In the words of legendary public address announcer, Michael Buffer … “Are you ready to rumble?”
After taking last week off, it’s officially playoff week for over 250 schools across Georgia. In the AccessWDUN and Friday Game Night, 12 teams advanced, with five capturing region titles. Buford (Region 8-6A) and Jackson County (Region 8-5A), Jefferson (Region 8-3A), and North Hall (Region 6-3A) all won their regions.
Along with those five teams, Gainesville (Class 5A), Habersham Central (Class 5A), Flowery Branch (Class 4A) and Rabun County (Class A Division I) will also host first-round playoff games on Friday.
We will have real-time updates on all 12 games on Friday Game Night X. After the action, head to AccessWDUN.com Friday Game Night page for stories, video highlights and photos.
CLASS 6A
Richmond Hill (Region 1, Seed 4) at Buford (R8, S1), 7:30 p.m.
Buford will be a big-time favorite over fourth-seeded Richmond Hill. Every game in the Class 6A playoffs is a gauntlet, but don’t let this matchup confuse you. Buford rolls in this one.
North Forsyth (R6, S4) at Carrollton (R2, S1), 7:30 p.m.
North Forsyth has the large task of taking down defending Class 6A champion Carrollton in Carrollton. It’ll take a Herculean effort from the Raiders to get past the Trojans on Friday. This one trends heavily in Carrollton’s favor.
CLASS 5A
Dunwoody (R4, S3) at Gainesville (R7, S2), 7:30 p.m. – FM 94.5 The Lake
Everybody wants to know if Gainesville can get past the first round this year. They’ve been ranked in the top five all season but lost the Region 7-5A title to Roswell three weeks ago. They’ll be a No. 2 seed, hosting Dunwoody at City Park on Friday. Big Red should stroll in this one. It’s the possible second-round matchup against Brunswick that should worry the Red Elephant faithful.
Glynn Academy (R1, S4) at Jackson County (R8, S1), 7:30 p.m.
It’s not a given that Jackson County will take out Glynn Academy at Panther Stadium on Friday. Sure, it’s a No. 1 vs. a No. 4 seed, but this one could be better than a typical first-round matchup. Glynn Academy’s offense has come alive down the stretch, and the Panthers’ defense has been downright stingy this season. It could be a battle; on the other hand, the Panthers might just be walking into the second round.
Statesboro (R1, S3), at Habersham Central (R8, S2), 7:30 p.m.
Habersham Central is still looking for its first postseason win since 2018, and it won’t come easy on Friday against No. 3 seed Statesboro. This one will most likely be won in the trenches, as both feature bruising running backs in Keon Childers (Statesboro) and Donnie Warren (Habersham). Both have big play potential, and both can be explosive. Watch out for this one in beautiful Mt. Airy.
CLASS 4A
East Forsyth (R8, S4) at Benedictine (R1, S1), 7:30 p.m.
East Forsyth is the most improved team throughout the season. The start wasn’t great, but the finish was pretty dang good. Now, though, they travel down to Savannah to play juggernaut Benedictine, a No. 1 seed. Can the Broncos ugly this one up enough to be in late is the question.
Ware County (R1, S3) at Flowery Branch (R8, S2), 7:30 p.m. – AM 550 WDUN
Flowery Branch is the area’s most improved program, under new head coach Michael Perry and quarterback Brett Sturm’s transfer. The Falcons were so close to winning Region 8-4A but fell short with a shocking loss to Madison County and a close loss to defending state champion North Oconee. Now, they face a daunting task against No. 3 seed Ware County at home on Friday. The Gators can score, and so can Flowery Branch. Are we in store for a shoot-out or a good old-fashioned slobberknocker?
CLASS 3A
Cherokee Bluff (21) at Peach County (12), 7:30 p.m.
Cherokee Bluff gets to make the trip to Fort Valley to battle Peach County in the first round. If the Bears are healthy, they’ll have a shot to win this one. However, it’s not going to be easy. They’ll face a potent offense that has no problem scoring, averaging 37.3 ppg. Both can pass and run the football. Could this one become a shootout, although the team that can establish the run might just be happy at the end of the game?
Lumpkin County (27) at Calhoun (6), 7:30 p.m.
Lumpkin County, a No. 27 seed, drew Class 3A’s defending champion, six-seeded Calhoun, in Calhoun. Some say Calhoun is not as good as they were last year. Don’t let that fool you. Speaking of a Herculean effort … The Indians will need one to get past the Yellow Jackets.
Dougherty (32) at Jefferson (1), 7:30 p.m.
No. 1 seed Jefferson will host No. 32 seed Dougherty … enough said about this one. Just how bad is the Dragons’ win?.
Mt. Zion-Jonesboro (31) at North Hall (2), 7:30 p.m. – FM 102.9 WDUN
No. 2 seed North Hall will host No. 31 seed Mt. Zion-Jonesboro … this one could get ugly quick. How many points will the Trojan score?
CLASS 2A
East Jackson (26) at Columbia (7), 7:30 p.m.
East Jackson, No. 26 seed, will travel to seventh-seeded Columbia. The Eagles have struggled against better opponents on both sides of the ball. Can East Jackson establish the line of scrimmage early and find a way to score, and can the Eagles’ defense slow down Columbia just enough to stay close and have a shot late? If the answer is yes, then it could be a fun game to watch.
CLASS A D1
Dodge County (18) at Rabun County (15), 7:30 p.m.
No. 15 seed Rabun County will welcome No. 18 seed Dodge County to the mountains of beautiful Tiger, Ga. The Indians like to toss the ball around the yard with QB Kain Mincey (2,044 yards, 21 TDs). Meanwhile, the Wildcats can run and pass with QB Ty Truelove (1,500 yards passing, 15 TDs) and RB Reid Giles (1,080 rushing yards, 17 TDs). We could be in for one of the best games of the night with this one.
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