Reigning champ Blessed Trinity hopes to challenge itself with another tough slate

Blessed Trinity flag football head coach Brandon Harwell is a staunch proponent of the ‘You’ve got to beat the best to be the best’ motto.

That way of thinking won’t stop now for the Titans – even if they, themselves, are the ‘best’.

Fresh off the second state championship in program history, Harwell’s team enters the 2026 season as a favorite to contend again in the competitive Division 4 of GHSA flag football. In a plan that should align his group well with another championship chase, Harwell scheduled a daunting slate for the Titans – beginning with the season openers against Lambert and Columbus on Sept. 19.

“The way that I look at it is it's kind of like pro bull riding,” Harwell said. “You get rewarded for riding the biggest bulls. We’re going to be rewarded for playing the best teams. We want to challenge ourselves. I think it can be a little bit stressful during the week trying to get ready, but at the end of the day, we're trying to be ourselves. We're trying to make sure that we get better. Then along the way, hopefully the teams that we're playing are going to help us when it matters most.”

Harwell – who joked that a review of the Titans’ upcoming schedule gave him second thoughts – will have his team face fellow reigning state champ Harris County, while also inking non-region dates with Lambert (19-3 in 2025), Columbus (22-2), Milton (21-4 and lost to Blessed Trinity in the state championship game last December), Langston Hughes (21-2) and McEachern (22-3).

Whereas that list of traditional powers might keep some coaches up at night, Harwell has the luxury of being able to rely on several key contributors from last season’s banner-raising campaign.

“I think it starts with Chelsea Lewis,” Harwell said. “Chelsea's a two-time All-State player. She's just an exceptional athlete. Right now she's hitting like .800 in softball, so she can really do it all. We're going to rely on her on both sides of the ball. Addy Wilson, who had some humongous catches for us in the playoffs last year, is going to be a huge factor for us. Caitlyn Ymbras and Catherine Darr are also back as multi-year starters. Alex Bilson, Charlotte Davis – we’re very excited about them. And then Libby Vola, who was a backup for us at center last year and committed to play lacrosse in college, had a great summer, and is just a really talented athlete.”

Playing for a storied athletic department that boasts 60 combined state championships – despite the school opening its doors just in 2000 – the flag football team had a long way to go to cement themselves as needle movers amid the powers of football, basketball and baseball.

But in just six seasons, Harwell and his team have done more than just arrive at the scene. They’ve become the class of Blessed Trinity sports.

Since beginning play in 2021, the Titans are 89-17 with two state titles – including a dramatic 21-20, double-overtime win over Milton at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last year. With a new season comes another opportunity for Harwell and company to try and continue this special era of the program’s history.

“I was so grateful to be along that journey with our players and our coaches,” Harwell said. “Being at Mercedes-Benz to win a state championship alongside your closest friends and for your school, with so many people from our community showing up – it was amazing. Especially the way that it happened, coming back the way that we did and then winning in double overtime.”

This year, Harwell hopes, will be more of the same.

“I think it's going to be a really talented team,” he added. “It’s exciting. It was great to see everyone out there and tryouts and seeing how we've progressed. I'm excited about what the year is going to have in store for us.”