OAKWOOD - Gainesville's new semi-professional football team opens its first season Saturday night.<br>
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The North Georgia Mountaineers will play the Atlanta Aggression at 7:00 at Johnson High School.<br>
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Tim Cross is co-owner and CEO of the Mountaineers, a team that wants to win football games but also be a mentor to young boys. Cross is also founder of New Corinthians Ministries which gave birth to the From Boys to Men Mentoring Program and the Mountaineers. <br>
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The mission of both, Cross said, is to "give young men of Hall County a second chance" - both on the football field and in life. The mentoring program is geared to young boys; the football team is for those who maybe hung their cleats up after high school or college and are looking for one more chance at a bit of gridiron glory.<br>
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Cross and Mountaineers co-owner Chad Randolph, who is well-known in South Hall youth football circles, say they are especially concerned about the influence of gangs on today's youth in Hall County. The mentoring program, they say, aims to attack that problem.<br>
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As for the Mountaineers, the team will play an eleven-game schedule, as part of the Southern Football League, starting Saturday night. Two homes games each are scheduled at Chestatee High School, Johnson High (where the opener will be played), and Flowery Branch High.
