The Milton Eagles have become one Georgia’s toughest teams to beat, and that extends further than just the boys on Friday nights.

Led by head coach Clark Nixon, Milton flag football is 15-4, holds a 3-0 region record and MaxPreps has them ranked ninth in the state.

Two seasons ago, the Eagles fell just short in the state championship. Milton entered the season coming off a disappointing first-round exit a year ago, but a preseason trip may be responsible for this year’s success.

“I love this group,” Nixon said. “We started the season off with a team-bonding trip to Rock Eagle, and really sat down and talked about what everyone thought they could bring to the team. I think that the cohesiveness that we built there has made us inseparable this season. These girls play for each other each time they step on the field.”

Milton, which has won four in a row and six of seven, is led by several prolific returners from last year’s squad – led by an impressive junior quarterback.

“Our offense is just off the charts this year,” Nixon said. “It all starts with our quarterback, Audrey Jensen. She’s missed five games, but she’s still number four in the state right now with 2,278 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. She’s just an outstanding athlete.”

The Eagles have two outstanding receivers in Alana Calhoun and Caroline Marshall.

“Alana plays safety for us, as well, and she does so much on both sides of the ball,” Nixon said. “She’s second right now in interceptions and she’s 11 yards short of 1,000 yards receiving. Carolina is a sophomore, and she was one of the best receivers in the state last year as a freshman, and we’re just a different team when she’s out there.

“I can’t leave out Emerson Rico, she’s a four-year team captain who does everything for us. She’s responsible for 14 touchdowns and leads the team with 78 flag pulls. And then there’s Kylie Parsons, who’s a junior slot receiver, and she’s already eclipsed what she did last year in touchdowns and receiving, but I can’t say enough about all of these girls. It really is an outstanding group.”

For a school that’s seen the boys team win the Class 7A state title twice in the last six years, the Milton excellence has rubbed off on Nixon’s group.

“I would say we’re both very supportive of each other year,” Nixon said. “We always go to each other’s games, but one thing I would say on why Milton is so successful is because we have high standards. The expectation at our school is that whatever sport you coach is to have one of the top programs. The support we have from our athletic director, our principal, all the way down to just the athletes that come to Milton. When I had the opportunity four years ago to start this program, I knew it had a chance to be great, and these girls are showing that they can play this game, too. We’re all pushing each other to be great here at Milton and we want to empower our girls through that. It's all about our players and the opportunity that they have to play this game.”

The Eagles look to extend their winning streak to six on Nov. 13, when they take on Centennial and Lanier.

Streaming on GPB.org: This week’s flag football tripleheader on GPB.org comes from Adams Stadium. The participants are Tucker, Redan and Riverdale. The first game begins at 5:30 p.m.