Athens Christian forfeits first-round playoff game

Athens Christian has forfeited its first-round playoff game at top-ranked Prince Avenue Christian in Class A Division I.

Athens Christian was 0-10 but played in a four-team region that guaranteed it a playoff berth. Forfeits may subject the school to a GHSA fine.

Athens Christian athletic director Heath Kennedy cited safety reasons to the Athens Banner-Herald for prompting the decision. The team's MaxPreps roster shows 23 players, seven that are freshmen. Prince Avenue is the defending state champion and had been projected by the computer Maxwell Ratings as a 63-point favorite in this game.

Prince Avenue's Aaron Philo is 1,445 yards behind Trevor Lawrence’s state career passing record. He has 12,457 yards to Lawrence's 13,902. Philo needed to average 289.2 yards over five games to break the record. He now needs to average 361.3 over four.