A couple of Class 3A rematches from the regular season will be among the high-profile games this weekend in the second round of the GHSA playoffs. Top-seeded Jefferson will try to avenge a 32-30 loss to Oconee County in the teams’ regular-season finale on Nov. 1. Sandy Creek will seek to beat LaGrange for the second time this season after winning 27-7 on Aug. 30.

Unranked Sequoyah, Cambridge and Luella defeated top-10 teams, and Archer, Peachtree Ridge, Houston County and Bleckley County eliminated region champions in highlights of last week’s first round. The opening round was light on upsets, which is the norm. The computer Maxwell Ratings pegged 104 of 119 games correctly.

New Hampstead’s Rashawn Truell finished first in regular-season passing yards with his 500-yard performance last week in the team’s season finale against Ware County, a 48-41 victory. Teammate Kamari Maxwell had 271 receiving yards in the game and took the Class 4A lead with 1,344 and fell five yards short of the statewide leader, Jaylen Elder of Morgan County.

The GHSA playoffs begin this weekend with 119 games across the state to be played Friday and Saturday in the first of five postseason rounds. Among the high-profile matchups are Camden County at North Cobb and Mill Creek at Douglas County, with the winners to square off in the second round.

Calvary Day’s Mark Stroud, whose 272 victories rank second behind Marist’s Alan Chadwick among active GHSA coaches, will step down after the playoffs and give way to offensive coordinator Jason Cameron. Stroud held a press conference Tuesday to announce the news. His win total ranks 17th in GHSA history.

Apalachee running back Favian Williford provided a bright spot in a rough season, running for 269 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Loganville. New Hampstead QB Rashawn Truell passed for 500 yards and five touchdowns in an upset victory over Ware County, and Telfair County’s Bradyn Cook ran for 216 yards and two TDs in a region-clinching victory over Wilcox County.

Carver of Columbus is the new No. 1 football team in Class 2A, marking the first time the Tigers are atop the AJC rankings since current Georgia State head coach Dell McGee was the Tigers’ coach in 2010. Carver didn’t play last weekend but got the promotion when previous No. 1 Appling County lost to Fitzgerald 21-16.

Chattooga’s Zayden Cook clinched the regular-season rushing title last week with a 302-yard final effort, and Morgan County’s Jaylen Elder appears safe as the regular-season receiving leader with 1,349 yards. The passing leader, Antwann Hill of Houston County, has completed his regular season and faces a final challenge Friday night.

It’s makeup week in Georgia high school football. Forty-eight games Friday and Saturday will close out the regular season. The GHSA hopes to have playoff draws posted by 8 p.m. Saturday. This week wasn’t on the original schedule, but the GHSA added it to accommodate dozens of games still un-played from Hurricane Helene storm damage.

Stockbridge, the 2023 Class 4A football runner-up and a recently crowned region champion that was on a nine-game winning streak, was forced to forfeit its nine victories Tuesday for using an ineligible player. GHSA executive director Tim Scott confirmed the penalty and told GHSF Daily that Stockbridge self-reported the violation.

Brookwood’s Brayden Tyson rushed for 299 yards in a victory over Norcross last week and now has 2,123, believed to be second-highest regular-season total ever in the GHSA’s highest classification. Other outstanding performances in Week 12 were turned in by Lee County QB Weston Bryan, Newton RB Zion Johnson and Warner Robins DB/WR Rasean Dinkins.

Carrollton, Milton, Marist and Savannah Christian completed undefeated regular seasons last week and stand No. 1 in the football rankings with a limited final week ahead. It’s more complicated in Class 2A, where two-loss Appling County moved to No. 1 from No. 9 after a 13-6 victory over previous No. 1 Pierce County, ending Pierce’s 19-game winning streak.

Brookwood has won five straight games and put itself in position to earn the No. 2 seed out of Region 7-6A tonight if the Broncos (6-3, 5-1) can beat Norcross (7-2, 5-1) in a road game. Brookwood is putting its fate and the ball in the hands of a sophomore running back, Brayden Tyson, who rushed for 290 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-36 victory over Duluth last week.

Region titles will be up for grabs in games across the state in Week 12, and one of those will match two No. 1-ranked teams fighting for the championship in Region 3-A Division I. Toombs County is No. 1 in Class A Division I, while Savannah Christian is the top-ranked team in the Class 3A-A private division.

Just two years ago, a St. Francis football player was running free toward the end zone late in a state semifinal, about to tie the game. A defender rallied to chase the player down and wrestle the ball away inside the 10-yard line. Tortured by four turnovers, St. Francis’ talented young team lost 24-20 to heavily favored Prince Avenue Christian. St. Francis was that close. Today, St. Francis football could not be further away.

Two-way players turned in some of the best efforts of Week 11, as Athens Academy WR/DB Keyon Standifer, Carver (Atlanta) WR/DB Terrious Favors and Chattooga RB/LB Zayden Cook led their teams to important region victories. Dutchtown QB Michael Johnson accounted for 488 yards and six touchdowns, and Shiloh’s Marlin Mathis topped 1,000 rushing yards for the season.

Marquis Westbrook’s first season coaching Peach County resulted in the Trojans’ first losing season in 37 years. In Westbrook’s second season, Peach is No. 1 again, its only loss to defending Class 4A champion Perry in August. Peach County moved ahead of previous No. 1 Sandy Creek, which lost to unranked Mary Persons 37-29 on Friday night.

The state's hottest running back is Lanier’s Tojuan Peyton Jr., who is Class 5A’s new rushing leader. Peyton rushed for 421 yards on 27 carries and scored all six of his team’s touchdowns in a 59-42 loss to Roswell last week. The week before, Peyton rushed for 283 yards and four touchdowns and scored a fifth touchdown on a kickoff return in a 42-35 victory over Johns Creek.

Champions will be crowned Friday night in Region 3-6A when Hillgrove travels to Harrison and in Region 4-5A when Woodward Academy plays at Decatur. But those aren’t the only regions in which a champion could be decided in Week 10. Other teams that can clinch include Athens Academy, Cherokee Bluff, Christian Heritage, North Gwinnett and Peach County.