DENVER — If The Classical Academy’s upcoming flag football season were a rodeo, it’s not Carly Callahan’s first. It’s not even Callahan’s first stint at a school called “Classical Academy.”

Callahan had a stellar swimming career at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash., where she dabbled in intramural flag football during her offseason.

Before her collegiate athletics career, Callahan graduated from Escondido High School in Escondido, Calif., where, as a senior, she earned 2019 Female Athlete of the Year at … Classical Academy.

“The schools are not connected, but there’s a very similar philosophy on how they teach and how athletics run,” Callahan said Tuesday during the Denver Broncos Foundation’s High School Football Media Day. “I always wanted to play football and my freshman year of high school, I thought I could do it. But reality talked to me in terms of what my swim goals were. This is my way of being a part of football.”

Callahan will enter her third year with the Titans, her first season at the helm of the program. Callahan served as an assistant at TCA in 2024, the inaugural year of sanctioned flag football in Colorado, when the Titans finished 16-3 under Frank Haist and were 4A’s runners-up.

In 2025, under coach Dale Meyerrose, the Titans again finished 16-3 and secured the state title in a 34-0 victory against Mountain View, which bested TCA in the championship contest the previous year.

The Titans will begin their title defense Aug. 15 on the road against Aurora’s Vista PEAK Prep.

Yes, this is the Titans’ third coach in as many seasons, but the players and Callahan remain confident in their capabilities.

“There are no unknowns anymore,” Callahan said. “It’s just going in and doing what we know how to do. … After you win one, you have the confidence to go win again. We have a feeling of what it takes and we just keep that momentum going. They’ve put in a lot of work in the offseason. The standard is set. It’s now about the steps of staying hungry and going for (a championship) again.”

The Titans will enter the season ranked No. 22 in the nation per MaxPreps’ rankings, up 17 spots from where they closed in 2025. TCA also flaunts a defense that allowed just 58 points in its final 10 games and earned seven shutout victories last season.

“It’s fun to be in the position where I can have a little more impact,” Callahan said. “I’ve watched and I’ve seen their potential and I’m excited about what we can accomplish.”