The second edition of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Flag Football Classic 7-on-7 is set to begin this Wednesday at West Forsyth High School for the second-straight year. Last year provided a good glimpse of who would be competitive in the upcoming flag football season, and it proved true. The first-ever selection for Miss Georgia for flag football, Chelsea Njoku, put the whole world on notice at the tournament last year and later delivered McEachern its first-ever state championship.
Milton and Caroline Marshall had a big performance in the tournament last year, and the Eagles would go on to advance to the semifinals of the Division 3 playoffs. Some notable teams that will participate in this year’s competition are Newton, West Forsyth, Pope, Milton, Lithia Springs, Griffin and Columbus, but the title of champion could be won by anyone. The morning will consist of pool play to determine team seedings, followed with the elimination bracket to determine this year’s champion.
This season the Lady Indians will be without Njoku, who showcased last year that she was the best player across flag football in Georgia but has since graduated. Her autonomy in the offense, along with the trust of Coach of the Year Jake Burgdorf, allowed her to flourish. She helped the Lady Indians finish the year unblemished en route to a 29-0 record. Desirae Holley will be a key returning starter for the Lady Indians in 2025. Last season, she finished with 90 catches for 1,256 yards and 27 touchdowns. Ava Couzens will also be a key player for McEachern. She was the second-leading receiver with 82 catches for 844 yards and 14 touchdowns. The George sisters (Amari and Ava) will step into bigger roles for the Lady Indians and will be players to watch in the tourney.
Lithia Springs lost a nail-biter to Pace Academy in the semifinals, 7-6, last season. The Lady Lions were led by MyAngel Ross, who was the first player in Georgia to ink an NIL deal for girls flag football in the state last season. She has since graduated, and head coach Kendra Pleasants will have to replace her star player. Key returning players will be Calayah Montgomery and Leila Essex. Montgomery led the team with 33 sacks, and Essex had the most interceptions with five. Lithia Springs is always a formidable team and one of the best programs in the state.
The Lady Greyhounds of Pope captured their second state title last season and are now back-to-back champions after winning titles in 2023 and 2024 in Division 3. Despite having four all-state players graduating, Pope retooled and got right back to the big game. Junior quarterback Abbey Bensman had over 80 touchdown passes and delivered two touchdown passes in the win over Pace Academy. Bensman will be a key returning starter for Pope in 2025 and will be one to watch in the tournament.
West Forsyth is looking to make a turnaround heading into 2025 after a 7-8 campaign in 2024. A top returning player will be quarterback Sydney Neel, who will return for her senior season, looking to get the Wolverines back in the postseason. Riley Ferguson and multi-sport star Bryn Birkholz will also be key contributors and players to watch in the tournament. West Forsyth will have two teams in attendance at the tournament, which will provide an enhanced look at their key players and the next ones in line to come through the program.
The Milton Lady Eagles made a deep playoff run in the postseason before losing to Pope 31-6 in the semifinals. Milton finished the 2024 season with a 22-5 record and won an area championship. The Lady Eagles will return quarterback Audrey Jensen, who last season threw for 3,907 yards and 54 touchdowns. Caroline Marshall was a finalist for Miss Georgia after a productive season for Milton. She finished with 71 catches for 1,313 yards and 18 touchdowns. Alana Calhoun is another key returning player on offense for Milton. Last year, Calhoun recorded 111 catches for 1,598 yards and 26 touchdowns. She had one of her best games in the quarterfinals against St. Pius X, finishing with nine catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns.
This season will look a little different for flag football as it will usher in a new division after the GHSA decided to expand with a plethora of new programs participating this year. The Atlanta Falcons have been pivotal in helping jump-start new programs, offering grants to schools looking to create a flag football program, and schools looking to improve upon already existing programs. With the grant, 45 new teams will have flag football programs heading into 2025.
Here is more from GHSA Executive Director Tim Scott when he was featured on an episode of “Georgia High School Sports Daily” to address the expansion.
“We’re really excited to see the new division next year,” said Scott. “We’re adding a new division next year because of the number of teams. We’ve added 32-35 more teams for this upcoming year than we had this past year.”
The Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Flag Football Classic 7-on-7 will give fans an early look to see who has improved and who can make some noise during the upcoming flag football season.
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