The Lady Jackets dominated with a lights out defensive performance to defeat the North Oconee Titans, 14-0, to win their third state championship. These ladies have never lost a game, and have now made history with three consecutive state championship titles to finish out their season.
Fans lined the sidewalk in front of the school as soon as they all got back from Atlanta to cheer on the three-time state champs one more time. There were screams and confetti and fireworks coming from all areas as the team grinned ear to ear coming off the bus.
This is unprecedented territory for the Yellow Jackets and flag football in the state at the high school level. when asked about the team's reaction to winning, head coach Marci Cochran said tears were flowing and her girls were so excited and proud.
“To win today was an amazing feeling,” Cochran said. “The first one was like wow, the second was holy cow and the third was like we really just did this!”
It was a full team effort, but some key players in the game offensively were QB, Korine Talkington, who threw for over 60 yards and finished with two touchdowns.
Senior CB, Ava King, had had an amazing season and she left it all out on the field in this state championship match. North Oconee seemed to focus a lot more on Senior WR/S, Alex Odom which allowed King to step up and make some big plays.
Although the focus was on Odom, that didn’t stop her as she was able to break free and make a big TD play to put the Yellow Jackets up 14-0 and seal the deal for them.
Defensively, Southeast was able to shut out the Titans. Defense has been the key to the Jackets winning the past two state titles and that trend continued this season.
Alex Odom proved that she is the best safety in the game with multiple defensive stops and almost two interceptions. Sophomore, Kelsey Johnson was a flag pulling master and Sophomore, Natalya Odom and Ava King were beasts at the coroner position.
The community really showed out for the Lady Yellow Jackets. That has made all the difference in how the team perceives their school and the legacy that they want to leave.
“We want to leave things better than we found it,” Talkington said. “We started this and we want girls to want to come and play and continue to make it better.”
The team looked to enjoy having their peers in the stands cheering for them. It made their day and pushed them to play the best they possibly could have and it paid off as the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets have been crowned state champions for the third time in a row. Teams have been getting better and better, but SEB is still the team to beat.
“We are going to enjoy this win today, and get back to work soon,” Cochran said.
