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The New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Greenbrier Wolfpack. At first glance, it looks like three options for two truths and a lie and the last option is clearly the odd one out. But Greenbrier’s flag football team earned its spot with those historic franchises by making some history of its own.
In the 2025-26 GHSA Division 2 State Flag Football Championship, Greenbrier (22-3) came back from a six point halftime deficit to defeat Jenkins (22-2) in a 20-13 victory to win its third consecutive state title. The victory not only helped the Wolfpack cap off the second three-peat GHSA flag football history, it also officially cemented them as a dynasty in the state of Georgia.
The road certainly wasn’t easy to win that third title. Between a head coaching change in the offseason and multiple All-State caliber players graduating, it wasn’t a sure thing they’d even make it back to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for another title game so soon.
But they weathered the storm, retooling and finding ways to win despite a regular season that saw them play and beat five of the 10 teams that made it to a state title game. Greenbrier head coach Jamie Smith spent the last two championship seasons as defensive coordinator. His first season at the helm had the most adversity out of any other year, and the title game was no exception.
“I would say [the first title against] Lithia Springs was pretty tough, but this one, I mean we were down. I don’t even think we were even down in the Lithia Springs win,” Smith said postgame. “You don’t understand how amazing this group of young ladies are. There’s no quit, no say die. They’re fighters, and that says a lot about their parents [and their] upbringing and who they are as people, so it’s great.”
That halftime deficit came by way of a 73-yard catch and run for a score by Jenkins senior A’Niyah Browner. Senior Ke’Ara Jones scored on the extra-point try, putting the Warriors up 13-7 headed into the break.
Just a few in-game seconds earlier, Wolfpack star quarterback Addisen Odom had thrown an interception that put the Warriors in position for that score. The sophomore had been a revelation for the team, throwing for over 3,500 yards and 56 touchdowns. But even though that interception put her team in a position they had never been in up to that point, she wasn’t worried one bit.
“I trust our defense,” Odom said. That trust was well founded as from that point on, Greenbrier shut Jenkins out. Maybe the biggest play of the game was a fourth-and-long stop at the beginning of the fourth quarter that would have given the Warriors the lead after the Wolfpack tied it earlier in the third.
The Wolfpack managed to end the Warriors potential go-ahead drive just a few yards beyond the line of scrimmage. That set up a chance for Odom to make amends for her earlier error, and she wasn’t going to throw away her shot.
She capitalized on that shot with an 18-yard touchdown pass to senior Abby Lester. Odom would then thread the needle with two Warriors defenders nearby to senior Lexi Lacey to convert on the extra point attempt, giving them a 20-13 lead that they would not relinquish.
Smith’s first year as head coach for Greenbrier ended in success. But even though it’s a big moment for him, he believes he’s only a small cog in what this team managed to do.
“It’s not about me,” Smith said. “It’s about the girls, it’s about those seniors and what they brought to it. And my coaching staff. We put in so many hours this week, I just kind of went along for the ride.”
And what a ride it was. A dynasty has officially been cemented at Greenbrier with the Wolfpack’s latest win. Even with seniors like Lacey and Lester, among others, set to graduate in the spring, if Greenbrier has shown anything, they know how to reinvent themselves in order to remain in the championship conversation.
The Yankees did it. The Lakers did it. And now, the Wolfpack can say they’ve done it as well.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Greenbrier flag football clinches third straight GHSA state title
Continue reading...
In the 2025-26 GHSA Division 2 State Flag Football Championship, Greenbrier (22-3) came back from a six point halftime deficit to defeat Jenkins (22-2) in a 20-13 victory to win its third consecutive state title. The victory not only helped the Wolfpack cap off the second three-peat GHSA flag football history, it also officially cemented them as a dynasty in the state of Georgia.
The road certainly wasn’t easy to win that third title. Between a head coaching change in the offseason and multiple All-State caliber players graduating, it wasn’t a sure thing they’d even make it back to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for another title game so soon.
But they weathered the storm, retooling and finding ways to win despite a regular season that saw them play and beat five of the 10 teams that made it to a state title game. Greenbrier head coach Jamie Smith spent the last two championship seasons as defensive coordinator. His first season at the helm had the most adversity out of any other year, and the title game was no exception.
“I would say [the first title against] Lithia Springs was pretty tough, but this one, I mean we were down. I don’t even think we were even down in the Lithia Springs win,” Smith said postgame. “You don’t understand how amazing this group of young ladies are. There’s no quit, no say die. They’re fighters, and that says a lot about their parents [and their] upbringing and who they are as people, so it’s great.”
That halftime deficit came by way of a 73-yard catch and run for a score by Jenkins senior A’Niyah Browner. Senior Ke’Ara Jones scored on the extra-point try, putting the Warriors up 13-7 headed into the break.
Just a few in-game seconds earlier, Wolfpack star quarterback Addisen Odom had thrown an interception that put the Warriors in position for that score. The sophomore had been a revelation for the team, throwing for over 3,500 yards and 56 touchdowns. But even though that interception put her team in a position they had never been in up to that point, she wasn’t worried one bit.
“I trust our defense,” Odom said. That trust was well founded as from that point on, Greenbrier shut Jenkins out. Maybe the biggest play of the game was a fourth-and-long stop at the beginning of the fourth quarter that would have given the Warriors the lead after the Wolfpack tied it earlier in the third.
The Wolfpack managed to end the Warriors potential go-ahead drive just a few yards beyond the line of scrimmage. That set up a chance for Odom to make amends for her earlier error, and she wasn’t going to throw away her shot.
She capitalized on that shot with an 18-yard touchdown pass to senior Abby Lester. Odom would then thread the needle with two Warriors defenders nearby to senior Lexi Lacey to convert on the extra point attempt, giving them a 20-13 lead that they would not relinquish.
Smith’s first year as head coach for Greenbrier ended in success. But even though it’s a big moment for him, he believes he’s only a small cog in what this team managed to do.
“It’s not about me,” Smith said. “It’s about the girls, it’s about those seniors and what they brought to it. And my coaching staff. We put in so many hours this week, I just kind of went along for the ride.”
And what a ride it was. A dynasty has officially been cemented at Greenbrier with the Wolfpack’s latest win. Even with seniors like Lacey and Lester, among others, set to graduate in the spring, if Greenbrier has shown anything, they know how to reinvent themselves in order to remain in the championship conversation.
The Yankees did it. The Lakers did it. And now, the Wolfpack can say they’ve done it as well.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Greenbrier flag football clinches third straight GHSA state title
Continue reading...
