There were upsets, close calls and blowouts in the opening round of the Class 3A high school football playoffs.
But Luella arguably pulled off the biggest feat of Round 1.
The Lions, a 21-point underdog to then-No. 6 Westover, busted a bunch of brackets by defeating the Patriots 25-24. Luella, which began the football program in 2003, has made the playoffs eight times, never making it past the second round. Last season in Class 4A, Luella beat East Forsyth 26-21 to earn a second-round berth before losing to Stephenson 35-7.
Luella will travel to No. 5 Cherokee Bluff in the second round after the Bears defeated Monroe Area 28-7. Cherokee was led by quarterback Brooks Brien, who was 17-of-20 passing for 161 yards and two touchdowns -- to Malcolm Milsap and Jackson Pirkle. The Bears got a 57-yard touchdown run from Connor Griffin and a short touchdown run from Pirkle.
In another upset, Ringgold was a 13-point underdog when it moved past Hart County 19-0 to earn a second-round berth. The victory was the first in the playoff for coach Austin Crisp, who took over the program last season. The Tigers lost in the first round in each of the past two seasons and appeared in the second round in 2021.
It’s worth noting that defending-champion Cedar Grove will not be in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Saints lost to Harlem 27-13, marking the end of Cedar Grove’s era of dominance in 3A football.
Top-ranked Peach County outgained Chestatee 503-394 behind a 324-yard performance from quarterback DJ Hudson in the 56-33 victory over Chestatee. Hudson passed to Zion Hudson (62 yards, 5 yards) and Chris Scott (83 yards, 39 yards) for touchdowns. Ashton Barton added 107 rushing yards and a touchdown, and E’Darrius Davis scored on a 14-yard run. Hudson was 12-of-15 passing for 324 yards and four touchdowns. Hudson had five catches for 125 yards and a touchdown, and Scott had three receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Peach will play Baldwin in the second round
No. 9-ranked Douglass advanced to the second round for the first time since the 2019 season, when it lost in the quarterfinals under coach Rodney Cofield. The victory marked Stanley Pritchett’s first playoff victory. The Astros suffered first-round losses in each of the past two seasons. Douglass scored on a 30-yard pass from quarterback John Wilson to Demarion Parrott and a 65-yard touchdown run from Antoine Watkins. Douglass will face Calhoun in the second round.
Calhoun trailed 6-3 after the first quarter and led 10-6 at the half before it held the Jaguars scoreless in the second half to secure a 31-6 victory against Spalding.
Class 3A first-round results
Jefferson 46, Monroe 6
Oconee County 31, Westside-Augusta 14
Luella 25, Westover 24
Cherokee Bluff 28, Monroe Area 14
North Hall 21, Gilmer 14
Upson-Lee 35, Long County 23
LaGrange 48, Lumpkin County 6
Sandy Creek 48, Adairsville 23
Peach County 56, Chestatee 33
Baldwin 26, West Laurens 24
Calhoun 31, Spalding 6
Stephenson 44, Whitewater 37
Jenkins 28, Northwest Whitfield 14
Southeast Bulloch 35, Heritage-Catoosa 9
Harlem 27, Cedar Grove 14
Douglass-Atlanta 14, Cairo 13
