GIAA Championship Team of the Week: St. Anne-Pacelli

St. Anne-Pacelli fielded its first varsity football team in 1960. Its coach, Dwight Jones, got his first high school coaching job in 1979. Neither had won a state championship until last week, when fate smiled on the two.

St. Anne-Pacelli head coach Dwight Jones and players of the game from the Vikings’ victory over Stratford Academy in the GIAA Class 4A championship game accept the state Team of the Week plaque on Dec. 8, 2022.

St. Anne-Pacelli, a Columbus private school playing its first season in the Georgia Independent Athletic Association, defeated Stratford Academy 10-0 for the Class 4A championship. That followed a 20-17 overtime victory over crosstown rival Brookstone in the semifinals.

Jones is in his fourth season at St. Anne-Pacelli, and the Vikings have improved their record all four years – from 4-6 to 5-5 to 7-4 to 8-3 to 12-1.

St. Anne-Pacelli is GHSF Daily’s state Team of the Week. The award is sponsored by BSN Sports and Titan Electric.