If you told Jamie Smith when he joined Greenbrier's flag football program five years ago that he’d one day be walking onto the practice field while wearing a celebratory baseball cap with the school’s logo and the phrase “three-peat” on it, he wouldn’t have believed you.
That, though, is the reality for the Wolfpack and their head coach. Last year they cemented their legacy amongst flag football royalty by defeating Jenkins 20-13 in the 2025 GHSA Division 2 State Flag Football Championship to win their third straight title. They are ranked as a top-15 team nationally, according to MaxPreps, as they embark on yet another title defense campaign.
But a new wrinkle has been thrown into the equation for Greenbrier. For the first time in Smith’s tenure,
they’ll be without last year’s graduating senior core. That group came in with Smith and was both experienced and battle-tested. Now half the team is composed of underclassmen, with many players stepping into new and pivotal roles.
“It’s different, and we miss them tremendously. They were like my daughters,” Smith said of last year’s seniors. “They were used to being down and learning how to overcome that. Now we have to see with these young ladies, what would they do? But I feel talent-wise, we’re probably deeper than we’ve ever been.”
Not only will Greenbrier miss that veteran composure in big games from those players, they’ll also miss their production. Aaliyah Silver and Lexi Lacey accounted for 46% of the Wolfpack’s offense a year ago. Darcy Bridwell and Sophie Campanero led the team in sacks and flag pulls respectively.
Smith now has to figure out who can step into those roles as the season unfolds. Luckily, he’s got a few core pieces from last year’s title team intact. Two of which are the new captains of the team, seniors Ari Boone and Mamie-Cate Pangle.
Pangle finished last year with nearly 700 yards of total offense and nine touchdowns to her name. Boone meanwhile played the role of disruptor. She was second on the team in sacks and was third in total flag pulls. In addition to taking a sizable step up in production, the seniors are also expected to help shepherd along the younger players as well.
“I think there’s a lot more responsibility that comes with being a captain and a leader,” Boone said. “I just want to show everybody that it’s okay to mess up and it’s okay to not always be on top of your game.”
“It holds a lot of responsibility, but it’s also a great responsibility and I love it,” Pangle added. “I love being able to be around my teammates and call them my sisters and just create a bond that is unbreakable.”
A player that Smith believes can take the biggest leap this season is junior Jayla Ayler. At receiver she was a steady option for the offense, scoring eight touchdowns on the year as well as hauling in over 600 receiving yards. As a safety, though, is where she shines the most. Beyond her team-leading 14 interceptions a year ago, the junior’s high football IQ is something that both her teammates and her coaches can rely on.
“You’re out there, you see it. If I have us in a formation and it’s not working, I need to know why and what we need to do,” Smith said to Ayler during practice. “She’s super important.”
Additionally, Smith has high hopes for sophomore Kate McDonald. While she was on the team a year ago, she only played in three games and only recorded a pair of receptions and flag pulls. But Smith has seen her grow over the last calendar year and believes she’ll be able to provide a big spark for the Wolfpacks, particularly on the offensive end.
Galvanizing the various weapons Greenbrier has at its disposal is the role of quarterback Addisen Odom. The junior is coming off of a breakout season where she threw for over 3700 yards and a video-game-like 58 touchdowns. Despite those gaudy stats, Odom said she wasn’t comfortable at first and had to work with the coaches throughout the year to read defenses. She believes she’ll have an even better season this time around.
“I think I have a little head start with just knowing where the people are going to be,” Odom said, “knowing the plays a little bit better, and repping them last year.”
Greenbrier opened the season on Saturday, Sept. 19 with a [insert result here]. Interestingly enough, over the last three championship seasons, the Wolfpack have lost the first game of the year each time.
They have three months until the end of the 2026 campaign, one where they hope to become only the second GHSA team to ever win four consecutive state championships, joining Southeast Bulloch who did it from 2021 to 2024 in Division 1.
Time will tell if they’ll remain as dominant as they once were. But while it’s clear that it’s a new era of Greenbrier flag football, they still are motivated by one common goal; lifting up another trophy inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Greenbrier flag football chasing fourth straight state championship
