Three years after watching Blessed Trinity flag football win its first state title from the sidelines, seniors Hannah Daley and Maggie Sullivan were at the center of the action themselves, lifting the Titans to a 21-20 double-overtime victory over Milton at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday.
The dramatic state title win followed a familiar script. During the program’s breakthrough in 2022, the Titans claimed their first GHSA flag football state championship with a 19-13 double-overtime triumph over Milton.
“We didn’t really play our freshman year, so we got to watch from a distance,” Daley said of her and Sullivan’s involvement three years ago. “All the work we’ve put in — we’ve always said we wanted to come back here because we wanted to show them that we could be on the field, too.”
Sullivan, a running back and pass rusher, put the Titans on the board as time expired to bring Blessed Trinity within one point, allowing junior wide receiver and safety Chelsea Lewis’ extra point catch to force overtime.
In the first overtime, wide receiver and linebacker Daley hauled in an extra point despite taking a rip to the face, a conversion that proved vital as the game stretched on. When the teams reached a second overtime, Daley put the Titans on the brink of a title, pushing through a pile of Eagles with the ball in her hands for Blessed Trinity’s final touchdown, before senior quarterback and linebacker Addie Spak’s rushing extra point sealed the one-point win.
The championship capped another dominant season on both sides of the ball for Daley, who is committed to play another sport: lacrosse at the Naval Academy. She posted 142 receptions for 1,613 yards and 33 receiving touchdowns while adding 88 tackles and 15 interceptions on defense.
“(Daley) is the best player in the state,” head coach Brandon Harwell said.
The standout’s mother, Jill Daley, said flag football has been a refreshing outlet, allowing her daughter to play with less pressure while enjoying the rapid growth of the sport and helping younger players through the program’s new feeder team.
Harwell highlighted Daley’s leadership and instincts on defense, saying she serves as a key communicator. She plays decisively, trusting her preparation and reading plays quickly, allowing her to attack confidently from the linebacker position. Her athleticism has been especially valuable, Harwell said, because it gives the team flexibility to move her inside or outside as needed, often matching her up against the opposing team’s top receiver.
Sullivan, who is committed to play lacrosse at Rollins College, has been just as indispensable. This season, she rushed for seven touchdowns and caught 11 more, while also recording 26 tackles and 11 sacks, including two on Tuesday.
Sullivan has become a trusted option for Spak on offense, serving as what Harwell described as a “security blanket.” He said Sullivan’s explosiveness makes her dangerous in any situation, whether a dumped-off ball turns into a minimal gain or breaks open into a long run.
Harwell said the team was cautious about using Sullivan as a pass rusher early in the season because of her heavy offensive workload. That changed late in the year and into the playoffs, where her impact has been undeniable. Harwell said Sullivan has been “absolutely crucial” to the team’s success, not just this season but over the past several years, helping position the program to compete for another state championship.
Sullivan’s refusal to lose was evident in the game’s final moments, when her belief carried the Titans forward.
“Our main quality is resilience,” Sullivan said. “I looked at everyone on the field with one minute left, and I was like, ‘We can still win this. We’re still in this.’ And we didn’t back down, and it paid off.”
Drew Renner is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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