In Region 1, Worth County, Thomasville and Fitzgerald all advanced to the Elite 8. There were eight teams that made the playoffs in Region 2, half made the second round and that was halved once again as just Dublin and Northeast advanced to the Elite 8. In Region 3, No. 6 seed Toombs County and Class A-3A Private No. 1 seed Savannah Christian are the two remaining contenders that are in the quarterfinals. Region 4 was eliminated this last round with Lamar County and Japser County each getting swept by Region 2′s Northeast and Dublin. In Region 5, eight teams qualified for the A-3A Private playoffs and it’s just Fellowship Christian and Wesleyan remaining after King’s Ridge, Whitefield Academy and Mt. Paran fell in the second round. Region 6 was eliminated from the playoffs with Heard County and Temple each falling in the second round. Region 3 sent seven teams to the playoffs, five were eliminated in the first round and just No. 1 seed Fannin County remains. Finally, in Region 8, No. 19 seed Elbert County is the lone team out of five playoff qualifiers that reached the quarterfinals. As a result, Region 1 has been the most successful region with its trio of quarterfinalists; Worth County, Thomasville and Fitzgerald.
Here’s highlights from the Second Round. Fannin County advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2020 as the Rebels defeated the Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets, 28-21 in a close contest. After facing an early 14-0 deficit in the first quarter, Fannin County’s Lawson Sullivan gets the Rebels on the board with a rushing touchdown from a yard out to cut the lead down to seven in the first. After another Jeff Davis score, Fannin County answered with another rushing touchdown to cut the lead to 21-14, as the Yellow Jackets took a seven-point lead into the half. With eight minutes left in the third quarter, Sullivan gave the Rebels another spark, this time with a rushing touchdown from 62-yards out to tie the game up at 21. After a missed field goal with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter by Jeff Davis, Sullivan found the endzone once again, this time from 40-yards out, ultimately advancing the Rebels to the quarterfinals.
Elbert County advanced to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season as the Blue Devils defeated the Heard County Braves, 26-24 in the second round. The Blue Devils got on the scoreboard first with a Jayvyn Hickman touchdown to take an early 6-0 lead after the failed extra point. Heard County answered with a 44-yard touchdown to take a 7-6 lead with 19 seconds left in the first quarter. Elbert County got back out in front with a touchdown pass from Hickman to Brady Dickerson to take a 13-7 lead with a little over eight minutes left in the first half. Heard County was able to answer with a 64-yard touchdown reception to take a 14-13 lead with just under three minutes left in the half. After the half, which saw the Braves hold a one-point lead, Heard County kicked a field goal on its first possession to take a 17-13 lead all the way into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Dickerson’s touchdown reception in the corner of the endzone gave the Blue Devils a 20-17 game early in the final quarter. With just over two minutes left in the game, the Hickman to Dickerson connection proved to be true once more in the back of the endzone for six to take a 26-17 lead. Heard County scored on the ensuing possession on the first play of the drive to cut the lead to 26-24, but it wasn’t enough as the Blue Devils move onto the quarterfinals.
Fitzgerald upended Bleckley County 28-24 in a back and forth second round matchup. Fitzgerald’s Oreian Bly scored a rushing touchdown from four yards out to take an early 7-0 lead. The Royals answered with a Kam’ryn Everett rushing touchdown from one yard out to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter. Bleckley took the lead in the second quarter with a 13-yard rushing touchdown from Dequavis Benjamin to take a 14-7 lead. After a Bleckley County field goal, Victor Copeland’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Deberry brought Fitzgerald back within one score to make it 17-14 going into the half. Fitzgerald’s Bly one-yard rushing touchdown with two minutes left in the third gave the Purple Hurricanes the lead back, 21-17, ahead of the fourth quarter. Bleckley County’s Benjamin found the endzone once again, thus time from one-yard out to give the Royals a late 24-21 lead with around eight minutes left in the game. With just over two minutes left, Cam Johnson gave Fitzgerald the lead back with a 14-yard rushing score to give them a 28-24 lead late in the fourth, lifting the Purple Hurricanes to the quarterfinals for the second-straight season.
Northeast advanced to the quarterfinals for just the second time in four seasons, after the Raiders took down the Lamar County Trojans, 21-10 in the second round matchup. The Raiders struck first with a one-yard rushing score from Nick Woodford to take an early 7-0 lead. Ten consecutive points from the Trojans gave Lamar County a 10-7 lead in the second quarter as they took the three-point lead into the half. While the Trojans held the lead for the entire third quarter, Northeast’s Reginald Glover found Zahkie Denson for a 26-yard strike to give the Raiders the four-point lead in the fourth. With just over three minutes left in the game, Woodford found the end zone again for the Raiders, this time from 13-yards out to give Lamar County an 11-point lead, ultimately deciding the game.
The home teams went 7-1 on the night in the Class A-Division I second round. … Worth County advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1997 after they defeated the Dodge County Indians by 40-points in the second round, 63-23. … Toombs County advanced to the quarterfinals for the second-consecutive season as the Bulldogs defeated the Commerce Tigers, 49-21. This is the first time since the 1994 and 1995 season where Toombs County advanced to the quarterfinals for the second season in a row. … Thomasville advanced to the quarterfinals for the third time in five seasons and the first time since 2022 as they defeated Temple, 42-10. This is the fifth time in six seasons that Thomasville has made it out of the second round. … Dublin kept its perfect season intact as the undefeated, 12-0 Fighting Irish defeated Jasper County, 42-7. This is the first time since 2018 the Fighting Irish have made the quarterfinals and the 16th time they have made it there in program history.
Wesleyan is back in the quarterfinals with a 22-15 win over Christian Heritage. Christian Heritage started the scoring after a scoreless first quarter with a 15-yard pass. With 1 minute left in the half, Ben Brown threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to go into halftime with an 8-6 score. Christian Heritage answered with 7:44 left in the third on a 1-yard touchdown run. Soon after, Ben Brown found Brice Gillis for a 10-yard touchdown to cut the lead to three. Halfway through the fourth, the Wolves took the lead on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Ben Brown to Wes Vail, making it 19-15. They added three more on a 35-yard field goal with two minutes left in the game, a lead they held for the rest of the game.
Top-ranked Savannah Christian advances to its third straight quarterfinals with a 31-3 win over region rival Savannah Country Day. Savannah Christian got the scoring started with 7:40 left in the first quarter on a 22-yard field goal. The Raiders extended their lead early in the second quarter on a four-yard Jaden Miles touchdown run. After halftime, Savannah Christian added a 39-yard touchdown pass from Blaise Thomas to Kenry Wall to go up 17-0. Savannah Country Day scored their first points of the night on a 28-yard field goal to cut the lead to 17-3. Miles scored his second touchdown of the night on a 13-yard run with 11:53 left in the game. Athen Hudspeth scored the final points of the game, returning a fumble 95 yards to extend the lead to 31-3. Next week, the Raiders will face off against North Cobb Christian.
Fellowship Christian makes its seventh straight quarterfinals appearance with a 35-7 win over King’s Ridge Christian. The Paladins started the scoring with a CJ Givers rushing touchdown with 7:10 left in the first quarter. Evan Haynes extended Fellowship Christian’s lead to two touchdowns with a 17-yard run. Givers ran for his second touchdown of the night with less than a minute left in the half. Early in the third quarter, Givers scored his third touchdown of the game, giving the Paladins a 28-0 lead. Soon after, the Tigers cut the lead to 28-7. Fellowship scored one final time with 2:37 left to secure the 35-7 victory. Next week, the Paladins will host Wesleyan.
UPDATED RECORDS AND QUARTERFINAL PAIRINGS
Class A Div. 1 Seeds are placed in [Brackets]
Class A/3A Private Seeds are placed in <Arrows>
REGION 1
Worth County 5-1, 7-3, 9-3 [4]
Thomasville 5-1, 8-2, 10-2 [7]
Fitzgerald 4-2, 7-3, 9-3 [12]
Jeff Davis 3-3, 7-3, 8-4 [16]
Bacon County 1-5, 4-6, 4-7 [20]
Brantley County 2-3, 2-8
Berrien 1-4, 1-9
First Round
Friday, Nov. 15
[4] Worth County 54, [29] Coosa 14
[7] Thomasville 48, [20] Bacon County 6
[12] Fitzgerald 42, [21] Rabun County 21
[16] Jeff Davis 33, [17] Washington County 17
Second Round
Fri. Nov. 22
[4] Worth County 63, [13] Dodge County 23
[7] Thomasville 42, [10] Temple 10
[12] Fitzgerald 28, [28] Bleckley County 24
[1] Fannin County 28, [16] Jeff Davis 21
Quarterfinals
Fri. Nov. 28
[4] Worth County vs. [12] Fitzgerald
[7] Thomasville at [2] Dunlin
REGION 2
Dublin 9-0, 10-0, 12-0 [2]
Northeast 8-1, 8-2, 10-2 [8]
Dodge County 7-2, 8-2, 9-3 [13]
Washington County 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 [17]
ACE Charter 5-4, 6-4, 6-5 [18]
Southwest 4-5, 4-6, 4-7 [27]
Bleckley County 3-6, 4-6, 5-7 [28]
East Laurens 2-7, 3-7
Jefferson County 0-8, 1-9
Central-Macon 0-9, 0-10
First Round
Friday, Nov. 15
[2] Dubin 63, [31] Gordon Central 9
[8] Northeast 46, [25] Swainsboro 7
[13] Dodge County 40, [20] Chattooga 14
[16] Jeff Davis 33, [17] Washington County 17
[15] Jasper County 41, [18] ACE Charter 31
[6] Toombs County 62, [27] Southwest 8
[28] Bleckley County 41, [5] Social Circle 16
Second Round
Friday, Nov. 22
[2] Dublin 42, [15] Japser County 7
[8] Northeast 21, [9] Lamar County 10
[4] Worth County 63, [13] Dodge County 23
[12] Fitzgerald 28, [28] Bleckley County 24
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 28
[2] Dublin vs. [7] Thomasville
[8] Northeast at [1] Fannin County
REGION 3
Savannah Christian 4-0, 9-0, 10-0 <1>
Toombs County 3-1, 8-1, 10-1 [6]
Sav. Country Day 1-3, 4-6, 5-7 <17>
Swainsboro 2-2, 3-7, 3-8 [25]
Vidalia 0-4, 3-7, 3-8 [32]
First Round
Friday, Nov. 15
[6] Toombs County 62, [27] Southwest 8
[1] Fannin County 41, [32] Vidalia 7
[[8] Northeast 46, [25] Swainsboro 7
<1> Savannah Christian BYE
<17> Savannah Country Day 23, <16> Mount Vernon 17
Second Round
Friday, Nov. 22
[1] Savannah Christian 31, [17] Savannah Country Day 3
[6] Toombs County 49, [11] Commerce 21
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 28
[1] Savannah Christian vs. [8] North Cobb Christian
[6] Toombs County vs. [19] Elbert County
REGION 4
Social Circle 5-1, 7-3, 7-4 [5]
Lamar County 5-1, 8-2, 9-3 [9]
Jasper County 4-2, 7-3, 8-4 [15]
Putnam County 4-2, 5-5, 5-6 [23]
McNair 2-4, 4-6, 4-7 [30]
Towers 1-5, 3-6
Utopian Academy 0-6, 0-10
First Round
Friday, Nov. 15
[28] Bleckley County 41, [5] Social Circle 16
[9] Lamar County 51, [24] Dade County 10
[15] Japser County 41, [18] ACE Charter 31
[10] Temple 40, [23] Putnam County 27
[3] Heard County 45, [30] McNair
Second Round
Friday, Nov. 22
[8] Northeast 21, [9] Lamar County 10
[2] Dublin 42, [15] Jasper County 7
REGION 5
Sub Region A
Fellowship Christian 5-0, 8-2, 9-2 <2>
Wesleyan 4-1, 8-2, 10-2 <10>
King’s Ridge 2-3, 7-3, 8-4 <15>
Mount Vernon 3-2, 5-4, 5-5 <16>
Mt. Pisgah 1-4, 2-8, 2-9 <23>
St. Francis 0-5, 0-10
Mount Bethel 0-0, 5-1 ++
Sub Region B
Whitefield Academy 4-0, 7-3, 7-4 <9>
Landmark Christian 2-2, 7-3, 7-4 <12>
Mount Paran 3-1, 7-3, 8-4 <13>
B.E.S.T. Academy 1-3, 4-6
Walker 0-4, 2-8
First Round
Friday, Nov. 15
<2> Fellowship Christian BYE
<9> Whitefield Academy BYE
<10> Wesleyan 41, <23> Mt. Pisgah 21
<21> Providence Christian 27, <12> Landmark Christian 24
<13> Mount Paran 32, <20> Greater Atlanta Christian 29
<15> King’s Ridge 35, <18> Darlington 0
<17> Savannah Country Day 23, <16> Mount Vernon 17
Second Round
Friday, Nov. 22
<8> North Cobb Christian 40, <9> Whitefield Academy 7
<2> Fellowship Christian 35, <15> King’s Ridge 7
<10> Wesleyan 22, <7> Christian Heritage 15
<4> Calvary Day 48, <13> Mt. Paran 7
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 28
<2> Fellowship Christian vs. <10> Wesleyan
REGION 6
Heard County 6-0, 8-2, 9-3 [3]
Temple 5-1, 8-2, 9-3 [10]
Darlington 3-3, 5-5, 5-6 <18>
Bremen 4-2, 6-4, 6-5 [22]
Pepperell 2-4, 2-8
Model 1-5, 3-7
Haralson County 0-6, 1-9
First Round
Friday, Nov. 15
[3] Heard County 45, [30] McNair 13
[10] Temple 40, [23] Putnam County 27
<15> King’s Ridge Christian 35, <18> Darlington 0
[11] Commerce 35, [22] Bremen 28
Second Round
Friday, Nov. 22
[19] Elbert County 26, [3] Heard County 24
[7] Thomasville 42, [10] Temple 10
REGION 7
Fannin County 7-0, 10-0, 12-0 [1]
Christian Heritage 6-1, 8-2, 8-3 <7>
Gordon Lee 5-2, 7-3, 7-4 [14]
Chattooga 3-4, 6-4, 6-5 [20]
Dade County 3-4, 4-6, 4-7 [24]
Coosa 2-5, 4-6, 4-7 [29]
Gordon Central 2-5, 4-6, 4-7 [31]
Armuchee 0-7, 3-7
First Round
Friday, Nov. 15
[1] Fannin County 41, [32] Vidalia 7
[19] Elbert County 28, [14] Gordon Lee 13
[13] Dodge County 40, [20] Chattooga 14
[9] Lamar County 51, [24] Dade County 10
[4] Worth County 54, [29] Coosa 14
[2] Dublin 63, [31] Gordon Lee 9
<7> Christian Heritage BYE
Second Round
Friday, Nov. 22
[1] Fannin County 28, [16] Jeff Davis 21
<10> Wesleyan 22, <7> Christian Heritage 15
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 28
[1] Fannin County vs. [8] Northeast
REGION 8
Athens Academy 6-0, 10-1 <3>
Commerce 5-1, 7-3, 8-4 [11]
Elbert County 4-2, 5-5, 7-5 [19]
Rabun County 3-3, 6-4, 6-5 [21]
Providence Christian 1-5, 2-8, 3-9 <21>
Banks County 2-4, 2-8
Oglethorpe County 0-6, 0-10
First Round
Friday, Nov. 15
[11] Commerce 35, [22] Bremen 28
[19] Elbert County 28, [14] Gordon Lee 13
<21> Providence Christian 27, <12> Landmark Christian 24
[12] Fitzgerald 42, [21] Rabun County 21
Second Round
Friday, Nov. 22
<14> Aquinas 31, <3> Athens Academy 20
[6] Toombs County 49, [11] Commerce 21
[19] Elbert County 26, [3] Heard County 24
<5> Prince Avenue Christian 62, <21> Providence Christian 14
Quarterfinals
Friday, Nov. 28
[19] Elbert County at [6] Toombs County
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