Milton flag football standout ‘overly determined’ in path to state title game
Senior wide receiver Alana Calhoun recently helped lead Milton High School to the Division 4 GHSA flag football state championship game, where her team will face Blessed Trinity on Dec. 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
As women’s flag football prepares for its 2028 Olympic debut, players like Calhoun are pushing the sport forward. Calhoun, who has committed to play flag football at Wingate University, has 1,122 receiving yards, 72 receptions and 26 touchdowns this season.
Prior to the start of the playoffs, Calhoun spoke about the team’s preparation for the postseason, her relationship with her coach and what makes the sport of flag football so great.
Q: Milton is ranked No. 2 in the state right now and has a 17-3 record overall. How do you personally hope to keep that success going?
“Well, I hope to keep this going by … we practice every single day, and we’ve even been practicing during our break. So we just had Thanksgiving break, and we’ve decided to not stay off, like stay at home, or just chill. We decided to go outside, even in 30-degree weather, and continue practicing while the other teams are just chilling at home. So we were really excited for playoffs to start, so we just keep our eye on the prize.”
Q: Can you describe your mindset going into the season, and if it’s changed at all as you’re heading into playoffs? Is there more determination knowing it’s your last year?
“There definitely is, since this ties into all four years of high school. Freshman year, we unfortunately lost in the state championship. That was one of my motivations to actually get one. So freshman year, we lost versus (Blessed Trinity) in the state championship, and sophomore year, we lost in the second round. Junior year, we lost the game to go to state. Through all of that, I’ve just been overly determined every year to push harder.”
Q: Your coach, Clark Nixon, said, “Alana is a generational talent and has helped Milton become one of the premier flag football programs in the state.” How does it feel to have your coach describe you that way? And what support does your coaching staff provide?
“It obviously feels really nice for him to say that. I love Coach Nixon. He’s a great coach. And the coaching staff is amazing. Coach Bendel is so amazing, I actually TA for her at school, so we have that bond. And my dad is one of the coaches, so we obviously have that bond too. Some people think having your dad as a coach is bad, but I actually like it. I feel like he’s harder on me, which is good and I need that. And Coach Marshall is a great offensive coordinator and his plays are amazing.”
Q: As someone who has played flag football for a while, what would you want people to know about women’s flag football at the high school or collegiate level?
“I want people to know how fun it is, the community of flag football and the amazing, lifelong friends I’ve made and will make. It’s my safe space. I’ve learned so much — not just about flag but about myself and other people. It’s spreading like crazy, and hopefully it will grow into even bigger schools and more colleges.
Morgan Shaw is a student in the Carmical Sports Media Institute at the University of Georgia.
