The first round of the GHSA football playoffs was split between Friday and Saturday with 7A, 6A, 5A, 3A and both Divisions of Class A playing Friday. On Saturday, Classes 4A and 2A took to the field. Follow the link to the full brackets.
See the Friday recaps by following the link or see the 4A and 2A recaps below.
Class 7A
Camden County 29, Newton 15
Region 1 three-seed Camden County closed out its first-round matchup against No. 7-ranked Newton with 29 unanswered points to advance to the second round for the second-straight year. The host Rams took a quick 15-0 lead at the 4:54 mark of the opening frame on rushing scores from Jayden Ford and Zion Johnson, but were kept out of the end zone for the remainder of the game. Ja’Marley Riddle put the Wildcats on the board late in the first quarter, and after Camden County took a 16-15 lead in the third, Riddle and Antonio Laws added fourth-quarter scores to put the game away. The Wildcats will travel to Region 3 champion McEachern next week.
Class 4A
Troup 14, Cairo 10
Two first-half touchdowns proved enough for Region 4 No. 3 Troup to upend Region 1 No. 2 Cairo and advance to the second round. Noah Dixon scored on a 3-yard run early in the second quarter to put Troup up 7-0. The Tigers extended the lead on a 54-yard touchdown pass with two minutes before halftime. Cairo scored on a 38-yard pass from Juderek Gee-Simmons to KJ Spence with eight minutes left in the third quarter and a 32-yard field goal from Andrid Rojas with four minutes left in the third quarter capped scoring.
Perry 35, Burke County 14
Region 2 two-seed Perry was tied with visiting Burke County 14-14 late in the third quarter before Ahmad Gordon added a trio of rushing scores to earn the Panthers a fifth-straight trip to the second round under head coach Kevin Smith. Perry took an early 14-0 lead with a touchdown run by Dakarai Anderson and Reid Ginn’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Kiel Sparks before the Bears added a safety, a pair of field goals and a touchdown following a fumble recovery (the two-point try was no good). Trailing by only a score, Burke County intercepted Perry midway through the fourth, but the Panthers blocked the Bears’ punt on the ensuing drive and Gordon found the end zone on the next play to put the game away.
Lovett 31, Madison County 24
The Region 5 three-seeded Lions got a first-round road win over Region 8 two-seed Madison County to move on to the second round for the 17th time in 19 seasons under head coach Mike Muschamp. Lovett held a 24-17 advantage at the break after two rushing scores by Kalil Townes, another from Preston Lusink, and a forced fumble and onside kick recovery by Ford Diffley and Colin Carroll, respectively. The Red Raiders knotted the game in the third quarter, but the Lions recovered a Madison County fumble midway through the fourth before adding the game-winning rushing touchdown to secure the win.
North Oconee 52, Pace Academy 13
No. 2-ranked North Oconee is returning to the second round of the playoffs for the sixth-straight year under head coach Tyler Aurandt following a comfortable 52-13 win over Region 5 four-seed Pace Academy. Quarterback Max Wilson threw touchdown passes to Damoni Taylor and Luke Waterworth and added a rushing score as well. Additionally, Justin Curtis found the end zone twice, and Landon Roldan and Tate Titshaw contributed one touchdown run apiece. Titshaw also came up with a fumble recovery near the goal line in the third quarter, and JJ Poole’s field goal provided the remainder of the Titans’ points.
Westminster 27, Heritage-Catoosa 17
Westminster’s defense proved the difference in the victory over Heritage and the corps was led by Armstrong Jones, who had two interceptions, Lane Healy and Jett Hartley, each with one interception. Healy returned an interception returned for a touchdown to put Westminster up 10-0. Fain Barton passed to Wade Penn to extend the lead to 17-3. Quarterback Michael Buhay scored on a 12-yard run to give Westminster a 24-10 advantage. Will Simpson kicked a field goal with two minutes left in the game to give the Wildcats a two-score advantage.
Cedartown 21, Holy Innocents’ 7
Region 7 two-seed Cedartown built a quick 21-0 lead over visiting Holy Innocents’, then held on through the rest of the game to advance to the second round for the fourth time in head coach Jamie Abrams’ four years with the program. The Bulldogs led 13-0 in the opening frame after touchdown runs from Tae Harris and Drew Ledbetter, and Harris’ 85-yard scoop-and-score — plus a successful two-point run by Ledbetter — provided the final points of the game for the home team just over a minute into the second quarter. Cedartown will travel to North Oconee next week.
New Hampstead 40, Westside-Macon 12
The New Hampstead Phoenix put up 40 consecutive points against visiting Westside-Macon in a 40-12 victory to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and just the second time in program history. Junior quarterback RaShawn Truell finished the game with six total touchdowns, including a trio of passes to Jaylen Hampton, a fourth to Malachi Lonnon and a pair of rushing scores. The Phoenix are now 6-4 on the season and will travel to No. 8-ranked Starr’s Mill next week.
Spalding 34, Wayne County 21
The game was tied at 12 entering the fourth quarter and Spalding trailed 21-14 after a 50-yard kickoff return from Wayne County with 8:15 left before mounting a comeback. Cur’Tavian Clark passed to Cedric Evans on a 35-yard touchdown to tie the game. With 6:24, Spalding added another score to take a 28-21 lead and with 3:44 left, Clark found Evans again on a 20-yard touchdown to extend the lead. Dwight Terrell scored on a 45-yard run to open scoring. Spalding took a 14-7 lead after a blocked kick by Ronald Moore was returned 65-yards for a touchdown by Dylon Henderson.
Luella 26, East Forsyth 21
Visiting East Forsyth scored 21 consecutive points in its first-ever postseason game to take a 21-14 second-half lead over Region 5 two-seed Luella, but the Lions added a pair of touchdowns and then forced a turnover on downs on the Broncos’ final drive to secure the win. Kylen Hart had three touchdown runs for Luella, which will travel to No. 9-ranked Stephenson in the second round.
In other Class 4A games – No. 10-ranked LaGrange will make its third second-round appearance in four seasons under head coach Matt Napier after defeating Region 1 three-seed Westover. The 45-6 victory was the seventh in a row for the Grangers, who have outscored their opponents 292-46 during that span and will travel to top-ranked Benedictine next week. … The Region 3 Champion Cadets handed Region 2 four-seed Baldwin a 41-0 loss in the opening round — their second-straight shutout. … No. 8-ranked Starr’s Mill will host Region 3 two-seed New Hampstead next week after a 48-0 shutout of visiting Shaw. The Panthers have won eight of their last nine and will look to advance past the second round for the first time since 2019. … No. 9-ranked Stephenson put up a season-high 62 points (62-15) against visiting four-seed Northwest Whitfield to secure back-to-back second-round appearances for the first time since 2014. … Third-ranked Bainbridge took a quick 14-0 lead with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns, both of which came off interceptions, en route to a 49-14 win over visiting Trinity Christian. The Bearcats will host No. 7-ranked Perry in the second round. … No. 5-ranked Central-Carroll remains undefeated after a 41-33 narrow first-round win over Region 6 four-seed Hapeville Charter. First-year head coach Umbrah Brown’s Lions will host Region 5 three-seed Lovett next week.
Class 2A
Laney 67, Worth County 31
Region 4 No. 2 Laney led 52-14 at halftime over Region 1 No. 3 Worth County on its way to a home win. Laney quarterback Javaris Harris rushed for touchdowns of 66, 65 and 53 yards and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Daggett. Harris also passed for two two-point conversions and rushed for one. Daggett also had an 8-yard touchdown rush and had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown on defense. Carl Holmes rushed for a 3-yard touchdown and a 1-yard score, and Vincent Carter Jr. scored on a 50-yard run to cap the scoring for Laney, which improved to 8-2-1. Worth County ended its season 5-6.
Model 21, Therrell 8
Model got touchdown runs from Jake Sanders and Gage McWhorter and a touchdown pass from Sanders to Keith Sprayberry. Model will play Callaway in the second round.
Pierce County 42, ACE Charter 7
Region 3 No. 1 Pierce County (10-1) defeated Region 2 No. 4 ACE Charter (8-3) at home. The Bears got three rushing touchdowns from quarterback Caden McGatha, from 23, 16 and 6 yards. Jah Evans had a 45-yard touchdown rush as well for Pierce County. The Bears got a 6-yard fumble return touchdown from Carson Sloan and an interception for a score when Elijah Howard, already standing in the ACE end zone, caught a desperation flip from the ACE quarterback. The Bears will host Laney in the second round.
Toombs County 64, Southwest 6
Region 3 No. 2 Toombs County held a 36-6 halftime lead over Region 2 No. 3 Southwest and cruised to a home win. Dabvn Wadley rushed for touchdowns of 36, 29 and 29 yards for the Bulldogs, and quarterback T.J. Stanley threw two touchdown passes and rushed for a score. Stanley’s scoring passes were 61 yards to Keshon Deloach and 34 yards to Hayden Roy, and he had a 1-yard rush for a touchdown. Roy added a 7-yard touchdown run and Deloach returned a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown on defense. Also for Toombs County (10-1), Braylen Dietrich made a 24-yard field goal and backup quarterback Slade Landrum had a 22-yard rushing touchdown. Southwest finished with a record of 6-5.
Appling County 49, Northeast 0
Region 3 No. 3 Appling County (9-2) shut out Region 2 No. 2 Northeast (8-3) on the road to advance to the second round. The Pirates scored four touchdowns in the first quarter, with two coming on 1-yard runs from Jamarion Williams. Trent Griner had a 5-yard touchdown rush in the opening quarter after setting himself up on the previous play with a 55-yard run, and the Pirates scored on defense when Cameron Mobley returned a Northeast fumble 15 yards for a score, giving them a 28-0 lead. Dayson Griffis threw three touchdowns, a 24-yard pass to Tre’Shawn Moore, a 64-yard pass to Ja’kari Kinsey and a 67-yard pass to Kellen Echols. The Pirates will travel to Cook in the second round.
Union County 24, Eagle’s Landing Christian 17
Host Union County, the Region 8 No. 2 seed, held off Eagle’s Landing Christian, the Region 5 No. 3 seed, forcing a turnover on downs on ELCA’s final possession with under a minute to play. Union County (8-3) took a 24-10 lead in the third quarter on Braylen Rader’s 2-yard touchdown run. The Panthers took a 2-0 lead with a safety in the first quarter when Kooper Ashcraft tackled an ELCA ball carrier in the end zone. Union County took a 9-0 lead later in the quarter on quarterback Caiden Tanner’s 9-yard rush. Tanner gave Union County a 17-10 lead at halftime after he found Jensen Goble for a 20-yard touchdown pass and then found David Heredia on the ensuing two-point conversion. ELCA’s Brandon Hood rushed for a 3-yard score in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to seven points, his second touchdown of the game after he ran for a 60-yard score in the first quarter. ELCA finished its season 4-7.
Fellowship Christian 42, Redan 14
Fellowship Christian’s Josh Milhollin scored four touchdowns — two on offense, one on defense and one on special teams — for the host Paladins, the No. 1 seed out of Region 8. The Paladins (9-2) took a 14-7 lead in the second quarter over Redan, the No. 4 seed out of Region 5, when Milhollin caught a 14-yard pass from quarterback Jonathan Granby. Later in the quarter with Fellowship Christian on defense, Milhollin jumped the route on a swing pass and took the interception 51 yards for a score to give the Paladins a 21-7 halftime lead. Granby and Milhollin connected again in the third quarter on a 21-yard pass to give Fellowship Christian a 35-14 lead, and later in the quarter Milhollin returned a Redan punt 42 yards for the game’s final points. C.J. Givers rushed for two touchdowns for the Paladins, a 3-yard score in the first quarter and a 5-yard score in the third. Redan finished its season 4-7.
North Cobb Christian 33, Fannin County 27
Host North Cobb Christian led 27-21 entering the fourth quarter and extended the lead to 33-21 after a 10-yard Cooper Bazarsky touchdown run. Fannin County answered with a touchdown later in the quarter to pull within six points, but the teams traded punts after that, and the Eagles were able to run out the clock. North Cobb Christian (9-2), the top seed out of Region 6, took a 6-0 lead on Fannin County (5-6), the fourth seed from Region 7, in the first quarter on a 1-yard rush by Will Mosely. The Eagles extended the lead to 14-0 on a 3-yard touchdown rush by Denim Stevens and a two-point-conversion rush by quarterback Austin Tambora. Then on the ensuing kickoff, North Cobb Christian returned a Fannin County fumble 15 yards for a score to lead 20-0 after the first quarter. In the third quarter, the Eagles returned another Fannin County fumble 25 yards for a touchdown to lead 27-7 before Fannin County answered with two touchdowns later in the quarter. North Cobb Christian will host Columbia in the second round.
Rockmart 28, Washington 0
Quarterback Calliyon Thompson rushed for a first-half score and threw a late touchdown to lead Region 7 No. 1 Rockmart to a home win over Region 6 No. 4 Washington. The Yellow Jackets led 21-0 at halftime after Thompson (4 yards), Tristan Anderson (6 yards) and Brent Washington (8 yards) rushed for touchdowns. Late in the fourth quarter, Thompson found Nahzir Turner for a 40-yard touchdown pass for the final points of the game. Rockmart improved to 9-2 and will host Union County in the second round. Washington finished the season 3-8.
In other 2A games – Region 1 No. 2 Fitzgerald (8-3) defeated Region 4 No. 3 Putnam County (6-5) at home, 38-7. In the second round, Fitzgerald will travel to Region 2 No. 1 Spencer (8-3), a 41-34 home winner over Region 3 No. 4 Vidalia (5-6). Spencer advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and second time since winning the 1967 state championship. … Region 7 No. 3 Model (7-3) traveled to Region 6 No. 2 Therrell (9-2) and got a 21-8 win. In the second round, the Blue Devils will travel to Region 5 No. 1 Callaway, which defeated Providence Christian on Friday night. … Region 3 No. 1 Pierce County (10-1) defeated Region 2 No. 4 ACE Charter (8-3) 42-7 at home. The Bears will host Laney in the second round. … Region 7 No. 2 North Murray (8-3) defeated Region 6 No. 3 South Atlanta (5-6) at home, 35-12. The Mountaineers will travel to Fellowship Christian in the second round. … Region 4 No. 1 Thomson (10-1) shut out Region 1 No. 4 Jeff Davis (5-6) at home, 40-0. The Bulldogs will travel to Toombs County in the second round. … Region 5 No. 2 Columbia (8-3) will play at North Cobb Christian in the second round after defeating Region 8 No. 3 Athens Academy (6-5), 53-26. … Cook, the top seed from Region 1, improved to 9-2 after its 25-14 home win over Region 4 No. 4 Washington County (5-6). The Hornets will host Appling County in the second round.
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