JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Friday is the opening night of the Georgia High School Association state football playoffs and five of the area’s six teams from southeast Georgia are alive. Here’s a glance at those games.
GHSA playoffs, first round
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Class 5A playoffs
Glynn Academy (6-4) at Jackson County (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
Winner gets: Shiloh or Milton in the second round on Nov. 21. Glynn would travel to face either team.
Glance: Tough opener for the Red Terrors, who are looking for their first playoff win since 2020. They’ll have to find a way to slow down a Panthers team that averages nearly 46 points per game and is tough to score on, too (10.3 ppg).
Winder-Barrow (4-6) at Brunswick (8-2), 7:30 p.m.
Winner gets: Dunwoody or Gainesville in the second round on No. 21. Brunswick would host either team.
Glance: The Pirates have won playoff openers in back-to-back seasons and would host in the second round with a win here. QB Grant Moore is having an excellent season throwing the ball for the Pirates (2,276 passing yards, 24 TDs). Brunswick also has a pair of 1,000-yard RBs in Josiah Gibbons (1,165 yards, 9 TDs) and Nigel Gardner (1,077 yards, 15 TDs). ATH and Gators commit Heze Kent has seven TD catches and 591 receiving yards and is a nightmare of a matchup.
Class 4A
Ware County (8-2) at Flowery Branch (7-3), 7:30 p.m.
Winner gets: Dalton or Creekside in the second round on Nov. 21. Ware would host Dalton but travel to Creekside.
Glance: The Gators finished No. 3 in Region 1-4A and open the playoffs on the road. Ware tends to win once it gets here. The last first-round playoff game it lost was in 2006. QB Isaiah White has passed for 1,610 yards and 11 TDs. The ground game is powered by RB Tayshaun Franklin (889 rushing yards, 16 TDs) and Jamir Boyd (649 rushing yards, 7 TDs). WR Jamario Rice has seven TD catches and is closing in on a 1,000-yard receiving season (844). DE Walker Hudson (51 tackles, 17 TFL, 9 sacks) leads the defense.
Class 2A playoffs
Ringgold (6-4) Pierce County (8-2), 7:30 p.m.
Winner gets: Atlanta Carver or Butler in the second round on Nov. 21. Pierce would host Butler but travel to Carver.
Glance: The Bears stumbled a bit down the stretch and go into the playoffs having lost two of their last three games. But Pierce has typically turned things on once the playoffs begin. The Bears have won nine straight first-round playoff games, and are 6-0 in openers under head coach Ryan Herring.
Class A Division II
Charlton County (5-5) at Macon County (5-5), 7:30 p.m.
Winner gets: Glascock County or Screven County in the second round on Nov. 21. Charlton would host Glascock but travel to Screven County.
Glance: The Indians are looking for their first playoff win under second-year head coach DeMario Jones. Their last playoff win came in 2022. According to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, Charlton is 1-7 all-time against Macon County, with the last win back in 1964.