255 teams begin playoff journeys this week
The first of five rounds of the playoffs begin this week with 127 games, five of them matching top-10 teams. More than 60% of the GHSA’s 412 football-playing schools are alive, so the first round provides safe passage for most elite teams.
A year ago, top-five teams went 40-0 in the first round, but 11 of 40 lower-ranked teams were taken out. They included Colquitt County, Coffee, Jefferson, Sandy Creek and Rockmart, teams that are good again and eager to make amends.
Here’s a closer look at the playoffs, which will be played this weekend in 73 of Georgia’s 159 counties and cover every region of the state.
How it works: Each of the eight classifications has a 32-team draw (except for Class A Division II, which has 31 teams). With a couple of exceptions, Classes 7A, 5A and 3A first-rounders will be played on Saturday, the rest on Friday. The GHSA runs the first round over two days to ensure enough qualified officials. Teams are seeded based on their region finishes, and higher-seeded teams get home-field advantage. The finals will be Dec. 8-10 at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
Favorites: The No. 1-ranked teams are Buford (Class 7A), Hughes (6A), Ware County (5A), Cedartown (4A), Cedar Grove (3A), Fitzgerald (2A), Prince Avenue Christian (A Division I) and Bowdon (A Division II). Buford, Cedar Grove and Fitzgerald won titles last year. Bowdon last won in 1992, Cedartown in 1963. Hughes and Ware County have never won.
Regulars: Six schools have made the playoffs each season this century. They are Buford, Calhoun, Commerce, Cook, Fitzgerald, Marist and Peach County. Thirty-eight schools have made the playoffs 10 straight seasons or more. Almost all made it this year with room to spare, but Jefferson County saved its 21-year streak last week with a 47-41 double-overtime victory over East Laurens.
Newbies: Coahulla Creek is the only team making the playoffs for the first time. The Whitfield County school played its first varsity season in 2012, and the Colts’ 7-3 record represents the program’s first winning season. Teams breaking long droughts are Lanier County (last appearance 2005), Chamblee (2009), East Jackson (2009), Bacon County (2014), Lumpkin County (2014), Bryan County (2015) and Shaw (2015).
Just missed: Collins Hill, the Class 7A champion, failed to return to the playoffs The Eagles are the first defending champion to miss since Hawkinsville in 2015 and the first in the highest class since Lowndes in 2006. Class 7A was unkind to traditional powers. McEachern, a regular since 2009, and Archer, whose playoff streak dates to 2013, also missed qualifying.
Beating odds: From a preseason perspective, the most surprising playoff team is Lumpkin County, given just a 1.5% chance of qualifying out of Region 7-3A by the computer Maxwell Ratings. The Indians were 7-43 over the previous five seasons but are 8-2 in Heath Webb’s first year as coach and seeded No. 2. This is their first playoff appearance since 2014. Other successful long shots were Morrow (2.4%), Paulding County (51%), Walnut Grove (6.3%), Greene County (8.5%) and ACE Charter (9.5%).
Best first-round games: Five games match top-10 teams, two involving reigning champions Benedictine and Brooks County. The five are No. 8 Valdosta at No. 10 Westlake in Class 7A, No. 10 Houston County at No. 8 Brunswick in 6A, No. 10 Whitewater at No. 4 Benedictine and No. 8 Burke County at No. 10 LaGrange in 4A, and No. 10 Bleckley County at No. 5 Brooks County in A Division I.
Hardest to pick: The Maxwell Ratings peg five games as near toss-ups. The one-point favorites are Douglas County (over Allatoona), LaGrange (over Burke County), Telfair County (over ECI), Trion (over Commerce) and Westminster (over Lovett).
What’s next: The second round is next week. If all favored teams advance, the rounds of 16 should be especially interesting in Class 7A, where No. 3 Mill Creek would play at No. 5 North Cobb, and No. 6 Walton would play at No. 1 Buford.