Friday marked the pivotal turning point of the Class 2A playoffs where the line was drawn between good teams and championship contenders. The teams that crossed that line are in the quarterfinals and two wins from playing for the state title.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
For updated brackets of all classifications, visit GHSA.net.
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Credit: via GHSA.net
Credit: via GHSA.net
Upper-left quadrant
- The No. 3 Thomasville Bulldogs, the No. 2 seed from Region 1, defeated the No. 9 Dodge County Indians 44-7 to advance to at least the quarterfinals for the second year in a row and third time in the last four years. Clint Thompson has a game story for the Thomasville Times-Enterprise. The Bulldogs are 8-4. The Indians, champions of Region 3, finish 6-4.
- The No. 8 Callaway Cavaliers beat the No. 4 Lovett Lions 16-9 to advance to at least the quarterfinals for a fifth consecutive season. Kevin Eckleberry has a writeup for The LaGrange Daily News. The Region 5 champion Cavs are 9-1. The Lions, a No. 3 seed from Region 6, finish 7-3.
Lower-left quadrant
- The No. 2 Rabun County Wildcats shut out the Model Blue Devils 35-0 to reach at least the quarterfinals for a sixth consecutive season. AccessWDUN has details, including Wildcats receiver Adriel Clark tying a state record for touchdown receptions in a season with 27. The Region 8 champion Wildcats are 11-1. The Blue Devils, a No. 3 seed from Region 7, finish 7-5 under second-year coach Jeff Hunnicutt as they won their first playoff game since 2014 and enjoyed their first winning season since 2016.
- The unranked Bleckley County Royals continue their resurgence as the tournament’s lone No. 4 seed, defeating the No. 6 Early County Bobcats 41-7 to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2006. The game can be viewed in its entirety on the Bleckley County Royals Football YouTube channel. The Royals, out of Region 3, are 7-4. They were once ranked as high as No. 4 before falling out of the rankings and region title contention with late-season consecutive losses. The Bobcats, a No. 3 seed from Region 1, finish 7-3.
Upper-right quadrant
- The No. 7 Fannin County Rebels are the quarterfinals for the first time in a quarter century, beating the Heard County Braves 21-14. The game can be viewed in its entirety on the Fannin Rebel TV YouTube channel. The Region 7-champion Rebels are 10-0 under third-year coach Chad Cheatham, the most wins since the 1995 Rebels went 12-1 and advanced to the quarters. The Braves, a No. 2 seed from Region 5, finish 7-5.
- The top-ranked Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane are in the quarterfinals for the second time in three years, beating the Northeast Raiders 35-18. The Purple Hurricane, champions of Region 1, are 11-0. The Raiders, a No. 2 seed from Region 3, were coming off their first playoff win since 2002 under third-year coach Jeremy Wiggins, and finish 8-3 for their best record since 2012.
Lower-right quadrant
- The No. 5 Jefferson County Warriors beat the Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets 42-29 to the quarterfinals for the second time in the last three seasons. You can listen to the game in its entirety through 105.9 The Sting’s Facebook page. The three-time defending Region 4 champion Warriors are 9-2. The Jackets, a No. 2 seed from Region 2, finish 9-2 after winning their first playoff game since 1997.
- The Bremen Blue Devils are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2008 after beating the South Atlanta Hornets 42-6. The Blue Devils, a No. 3 seed from Region 5, are 8-4 under fifth-year coach Davis Russell. The Hornets, champions of Region 6 and led by fifth-year coach Brad Stephens, finish 7-4, matching the best record in program history set last year, and this season had their first playoff win and region title in a program history that dates back to 1994.
Follow the AJC’s Class 2A coverage on Twitter. Listen and subscribe to The Class 2A Blogcast on Apple, Amazon/Audible, Spotify or iHeartRadio among other platforms.
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