The postseason road to Mercedes Benz-Stadium begins this week for 247 Georgia high school football teams.
Physical matchups in Class 6A, a loaded Class 4A bracket and several north-south battles headline the first round of the GHSA state playoffs.
There are 116 games being played Friday, with two already wrapped up and one game scheduled for Saturday.
Previews — including predictions and historical information — of every first-round matchup can be found below:
- Class 6A
- Class 5A
- Class 4A
- Class 3A
- Class 2A
- Class A Division I
- Class A Division II
- Class 3A-A Private
AJC Varsity’s playoff brackets can be found here.
Follow below for the latest highlights, notable moments and other standout information from the games.
To submit entries for consideration — highlights, notable moments or impressive stats — tag @theleoreport on X.
You can also follow live scores on AJC.com.
Newton's defense stood strong in its own end zone to hold off any upset chances from Peachtree Ridge. Newton forced a turnover on downs near the goal line to seal a 26-14 win.
Lee County was yet another South Georgia team to beat a metro Atlanta foe in the first round.
The Trojans took the lead for good on a touchdown pass from Marcus Snipes to Carter Blackwell midway through the fourth quarter.
Jenkins trailed for 45 of the 48 minutes of game action, but it survived Whitewater's upset bid by a 50-45 final. The Indians advance to host Peach County in the next round.
Peach County was much more dominant in its first round game, thumping Cherokee Bluff 53-28.
Central-Carrollton overcame an upset scare against Tucker and claimed a strong 33-21 first-round win.
The Lions trailed 14-13 at halftime before outscoring the Tigers 19-8 in the final 24 minutes.
Central will host Cambridge in the next round, pitting two AJC Super 11 selections against each other. Central running back Jonaz Walton will compete for the spotlight against Cambridge receiver Craig Dandridge.
Colquitt County, Lowndes and Valdosta all beat Gwinnett County teams to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
The top three teams in the loaded Region 1-6A also all won by double digits.
Region 1-6A champion Valdosta handled Dacula 56-28 with a dominant second half. Running back Marquis Fennell became Valdosta's second 1,000-yard rusher this season, according to Shane Thomas of the Valdosta Daily Times.
Region runner-up Lowndes handled business at home against Collin Hill with a 37-16 win. The Vikings will have to leave home next week for a visit to Region 7-6A champion North Gwinnett.
Region 1-6A's No. 3 team, Colquitt County, physically hammered Mill Creek in the second half for a 35-17 win. Colquitt County running back Jae Lamar exploded for 165 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
Hillgrove kept its season alive with a gritty 28-25 road win over North Paulding. The Hawks traded blows with North Paulding all night and advanced to take on West Forsyth in the next round.
Walton, a 28-point underdog that started the season with a 50-17 loss to McEachern, just shocked the state.
The Raiders just claimed a 28-24 upset of previously undefeated McEachern. Walton took the lead with roughly a minute left on an 11-yard rushing touchdown from running back Christion Peacock.
East Coweta finished off an upset of six-point favorite Denmark. The Danes couldn't overcome a 28-7 deficit that carried into the fourth quarter.
East Coweta will face the winner of the very tight Walton-McEachern game.
Stephens County saved its season with a 24-21 comeback win over Crisp County.
Crisp County built an early 21-0 lead before Stephens County bit back with 24 unanswered points to advance to the second round.
Villa Rica jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but Northgate was 22 yards away from taking it back in the final second of the game.
The Vikings had cut their deficit to 17-14 and were on Villa Rica's 22-yard line. Then Northgate fumbled a hook-and-ladder attempt, Villa Rica recovered and ran the fumble back for a game-sealing touchdown.
Villa Rica advanced to the second round by a 24-14 count.
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