They are the only Hall County team that has ever done this.

State rankings:

Tennis