March 23, 2009

(WVLT) -- Saturday, the Fulton Falcons upset Booker T. Washington for their second consecutive AA state title.

Monday, they celebrated the achievement with a ceremony in the school auditorium.

The pep band and cheerleaders highlighted an exuberant celebration, and why not? The Falcons were long shots to win this year's title after losing all but two of the key contributors from last year's title team.

As it turns out, the underdog role provided Fulton with plenty of motivation.

"Every game we had something to prove to our fans and other people," said tournament MVP Jalen Steele. "They thought they weren't gonna do it, so we had to come out and show them that we can."

"The deck was stacked," head coach Jody Wright said. "They got to Murfreesboro and put three great games back-to-back, and here we are -- state champs."