The Lady Pack go back-to-back
For the Love of the Game by Ashley ‘A.B.’ Brown
While flag football is still a relatively new girl’s sport at the high school level, it certainly has not taken long for Greenbrier call dibs on dynasty in Georgia’s Division II. In just the school’s fifth season fielding a team, The Lady Pack has captured its second state title.
A year ago, Greenbrier finished 19-1, beating Lithia Springs for the title with a late touchdown pass to Maggie Pangle. Greenbrier was outstanding throughout the year, outscoring the opposition 469-62, in route to the crown. However, that was just a glimpse of things to come. This fall the team really flexed its muscles. Greenbrier lost the season opener, and then did not lose another game the rest of the season. The Pack piled up 21 consecutive wins, culminating in an 18-0 shutout over North Oconee in the championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Along the way, the team put up some extremely impressive numbers.
- Season Record: 21-1
- Outscored the opposition 507-57
- Posted 16 shutouts in 22 games
- 14-0 against CSRA teams and outscored them 354-13
- Intercepted 43 passes vs. just eight interceptions thrown
To say Greenbrier was dominant this year is an understatement.
The team’s success comes from a perfect combination of great coaching, a group of talented and hard-working players, and the belief, from day one, that this team was going to repeat as champs.
Third Year head coach Daniel Jordan has guided the team to a 40-2 record over the last two seasons. He and his assistants, Jamie Smith and Wes Marshall, have put in the work. From watching film to game planning and execution, they have made sure Greenbrier was prepared to take the field each game.
The team is led by a talented trio that have combined to make Greenbrier one of the most prolific passing offenses in the state. Senior quarterback Kenzie Horton had a monster 2024. She was 247 for 373 passing (66% completion rate) for 2685 yards and 44 touchdowns versus just six interceptions. She also added a pair of rushing touchdowns. Her top target was junior wide receiver Aaliyah Silver. Silver led the team in all receiving categories. She hauled in 78 passes for 1016 yards and 21 touchdowns. However, teams could not double-team Silver because they were too worried about last year’s state title game hero Maggie Pangle. Pangle caught 66 passes for 629 yards and 11 touchdowns. Silver and Pangle played key roles on defense as well. Silver led the team with 70 tackles and 11 interceptions. Pangle had 16 stops and picked off five passes of her own. While Horton, Silver and Pangle were leaders, they were not the only players putting up great numbers.
Presley McDermott (junior)
Offense: 49 Receptions for 523 yards and six touchdowns
Defense: 33 Tackles and eight interceptions
Arianna Boone (sophomore)
Defense: 58 Tackles and a team-leading 13 sacks
Abby Lester (junior)
Offense: 42 catches for 343 yards and six touchdowns
Mamie Cate Pangle (sophomore)
Offense: 55 carries for a team-leading 336 yards rushing and a touchdown
Flag Football is still in its infancy as a marquee high school sport, but it is growing like wildfire and there will be more teams gunning for Greenbrier in the years to come. However, no matter what those teams do, they cannot take away what this group has accomplished. A two-year record of 40-2 with an astonishing 28 shutouts. The team has outscored the opposition 976-119 during this run. Almost every starter will have a chance to play at the college level.
They are also all about to be sporting two very big rings.