Championship Game Previews: Classes 6A and 5A

Class 6A

Carrollton vs. Buford

When, where: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Records, rankings: Carrollton is 14-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-6A and No. 3; Buford is 14-0, the No. 1 seed from 8-6A and No. 2.

Last meeting: Carrollton won 30-17 in the 2024 Class 6A semifinals. Buford leads the series 3-1.

Things to know: Buford (USA Today, ESPN, The Sporting News) and Carrollton (MaxPreps, hsratings.com) hold five No. 1 national rankings out of the 10 commonly recognized polls. The winner almost certainly would be the first Georgia team with multiple national titles since LaGrange in 1991. This will be the first final between undefeated teams in the highest class since Colquitt County beat Roswell in 2015. These programs rank 1-2 in victories over the past five seasons in all classes – Carrollton at 65-6, Buford at 62-6. They’ve met twice in that time, both in semifinals, with Carrollton winning 30-17 in 2024 and Buford winning 21-6 in 2021. Buford has won 14 state titles, all but one this century. Carrollton has won seven state titles, all in the 20th century, but has four runner-up finishes since 2000. Neither has won a state title in the highest class. Eight Buford players have signed with Power 4 Conference teams. They are DL Bryce Perry-Wright (Texas A&M), RB/DB Tyriq Green (Georgia), OL Graham Houston (Georgia), DE Dre Quinn (Ohio State), DB Nascar McCoy (Ole Miss), OL Ben Mubenga (Arkansas), RB Dylan McCoy (N.C. State) and TE Dream Rashad (North Carolina). QB Dayton Raiola, DB Jax Pope and LB C.J. Sibley are other seniors with P4 offers. (The state record for P4 or P5 signees in one class is 11 by Grayson in 2019.) Carrollton has four P4 signees – DB Dorian Barney (Ole Miss), LB C.J. Gamble (Georgia Tech), OL/DL Zykie Helton (Georgia) and WR Ryan Mosley (Georgia) – and seven other seniors who have signed. These teams have one common opponent, Douglas County. Carrollton won 55-22. Buford won 34-26 and 30-15.

Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Carrollton 29, Buford 21

Class 5A

Thomas Co. Central vs. Gainesville

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Records, rankings: Thomas County Central is 14-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-5A and No. 2; Gainesville is 12-2, the No. 2 seed from 7-5A and No. 4.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: Thomas County Central is chasing its second state title in three seasons. The program is 52-3 in coach Justin Rogers’ four seasons. It had not won a state title since claiming five in the 1990s. Thomas Central has won each game by 14 points or more, its closest a 35-21 win over Lee County in the regular season. Jaylen Johnson (2,503 passing yards) and Deuce Lawrence (1,836 rushing yards, signed with Wake Forest) lead an offense that averages 53.3 points per game. WR Jaydon Dunbar (signed with Pitt) and WR Jabari Watkins (committed to Nebraska) are top recruits. DE Cam Brooks (Florida State) was his region’s co-defensive player of the year. Gainesville has lost only to Class 6A finalist Carrollton 43-21 and 5A semifinalist Roswell 37-35. Kharim Hughley, a junior committed to Clemson, has thrown for 2,467 yards. Nigel Newkirk, a 1,400-yard rusher, was injured in the semifinals, but Dwight Lewis rushed for 226 yards in the 40-32 victory over Hughes. The defensive front seven is especially stout with LB Xavier Griffin (Alabama), DL Jamarion Matthews (Alabama), DL Ayden Cain (Duke) and DE Kadin Fossung (Tulsa).

Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Thomas County Central 27, Gainesville 21