Pacelli wins fourth straight flag football state championship
For the fourth straight year, the St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School flag football team has brought a Georgia Independent Athletic Association state championship banner back to Columbus.
Pacelli dominated the title game Thursday at Cavalier Fields in Macon, shutting out Mount de Sales Academy 20-0.
In the semifinals, the Vikings beat crosstown rival Brookstone School 38-0.
Pacelli finished the season with a 19-1 record, ranked by MaxPreps at No. 5 in Georgia and No. 63 in the nation.
Zach Corcoran is Pacelli’s four-straight state champion flag football head coach
Zach Corcoran has been Pacelli’s flag football head coach for all four of the program’s state titles.
“It’s just incredible,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. “People think it kind of gets not as special, but this year was still just as special because we had to replace a lot of talent.
“We had four freshman starters on both sides of the ball, so that just made it more challenging, having new players and kind of having to rebuild our offense around what we had. I’m just super proud of our leadership.”
Shur’Kiyah “KK” Jackson is Pacelli flag football team’s only senior
Shur’Kiyah “KK” Jackson, a wide receiver and defensive back, is the team’s only senior on the 22-player roster. She has impressed Corcoran with her ability to transition from a blocker to a playmaker.
“She was clearly talented, but she just waited her turn and never complained,” he said, “and she just worked so hard.”
Jackson has averaged 78.5 receiving yards per game and caught 30 touchdown passes this season. After moving to Columbus from Tifton as a sophomore, this is her third state championship with the program.
And she now will have one for the thumb because she is a shooting guard in the Pacelli girls basketball program that won GIAA state titles this year and last year.
“Winning all these rings to fill up my hand, it’s really exciting,” she told the Ledger-Enquirer. “But it’s also a little bittersweet this year because I’m gonna miss my teammates a lot.”
Pacelli flag football’s standard of excellence
Corcoran praised his players throughout the past four years for helping to establish the program’s standard of excellence.
“We play for state titles, and we work for them, and we want to play on a national level and be recognized as one of the top teams in the state as well,” he said.
The Pacelli flag football standard this year has meant overcoming their relatively small size by playing harder than other teams and making fewer mistakes, Corcoran said.
“We have a tiny, tiny team, but we just have a great concept of flag football,” he said. “We rarely miss flag pulls, and we’ve got a great system with multiple quarterbacks (junior Kimora Jones and freshman Mia Camp).”
In the state championship game, freshman Callista Williams scored two touchdowns, Camp scored the other, and freshman Wynn Ward made two interceptions.
Keys to Pacelli flag football team’s success in 2025
Jackson explained the keys to the team’s success this season.
“We’ve been diverse on offense, like being able to run the ball, but also with Kimora being able to throw short and really far,” she said. “Then on defense, we watch a lot of film and so we know how to study the plays and stuff, and I think that really helps us a lot.”
Jackson complimented Corcoran for his balance coaching style.
“He pushes players, but he also builds them up,” she said. “He puts the best of the best in there, no matter what grade you’re in. He doesn’t play favorites. He’s also a very high-spirited person. He always keeps his energy up, telling us to not put our heads down in the game. … So I think he’s a really positive person and a great coach.”
Jackson also praised her teammates for their camaraderie.
“We’re very energetic, like everyone’s always moving around, always happy, smiling, laughing,” she said. “If you have a bad day at school, you can go out there and go to practice and have a lot of fun.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 7:01 PM.
