​(COLORADO SPRINGS) — When Kelsey Peterson was finding a number to wear during her sophomore season at TCA, the choices were slim. “Seniors and juniors got to pick before me, so there were not many numbers left,” Peterson said. She ended up settling on 12 since 24 is the number she wears for basketball. But when it comes to flag football, the number only tells part of her journey. Peterson and the Titans made it all the way to the state championship in her first season before losing to Mountain View. It was in that game that Peterson learned a valuable lesson. “In the state championship game, I threw I think five interceptions, and I remember my mindset being every time I walked onto the field was don’t throw an interception this time,” Peterson said. “Now, anytime I have a negative thought, my new goal is to change it in a positive way.” Her mental training paid off when the Titans returned to the title game in 2025 and walked away with a state title. Along with a championship, Peterson was also named the 2025 CHSAA Flag Football Player of the Year. Peterson also had 71 touchdown passes last fall and has 29 through nine games in her senior season. But the bigger impact she has on a TCA squad trying to repeat is her leadership and selflessness.”In our Green Mountain game, our team mentality was really low, we were losing and then we had a rain delay,” junior Reagan Harter said. “In that locker room, all of us, we just sank in our seats, and then she was the one who talked to us in the locker room saying we got this.” For Peterson, leadership has always come naturally to her since she was young. “My parents have always told me that I was just kind of born that way,” Peterson said. TCA is 9-0 as of September 21st and continues to take on each challenge that comes their way. But as Peterson writes her final chapter in flag football, she is also hoping to leave an impact on the younger Titans and show them the way forward after she turns to the next chapter. “As they grow and mature and become the upperclassmen on this team and they’re the ones leading this team, I hope they want to have a similar impact that I did as a leader,” Peterson said. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.