High school football playoffs blog recap: Highlights from Friday games

Previews — including predictions and historical information — of every fourth-round matchup can be found below:

AJC Varsity’s playoff brackets can be found here.

Carrollton, Buford will play in clash of national titans

Carrollton and Buford’s semifinal dominations figure to show they are the top two teams in Georgia. The Trojans and Wolves will play for the state title in the top classification on Dec. 16.

Buford thumped Valdosta 39-7 and Carrollton beat North Gwinnett 48-21. Both teams’ opponents were top-10 ranked teams in Class 6A and No. 1 seeds.

Hapeville Charter sends Sumter County home in overtime

Hapeville Charter recovered a game-sealing fumble in overtime to beat Sumter County 24-18. The Hornets advance to face Carver-Columbus in the state championship.

Hapeville Charter is chasing its second state title under longtime coach Winston Gordon.

Sandy Creek dominates LaGrange late

Sandy Creek pulled away from LaGrange late on the power of 4-star running back Amari Latimer. The West Virginia commitment helped the Patriots roll to a 42-24 win.

Sandy Creek will face Jefferson in the state title game.

Former UGA LB leads Carver to state championship game

Former Carver-Columbus and UGA linebacker Jarvis Jones led his alma mater back to the state championship with a 33-14 win over Burke County. The Tigers have not lost since Aug. 30, 2024.

Benedictine outlasts Marist, advances to face Creekside

Benedictine held on to a 28-20 win over Marist to advance to face Creekside in the state championship. The Cadets are chasing their fifth state title under 15th-year coach Danny Britt.

Buford commands three-score lead at Valdosta

Buford took a statement 24-7 lead over Valdosta with a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown from Tyriq Green. The AJC Super 11 selection is less than nine minutes away from facing Carrollton in the state championship.

Lincoln County, Bowdon dominate to make state title game

Lincoln County and Bowdon both rolled in the semifinals to advance to an all-Red Devil state championship.

Lincoln County hammered Early County 34-0 and Bowdon thumped Clinch County 45-6.

Bowdon will try to win its fourth straight state championship.

Creekside tops Kell 35-6, makes second state title game in 3 years

Creekside hammered a Moonie Gipson-less Kell 35-6 to make its second state championship appearance in three seasons. The Seminoles improved to 13-0 behind a four-touchdown performance from quarterback Cayden Benson.

Upset Alert: Calvary Day drops Fellowship Christian

Calvary Day beat Private bracket No. 1 seed Fellowship Christian 24-7 to punch its ticket to the state championship. The Cavaliers will likely face reigning state champion Hebron Christian.

4-star Kell RB reportedly suffers injury

Kell’s star running back, Moonie Gipson, suffered a lower body injury in the first quarter against Creekside, according to Score Atlanta.

Gipson has been the center of Kell’s offense all season. The Longhorns trail Creekside 35-6 in the second half.

Gainesville keeps rolling out of halftime

Gainesville quarterback Kharim Hughley led the offense right back down the field for a 34-13 lead over Hughes. Hughley threw his fourth touchdown of the night to a wide-open Phillip Williams.

The Red Elephants got a short field after recovering an onside kick to start the second half.

Jefferson clinches state championship berth over West Laurens

Jefferson’s defense stifled West Laurens in the second half, shutting the Raiders out in the final 24 minutes for a 17-13 win. The Dragons will play for their second state title in program history.

Jefferson also made the state championship in 2024 but fell 20-7 to Calhoun.

Creekside strikes again on near-identical TD

Cayden Benson went back to the well for his third touchdown pass of the day. The quarterback found Armani Hill on a go route down the sideline for the second time, and Creekside took a 28-3 lead over Kell.

Cam Newton in attendance for Gainesville-Hughes

Newton, who played high school football for Westlake, was on the sidelines for the Gainesville-Hughes playoff quarterfinal.

Gainesville’s Darryn Williams takes first two-score lead on pick-six

Darryn Williams just shocked the home crowd at Hughes with a pick-six. Williams intercepted a pass off the hands of a Hughes receiver at the Gainesville 30-yard line.

Williams took off and won the 70-yard race to the goal line. Gainesville took a 27-13 lead with the score.

Hughes thought it had tied the game at 20-20 on a long touchdown run before a holding call behind the play negated the score.

Buford takes 11-0 lead on explosive score

Buford running back Jameer Cantrell erupted for an 89-yard touchdown run for the game’s first touchdown. The Wolves converted a two-point conversion for an 11-0 lead over Valdosta.

Heard County halves Toombs County’s lead before half

Heard County’s Ethan Tisdale cut Toombs County’s 14-0 lead in half with a 10-yard touchdown run. Tisdale cut Heard County’s deficit to 14-7 with less than a minute before halftime.

Carrollton RB houses his second touchdown in potential blowout

Carrollton running back Cameron Brown is having another eye-popping performance Friday night. Brown blazed through the heart of North Gwinnett’s defense and past the second and third levels for his second touchdown of the night.

Carrollton has a 27-0 lead on four rushing touchdowns. Brown led Carrollton’s rushing attack last Friday night when the Trojans hammered Grayson 34-14.

Upset Watch: Hapeville Charter leads Sumter County

Hapeville Charter entered Friday night as a 17-point underdog. The Hornets head into the locker room with a 10-3 lead over Sumter County.

Creekside ground game builds first half lead

Creekside is known for its explosiveness through the air, but the Seminoles flexed their muscles in the run game with a short score against Kell.

Ced Kelley powered across the goal line for a 21-3 lead over Kell.

Gainesville freshman snags first TD of season for lead

Gainesville freshman Trent Wilcox snagged an eye-popping touchdown catch over his back shoulder. Quarterback Kharim Hughley found Wilcox for the freshman’s first career touchdown.

Gainesville regained the lead 20-13 in the second quarter.

Sandy Creek blocks field goal, takes 11-point lead into halftime

Sandy Creek preserved its two-score lead over LaGrange with a blocked field goal right before halftime. The block kept the Patriots ahead 21-10.

Defending champ Hebron Christian rolling Greater Atlanta Christian early

Hebron Christian has built a 14-3 lead over Greater Atlanta Christian at the end of the first quarter. The Lions are trying to extend their winning streak to 15 games against GHSA opponents.

Hebron Christian appears to be on its way to fighting for its state title defense in Atlanta two weeks from now.

Benedictine takes first two-score lead against Marist

Benedictine quarterback Stephen Cannon cashed a 26-yard rushing touchdown for a 21-7 lead over Marist.

Sandy Creek takes two-score lead on second TD from QB

Sandy Creek quarterback Caleb Hill scored a four-yard rushing touchdown on an off tackle run. The Patriots took a 21-10 lead over LaGrange with the score.

Gainesville hits back with kick return, second TD pass

Gainesville running back Nigel Newkirk’s biggest play of the game so far came on special teams. Newkirk returned the kickoff following a Hughes touchdown well into the red zone.

Three plays later, Gainesville quarterback Kharim Hughley found Collin Porterfield to tie the game at 13-13.

Carrollton rolling, freshman QB claims 20-0 lead

Carrollton freshman quarterback CJ Cypher rolled into the end zone for the Trojans’ third rushing touchdown of the night. Cypher scored untouched on a quarterback draw from seven yards out to extend the lead.

Creekside takes two-score lead with air attack

Creekside quarterback Cayden Benson has his second explosive touchdown toss of the night. The Seminoles lead Kell 14-0 after Benson’s pass to Armani Hill.

Buford touchdown wiped, Wolves settle for field goal

An illegal block in the back wiped a would-be Buford touchdown off the board, but the Wolves still salvaged the drive with the first points of the game. Buford kicked a 37-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead at Valdosta.

Hughes takes seven-point lead over Gainesville

Hughes running back Qwantavius Wiggins ripped off Hughes’ second explosive TD run of the night from 43 yards out. Wiggins beat the Gainesville defense to the edge on a third-and-long and raced untouched across the goal line.

Hughes leads 13-6.

Both teams have struggled on special teams early, each missing an extra point.

West Laurens gets pick, quick touchdown to close on Jefferson

West Laurens intercepted a Jefferson pass and scored on the next play. The Raiders are fighting to keep their season alive and trail Jefferson just 14-13.

Defending 2A champ Carver leads Burke County 13-7 at half

Carver-Columbus isn’t totally comfortable in its semifinal game against 26-point underdog Burke County. The Tigers lead the Bears 13-7 at the half.

Sandy Creek builds lead on fourth-and-goal TD

Sandy Creek quarterback Caleb Hill took a 14-3 lead over LaGrange in the clutch. Hill housed a 10-yard rushing touchdown on fourth-and-gaol.

Jefferson ground game grinding out 14-7 lead

Jefferson is imposing its will on the ground and has taken a 14-7 lead over West Laurens. The Dragons regained the lead on a quarterback sneak from Colton Grant.

Upset Watch: Calvary Day leads Fellowship Christian

Calvary Day is out to a 17-7 lead over Fellowship Christian in the second quarter. The Cavaliers entered Friday night as seven-point favorites.

Fellowship Christian entered the postseason as the No. 1 overall seed.

Class A Division II update: Bowdon, Lincoln County lead

Bowdon and Lincoln County are well on their way to a state championship matchup. Both teams enter the second quarter with two-score leads.

Bowdon leads Clinch County 14-0 at the end of the first half. Lincoln County extended its lead to 14-0 after a poor punt by Early County gave the Red Devils a short field.

If Bowdon were to face Lincoln County in the state championship, it would be the Red Devils against the Red Devils.

Carrollton chases second TD run in strong start

Carrollton quarterback Mason Holtzclaw cashed a 13-yard rushing touchdown for a 13-0 lead over North Gwinnett. The Trojans have scored 47 unanswered points going back to their 34-14 win over Grayson last Friday.

West Laurens scores first TD on long run

West Laurens running back JD Hogan ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run for the Raiders’ first points of the game against Jefferson. West Laurens is trying to make its first state championship appearance in program history.

Jefferson’s Darren Pinkard drew first blood with a rushing touchdown.

Benedictine takes 14-7 lead over Marist

Benedictine has an early lead in a Class 4A battle between run-heavy offenses. The Cadets took a 14-7 advantage thanks to a 21-yard rushing touchdown from Stanley Smart Jr.

Marist-Benedictine was the only game this week that the Maxwell Ratings projected as a toss-up.

Hughes responds with physical touchdown drive

Hughes leaned on its bread and butter to retake a 7-6 lead over Gainesville. The Panthers responded to their touchdown-causing fumble with a long touchdown drive capped by a 32-yard rushing touchdown from Carsyn Baker.

Sandy Creek explodes for early lead

Sandy Creek quarterback Caleb Hill found Corey Hadley Jr. on a 65-yard touchdown pass for the game’s first touchdown. The Patriots took a 7-3 lead over LaGrange with the score.

Carrollton ground game draws first blood

Carrollton took a 6-0 lead over North Gwinnett with its dominant ground game. Running back Cameron Wood exploded between the tackles and ran through a defender to give the Trojans the lead.

Creekside’s electric offense explodes early

Creekside quarterback Cayden Benson has dominated secondaries all season, and the Seminoles are rolling early against Kell.

Benson found speedy receiver Eric Paul in open space, and Paul burned the Longhorn defense for an early 7-0 lead.

Gainesville gets turnover, TD in back to back plays

Gainesville didn’t wait long to assert itself at Hughes. The Red Elephants recovered a Hughes fumble 32 yards from the end zone and scored on the next play.

Clemson quarterback commit Kharim Hughley connected with Legend Wilmont on a32-yard touchdown pass for an early 6-0 lead.

Lincoln County jumps out to early lead

Lincoln County is expected to have one of the easiest wins tonight against Early County. The Red Devils are off to a good start with a 7-0 lead after breaking off a 74-yard rushing touchdown.

Lincoln County is a 19-point favorite tonight.

3 Super 11 selections playing tonight

Three AJC Super 11 selections are still playing football.

Bowdon tight end Kaiden Prothro, Buford safety Tyriq Green and Gainesville EDGE Xavier Griffin will play in highly-anticipated matchups.

Prothro, who broke the state’s career receiving touchdowns record last week, is trying to lead Bowdon to a fourth consecutive state championship. The five-point underdogs thumped Jenkins County 49-22 last week and visit No. 1-ranked Clinch County Friday night.

Green’s Wolves are hunting a victory in Winnersville Friday night. Buford is favored by 11 points at Valdosta as two No. 1 seeds face off the Class 6A bracket.

Green and Prothro both signed with the University of Georgia earlier this week.

Griffin hasn’t made the semifinals yet, but more eyes will likely be on him tonight than the other two games combined. That’s because the Red Elephants visit No. 1-ranked Class 5A team Hughes in a game with national attention.

Griffin signed with the University of Alabama this week.

Four reigning champions still alive in title defense

The defending state champions of GHSA’s four biggest classifications have already been eliminated. Only four still have a chance to defend their state title.

Here are the four defending state champions that are still fighting for the lives in the semifinals.

Class 2A: Burke County at Carver-Columbus (-26)

Class A Division I: Toombs County (-8) at Heard County

Class A Division II: Bowdon (-5) at Clinch County

Class 3A-A Private: Greater Atlanta Christian at Hebron Christian (-24)

Grayson (6A), Milton (5A), North Oconee (4A) and Calhoun (3A) all lost in the second and third rounds.

GHSA semifinals spreads, rankings

Below are the final regular season top-10 rankings and point spreads, according to Maxwell Rankings, for every Georgia high school football playoff game on Friday night. Notably, the only unranked team still playing is Pepperell in Class A Division I.

Class 6A

Class 5A

Class 4A

Class 3A

Class 2A

Class A Division I

Class A Division II

Class 3A-A Private