After taking a week off, the GHSA football playoffs will start in all classifications this week.

The spotlight game will occur in Class 6A and features No. 8-ranked Colquitt County, which travels to Mill Creek for GPB’s Football Fridays in Georgia telecast. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.

firstheader

Colquitt County (8-2) had to play its first-round game on the road because the Packers were the No. 3 seed out of Region 1. Mill Creek (7-3) had been ranked No. 10 until losing its last regular-season game against No. 2 Buford. 

Colquitt County lost regular-season games against No. 4 North Gwinnett and No. 7 Lowndes. The Packers defeated No. 6 Valdosta, the Region 1 champion. Colquitt also holds wins over Benedictine, the No. 6 team in Class 4A, and Lee County, the No. 10 team in Class 5A.

Mill Creek began the season 2-2, losing to Norcross and North Gwinnett, before piecing together a five-game winning that ended with the loss to Buford. Mill Creek outslugged Collins Hill in overtime to clinch the No. 2 seed from Region 8.

Colquitt County quarterback Cohen Lawson has thrown for 1,658 yard and 17 touchdowns and Jae Lamar has rushed for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns. Mill Creek is led by running back Jayde Beasley, who has rushed for 1,021 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

Here’s a look at some of the best first-round games. 

Class 6A: Who the ranked teams play

  1. Grayson vs. Norcross
  2. Buford vs. Richmond Hill
  3. Carrollton vs. North Forsyth
  4. North Gwinnett vs. South Gwinnett
  5. McEachern vs Walton
  6. Valdosta vs. Dacula
  7. Lowndes vs. Collins Hill
  8. Colquitt County at Mill Creek
  9. Harrison vs. Marietta
  10. Douglas County vs. Lambert

Class 5A

Best game -- Coffee vs. Sequoyah: Coffee (4-6) has lost four games to ranked teams, another to a region champion and another to a strong out-of-state team. The Trojans won the state championship two years ago and feature a strong running game that produces 200 yards per game. Sequoyah (9-1) won the Region 6 championship – its first since 2003 – and will be going to the state playoffs for the fourth straight year under coach James Teter. This is rematch of last year’s quarterfinal game which Coffee won 72-48. 

Who the ranked teams play

  1. Thomas County Central vs. Woodstock
  2. Hughes vs. East Paulding
  3. Roswell vs. Chamblee
  4. Gainesville vs. Dunwoody
  5. Rome vs. Lovejoy
  6. Houston County vs. Creekview
  7. Milton vs Shiloh
  8. Sequoyah vs. Coffee
  9. Woodward Academy vs. Seckinger
  10. Lee County at Sprayberry

Class 4A

Best game -- Blessed Trinity at Stockbridge: Blessed Trinity (6-4) is ranked No. 10 and is the only ranked team to play on the road in Class 4A. That’s because the Titans finished third in Region 6 behind Cambridge and Kell. Blessed Trinity has made the playoffs 15 straight years and advanced to the semifinal round a year ago. Stockbridge (8-2) was the runner-up in Region 2 behind surprising Locust Grove, despite winning their head-to-head meeting. This will be the first time the two teams have played.

Who the ranked teams play

  1. North Oconee vs. Perry
  2. Cartersville vs. Maynard Jackson
  3. Creekside vs. Dalton
  4. Central Carroll vs. Tucker
  5. Marist vs. Starr’s Mill
  6. Benedictine vs. East Forsyth
  7. Kell vs, Hampton
  8. Cambridge vs. Ola
  9. Cass vs. Mays
  10. Blessed Trinity at Stockbridge

Class 3A

Best game -- Cedar Grove at Sandy Creek: These two teams definitely have history. Sandy Creek beat Cedar Grove in the 2022 championship game, thanks largely to an officiating error that gave the Patriots a touchdown on a run that didn’t come close to reaching the end zone. (That boo-boo led to the GHSA to implement video review for championship games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.) No. 1-ranked Sandy Creek is 10-0 and seeded No. 3 by the GHSA; the Patriots have had only one game decided by seven or fewer points. Cedar Grove is 5-5 but comes into the game on a two-game winning streak. The all-time series between the teams is tied 2-2. 

Who the ranked teams play

  1. Sandy Creek vs. Cedar Grove
  2. North Hall vs. Mt. Zion
  3. Calhoun vs. Lumpkin County
  4. LaGrange vs. North Clayton
  5. Jefferson vs. Doughtery
  6. Jenkins vs Whitewater
  7. Peach County vs. Cherokee Bluff
  8. West Laurens vs. Beach
  9. Troup County vs. Westover
  10. Stephenson vs. Richmond Academy

Class 2A

Best game -- Franklin County at Callaway: No. 6-ranked Callaway (7-3) lost its region showdown against Morgan County to finish the team. That snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Cavaliers, who are seeded No. 11 by the GHSA. Franklin County (7-3) is the No. 22 seeded team; the Lions were ranked earlier in the season before losing three of their final five games. This will be the first meeting between the two teams. 

Who the ranked teams play

  1. Carver-Columbus vs. Redan
  2. Morgan County vs. Westside Macon
  3. Carver-Atlanta vs. Butler
  4. Rockmart vs. Cedartown
  5. Sumter County vs. KIPP
  6. Callaway at Franklin County
  7. Hapeville Charter vs. Columbus
  8. Thomson vs. Jackson
  9. Burke County vs. Sonoraville
  10. Appling County vs. Hart County

Class A-Division 1

Best game -- Putnam County at Thomasville: Thomasville (7-3) finished third in Region 1 and is seeded No. 13 by the GHSA. Putnam County (5-5), which lost its final two games, finished fourth in Region 4 and is the No. 20 tournament seed. The only meeting between the teams came in 1999 with Thomasville winning 14-6. 

Who the ranked teams play

  1. Worth County vs. McNair
  2. Toombs County vs. Temple
  3. Heard County vs. East Laurens
  4. Lamar vs. Berrien County
  5. Northeast vs. Fannin County
  6. Fitzgerald vs. ACE Charter
  7. Thomasville vs. Putnam County
  8. Dublin at Washington County
  9. Swainsboro vs. Bacon County
  10. Bleckley County vs. Jeff Davis

Class A-Division II

Best game -- Manchester at Wheeler County: No. 6-ranked Wheeler County (10-0) completed the first unbeaten regular season in school history. The Bulldogs are an offensive juggernaut that has scored 28-plus points in its last nine games and beat Treutlen 58-14 in the season finale. Manchester (4-5) found its offense late, scoring 91 points over the final two games. Manchester went to the finals in 2023 and reached the semifinals in 2024. The two teams have never played. 

Who the ranked teams play

  1. Lincoln County vs. Randolph Clay
  2. Clinch County vs. Chattahoochee County
  3. Johnson County vs. McIntosh County Academy
  4. Bowdon vs. Wilcox County
  5. Screven County vs. Glascock County
  6. Wheeler County vs. Manchester
  7. ECI vs. Georgia Military
  8. Seminole County vs. Washington-Wilkes
  9. Brooks County vs. Taylor County
  10. Early County vs. Greene County

Class 3-1A Private

Best game -- Mount Paran Christian at Holy Innocents’: The top eight teams in the GHSA points ratings received first-round byes, leaving few ranked teams in action. No. 8 Holy Innocents’ (7-3) lost only to ranked teams and finished third in Region 5AA, falling in league competition against Carver Atlanta and Hapeville Charter. Mount Paran (5-5) lost its final two games of the season and have made the postseason each year since 2013. The teams have played only once, with Holy Innocents’ prevailing 28-0 in the 2019 quarterfinal round. 

Who the ranked teams play

  1. Hebron Christian does not play
  2. Fellowship Christian does not play
  3. Calvary Day does not play
  4. Athens Academy does not play
  5. Savannah Christian does not play
  6. Prince Avenue Christian does not play
  7. Greater Atlanta Christian does not play
  8. Holy Innocents’ vs. Mt. Paran Christian
  9. Aquinas vs. Darlington
  10. Whitefield Academy does not play