In a season of super teams, a record six champions finished 15-0 this week in championship football games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Some contended for national titles. Others chased state scoring records. Most added to already-rich trophy cases. Buford, the Class 6A champion, is in position to win a consensus national championship because of its 15-0 resume.
Hapeville Charter, projected to lose by 17 points last week, was the biggest underdog winner in the semifinals as the Hornets defeated No. 5 Sumter County 24-18 in overtime in Class 2A. The Maxwell Ratings don’t consider a team’s history against top-10 teams, though. Hapeville has beaten 10 top-10 opponents over the past 10 seasons, three in the 2025 playoffs.
Playoff games between highly ranked opponents often come down to a few critical plays. Gainesville’s Darryn Williams was in many of them last week in his team’s 40-32 victory over No. 1-ranked Hughes in the Class 5A quarterfinals. The junior linebacker made 10 solo tackles, forced two fumbles and returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown.
North Oconee quarterback Catherine Cooper is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. The senior led North Oconee to playoff victories over Effingham County 39-0 and Trinity Christian 49-6 last week while completing 45 of 53 passes for 424 yards and nine touchdowns in the two games.