Sims Antonakos, a sophomore halfback and linebacker at Lincoln County, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Sims (6 feet, 180 pounds) boasts a 98.62 GPA. He leads through service. He participated in a community workday, helping those in need by cutting grass, trimming hedges, moving furniture and spreading mulch. He also volunteered with the River of Life Summer Program, repairing property for local residents.

Newnan coach Chip Walker called it a game that “will be talked about for years to come” in Coweta County. Against East Coweta, Newnan's archrival, Newnan trailed 49-24 late in the third quarter and 56-46 late in the fourth but won 60-56 after scoring two late touchdowns and recovering a critical onside kick with 48 seconds left.

Devon Caldwell’s path to football stardom has been a steady climb, and what he did Friday night was the peak so far. The Hebron Christian senior running back rushed for a career-high 328 yards in a 45-29 victory against Fellowship Christian in a rematch of a 2024 Class 3A-A Private semifinal.

Colby Smith, a senior running back and linebacker at Southeast Bulloch, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Smith, who maintains a 4.0 GPA, ran for 49 yards on 11 carries in the season opener last week. He had 2,454 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns last season and was a Class 3A preseason all-state selection this year.

As soon as practical, any new football coach should strive to get rid of any losing streak he finds lying around. It’s good for morale. In coach Kevin Saunders’ first game Saturday, his new team, 15-point underdog Apalachee, discarded a 29-game losing streak, defeating Chattahoochee 29-9 and avenging a 47-21 loss from the previous season.

Casey Barner is the consensus No. 1 sophomore prospect in Georgia, but he wasn’t a household name in the GHSA before the season. That’s beginning to change. Playing in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, the McEachern 10th grader scored on a 98-yard kickoff return, a 39-yard reception and a 69-yard run and finished with 353 all-purpose yards in a 50-17 victory over Walton.

Northeast just became the first Macon team to reach a state championship game in 49 years with a 46-14 victory over Fitzgerald in the Class A Division I semifinals. Nick Woodford, a 2,000-yard rusher again, rushed for 326 yards. Northeast is GHSF Daily’s Team of the Week.

C.J. Wiley was the state’s leading receiver last season. With "only" 1,064 yards this season, about 400 off his old pace, he might not defend that title with so many other talented weapons in the Milton offense, but he remains firmly in contention for the title of Georgia’s best wide receiver.

Maggie Sullivan, a junior running back and edge rusher for Blessed Trinity, is GHSF Daily’s Flag Football Player of the Week. Sullivan had eight receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown and a sack in a 13-7 victory over Woodstock in the Division 4 first round last week.

North Cobb Christian coach Matt Jones called his school “a hidden gem” in September after his team beat Ringgold 41-39 in six overtimes. There’s nothing hidden now about the football team, only the spotlight of the quarterfinals’ most conspicuous upset.

Upon further review, it was great blocking, speed and acceleration that best explained Tyrese Woodgett’s 605-yard rushing performance Friday. It set the single-game Georgia record in Coffee’s 72-48 victory over Sequoyah in the Class 5A quarterfinals. The previous record was held by Devyn Collins of Pepperell, who rushed for 485 yards against Rockmart in 2014.

Sprayberry’s historic season collected more mementos last week in a 35-7 victory over Newnan. Earlier this month, Sprayberry clinched its first region title in 16 seasons with a victory over Woodstock that clinched Region 6. On Friday, the Yellow Jackets won their 11th game, setting a record for a school that opened in the 1950s.

Malachi Fannin-Render played only four plays the first time that LaGrange played Sandy Creek, and the Grangers lost 27-7. Three months later, they played again. The senior running back got the ball 32 times. It made a difference.

Zylea Dinkins, a junior middle linebacker for undefeated Westside of Macon, is GHSF Daily’s Flag Football Player of the Week. Dinkins intercepted three passes, returning two for touchdowns, in a 27-0 victory over Mary Persons that clinched the Area 5 Division I championship last week.

Jahnias Wilcox, a senior wide receiver at Coffee, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the week. Wilcox has a 4.0 GPA and is also a member of the weightlifting team. “Jahnias is such a valuable part of our football team and school, quiet by nature and as hard of a worker as you can find, both on and off the field,” Coffee head coach Mike Coe said.

Sequoyah is proud of its 38-28 victory over No. 6 Gainesville in the Class 5A first round. Just don’t call it an upset. “For our kids, they pretty much expected it, to be honest,” Sequoyah coach James Teter said. “Some people feel like we won in an upset, but our players felt like we had played well all year and that our region was tough enough.”

Archer needed a Hollywood ending to beat Harrison last week, and Jonathan Do delivered on que, throwing a 37-yard touchdown pass to Tyree Begne with 13 seconds left to give the Tigers a 46-42 victory in the Class 6A first round. “He has the Rocky Balboa attitude,” Archer coach Dante Williams said of his junior quarterback.

Ariana Respress, a junior quarterback and safety at Peach County, is GHSF Daily’s Flag Football Player of the Week. Respress led Peach County to four victories last week and the program’s first area championship. Peach has improved to 12-3 this season after going 1-8 last year.

Drew Linnihan, a senior kicker/punter at Marist, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Linnihan is the leading scorer for the Class 4A No. 1-ranked War Eagles with 65 points. He has made 47 of 48 extra points and is 6-for-7 on field goals, and 49 of his 62 kickoffs have been touchbacks.

Audrey Jensen, a junior quarterback at Milton, is GHSF Daily’s Flag Football Player of the Week. Jenson was 30-of-40 passing for 481 yards and six touchdowns as Milton beat Johns Creek 27-12 and Blessed Trinity 28-27 last week.