Semifinal previews: Classes 2A and A Division I
Class 2A
Hapeville Charter (9-4) at Sumter County (12-1)
Seeding: Hapeville Charter is the No. 12 seed. Sumter County is the No. 9 seed.
Rankings: Hapeville Charter is ranked No. 7. Sumter County is ranked No. 5.
Last week: Hapeville Charter beat Morgan County 34-22. Hapeville Charter never trailed, and Damond Stiggers' 28-yard TD run in the final three minutes provided the final margin. Keylan Pope was 15-of-24 passing for 233 yards. Sumter County beat Carver of Atlanta 39-20. Aaron Kearse rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Brice Terry returned an interception for a touchdown. Sumter County held Carver to a season-low 245 total yards.
Last meeting/series: This is the teams' first meeting.
Playoff history: This is Hapeville Charter's first semifinal appearance since 2017. Hapeville Charter is trying to reach the finals for the first time since winning Class 2A in 2017. Hapeville Charter is 1-1 all-time in semifinals. This is Sumter County's first semifinal appearance.
Score vs. schedule: Hapeville Charter's average score is 25-14 against the fifth-hardest schedule in Class 2A. Sumter County's average score is 43-8 against the 34th-hardest schedule in Class 2A.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Sumter County 25, Hapeville Charter 8
Burke County (11-2) at Carver-Columbus (13-0)
Seeding: Burke County is the No. 10 seed. Carver is the No. 3 seed.
Rankings: Burke County is ranked No. 9. Carver is ranked No. 1.
Last week: Burke County beat Rockmart 41-40. Burke County trailed 27-7 at halftime. Sean Vandiver threw a 31-yard pass to Will Joyner with 11 seconds left for the winning score. Vandiver was 11-of-20 passing for 221 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Carver beat Thomson 38-10. Freshman Zach Watts rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. It was defending champion Carver’s eighth straight playoff victory of 21 points or more.
Last meeting/series: Carver won 52-14 in the 2024 finals. Carver leads the series 2-0.
Playoff history: This is Burke County's second straight semifinal appearance. Burke County is trying to reach the finals for the second season in a row and was the 2024 runner-up. Burke County is 3-1 all-time in semifinals. This is Carver's third straight semifinal appearance. Carver is trying to reach the finals for the second season in a row and is the defending champion. Carver is 3-7 all-time in semifinals.
Score vs. schedule: Burke County's average score is 37-18 against the 32nd-hardest schedule in Class 2A. Carver's average score is 48-5 against the 39th-hardest schedule in Class 2A.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Carver 34, Burke County 8
Class A Division I
Toombs County (12-1) at Heard County (13-0)
Seeding: Toombs County is the No. 4 seed. Heard County is the No. 1 seed.
Rankings: Toombs County is ranked No. 2. Heard County is ranked No. 3.
Last week: Toombs County beat Northeast 24-6. Toombs County led only 3-0 at halftime and 10-6 midway in the fourth quarter, when Justin Powell scored two touchdowns to put the game away. Powell rushed for 183 yards on 30 carries and maintained his 200-yard average in the playoffs. Toombs County led Northeast to 256-199 total yards. Heard County beat Fitzgerald 39-38. Mac Googe kicked a 22-yard field on the final play at the end of an 82-yard drive. Heard County led 17-0 midway in the second quarter and trailed 38-29 midway in the fourth. Ethan Tisdale was 18-of-30 passing for 272 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Darience Coleman rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
Last meeting/series: This is the teams' first meeting.
Playoff history: This is Toombs County's second straight semifinal appearance. Toombs County is trying to reach the finals for the second season in a row and is the defending champion. Toombs County is 1-0 all-time in semifinals. This is Heard County's first semifinal appearance since 2018. Heard County is trying to reach the finals for the first time since winning Class 2A in 2018. Heard County is 1-1 all-time in semifinals.
Score vs. schedule: Toombs County's average score is 40-13 against the sixth-hardest schedule in Class A Division I. Heard County's average score is 41-14 against the 31st-hardest schedule in Class A Division I.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Toombs County 29, Heard County 21
Pepperell (9-4) at Worth County (13-0)
Seeding: Pepperell is the No. 10 seed. Worth County is the No. 3 seed.
Rankings: Pepperell is unranked. Worth County is ranked No. 1.
Last week: Pepperell beat Rabun County 34-0. Pepperell held Rabun County to 167 total yards, more than 225 yards below average. Moss Tant was 12-of-16 passing for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Sam Ross had seven receptions for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Worth County beat Gordon Lee 17-7. Lyndon Worthy passed for 256 yards. Kaden Chester rushed for 100 yards. Worth County held Gordon Lee to 182 total yards.
Last meeting/series: This is the teams' first meeting.
Playoff history: This is Pepperell's first semifinal appearance since 1998. Pepperell is trying to reach the finals for the first time since winning Class 2A in 1990. Pepperell is 1-2 all-time in semifinals. This is Worth County's first semifinal appearance since 1991. Worth County is trying to reach the finals for the first time since 1990. Worth County is 4-2 all-time in semifinals.
Score vs. schedule: Pepperell's average score is 32-22 against the 12th-hardest schedule in Class A Division I. Worth County's average score is 42-12 against the 25th-hardest schedule in Class A Division I.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Worth County 34, Pepperell 16