Daily Dive: New facilities to propel upstart Mt. Bethel Christian athletics

Mount Bethel Christian opened as a school in 1998 with just two kindergarten classes and has grown over the last 27 years in the ever-competitive landscape of academics and athletics. The school first joined the GHSA ahead of the 2018-19 school year and that year saw the Eagles quickly find their footing. Despite graduating the school’s first-ever senior class in May of 2018, the Marietta private school achieved a significant milestone by earning a No. 1 ranking in boys basketball in the Georgia High School Association. The team had won state titles in the Georgia Independent Christian Association in the two years prior to joining the GHSA and handled the bigger stage well in a variety of sports.

Now, there are more historic milestones on the horizon for Mount Bethel Christian Academy and the football program is just one year away from playing a full region schedule. Last year, The Eagles finished the season with a 5-1 overall record. This season will be another major step forward as the school will play a full 10-game schedule—starting with a home game versus Asheville Christian, N.C. on Aug. 15. The 2025 season will be crucial in preparing the Eagles for GHSA competition a year from now. Additionally, the school launched a flag football program in 2024 and that team finished their inaugural season with a 7-3 overall record.

BIG INVESTMENTS

The school has invested $9.4 million into a brand new athletics-centered student center that will be located right next to its football field. According to the Marietta Daily Journal, this project will include a weight room, cold tubs, offices, a press box, multiple home and away locker rooms, a golf simulator and a balcony area for overlooking the field that will be reserved for VIPs.

“A lot of forethought that’s gone into that, and a lot of money, a lot of resources,” said Mount Bethel head football coach Micah Hughes to the MDJ. “And so, the importance to grow the programs as a whole here, you can definitely see that.”

This project is expected to be completed by the end of the summer, but the next step will be consolidating the campuses. Currently, Mount Bethel Christian has two campuses for a high school and a lower school campus. This will be solved with a $50 million investment that will provide a renovated campus that will have a new gym. The new high school building is slated to be operational by fall of 2027.

“It’s an arms race with private schools and public schools in general,” said Hughes. “They all have these nice indoors, turf fields, nice weight rooms and all those kind of things. Having the best of the best definitely can help put you, obviously, at an advantage. And so, I think (the Mount Bethel athletics) see that and they understand the importance of what we’re putting forward. I think that’s been the biggest thing, too, for us.”

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