The second round of the Georgia High School Association playoffs was kind to northeast Georgia teams, with five of the six advancing into the Elite 8 in their respective classifications.
Only North Hall was unable to advance as the Trojans were knocked out for a second year in a row by LaGrange in Class 3A.
And three of the five teams will get to play at home again in the quarterfinals. Buford, Jackson County, and Jefferson all took impressive wins again in the second round.
The Panthers probably got the loudest win, taking down two-time defending state champion Milton in Class 5A. The loss for the Eagles snapped their 11-game playoff win streak going back to 2022.
With the cream of the crop around the state rising to the top, several area regions had multiple teams advance while some others found themselves swept out before the quarterfinals.
North Hall’s loss saw Region 6-3A ousted after having three teams in the final top 10 rankings. Meanwhile, Region 7-5A saw Gainesville and Roswell both move on.
With that, here is a Region Rundown of where things stand for our area teams in the AccessWDUN and Friday Game Night coverage area heading into the quarterfinal round of the GHSA playoffs:
CLASS 6A
In a recent survey, the Class 6A playoffs bracket in Georgia was deemed the second-hardest IN THE NATION. The depth of the classification is what makes it so difficult.
Apparently the eight region champs did not get that memo. Seven of the eight (McEachern, Region 3-6A) found their way into the quarterfinals, including Buford. Only Walton, who knocked off McEachern in the first round, crashed the party. The Region 5-6A No. 4 seed pulled off their second upset last week, taking down East Coweta on the road.
Six of the top 10 teams in the final AccessWDUN/Friday Game Night composite poll also advanced. Region 2 (Carrollton, Douglas County) is the only region to push two in the Elite 8, with Region 3 being swept out.
Two of the four matchups will pit ranked teams against each other. No. 2-ranked Buford plays host to No. 8 Douglas County in a rematch from their regular season showdown, a 34-26 Wolves’ win back in September. Both teams have improved since then.
The other ranked showdown may be the game of the week in the state. No. 3 Carrollton plays host to Grayson, who is ranked No. 1 in Georgia and No. 1 in the nation in some polls.
CLASS 5A
Much like Class 6A, the region champs did not pay attention to the balance of the classification. Seven of the eight region champs also moved on, with only Brunswick not advancing.
The Pirates were demolished by Gainesville, 42-0, in a game that was forced to end in the third quarter after the two teams got into a nasty brawl. Most of the Gainesville bench ended up on the field, which by GHSA rules comes with a two-game suspension. The GHSA is handing down its decision on Monday, which could include massive amounts of player suspensions all the way to forcing Big Red to forfeit the game.
How that decision plays out will have a huge effect on the playoff brackets. The Red Elephants are set to take on No. 1 Hughes in a battle of top four teams.
But Region 7-5A, with Gainesville and Roswell, was the only region to have two teams make the Elite 8.
Two other ranked showdowns are on tap, one involving Region 8-5A champ Jackson County, which took down two-time defending champion Milton last week. The tenth-ranked Panthers had never won a playoff game until this season. Now, a win over No. 7 Rome in Hoschton would push them into the semifinals.
The other ranked matchup has No. 3 Roswell heading to Canton to take on No. 8 Sequoyah.
Class 3A
This is also a powerhouse-packed classification as six of the top eight seeds advanced. But there will be a new state champ as No. 6 Calhoun was taken down by Douglass-Atlanta. And, No. 2 overall seed North Hall was ousted by LaGrange.
Six of the eight won their region and six of the top 10 ranked teams in the final AccessWDUN/Friday Game Night composite poll also advanced.
No. 1 seed Jefferson, the state runner-up in 2024, has allowed just 27 points while averaging 52 points/game in the playoffs. The Dragons averaged just 29.3 ppg during the regular season.
They have one of two ranked matchups this week, playing host to No. 10 Cairo, who beat fifth-ranked Troup last week. The other will have No. 5 Jenkins heading to No. 4 West Laurens in a Battle of I-16. Jenkins is into its fifth quarterfinals since 2017. West Laurens has never made it past the Elite 8 in its 53-year history.
No. 3 seed Sandy Creek entertains Douglass-Atlanta, which is looking for its first semifinal appearance since 1975.
Class Division 1
All five of the six public region champions that advanced in the first round followed those wins with big wins in the second round.
Five of the top six seeds are into the Elite 8, with only No. 10 Pepperell and No. 15 Rabun County moving through. No. 7 seed Jasper County and No. 8 seed Dublin both lost in the second round.
One of the two lower-seeded teams will advance to the semifinals as Rabun County will head to Pepperell. The Dragons are into the quarterfinals for just the second time since 2008. They have not made a semifinals since winning their only state title in 1990. The Wildcats have never won a state title but are into their 10th Elite 8 in the last 11 years.
Top-seed Heard County will play host to No. 8 Fitzgerald in a battle of ranked teams. But the best matchup in the classification will be in Lyons when No. 4 seed Toombs County takes on No. 5 seed Northeast Macon.
No. 1-ranked, and No. 3 seed Worth County, plays host to No. 6 seed Gordon Lee in a battle of region champions.
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