Class 7A Walton of Cobb County and Milton of Fulton will battle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium next Wednesday in the first championship game in the highest classification without a Gwinnett County or South Georgia team since 1985. In Class 6A on Tuesday, Woodward Academy and Thomas County Central are both seeking their first state tiles in more than 20 seasons.

The 16 head coaches in the state finals have won 993 games in Georgia, lost only 347, and have a winning percentage of .741. But most are new to the finals, at least as head coaches. Only Prince Avenue’s Greg Vandagriff, Cedar Grove’s John Adams and Pierce County’s Ryan Herring have won state titles. Others have won as assistants, and Coffee’s Mike Coe has won five in another state.

The state football finals are returning to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will host championship games in all eight classifications and the flag football finals in three divisions on Dec. 11-13. Here’s a recap of last week’s 16 semifinals and the significance of the results for both the winning and losing teams.

Here are the scores from the fourth week of the playoffs. If you have corrections, please contact us. Check out our Scores & Schedules page for all scores from the 2023 season and a schedule of the GHSA championship games.

The longest winning streak in state history and the longest active streak in the country came to end Thursday night when Valwood defeated John Milledge Academy 42-21 in the GIAA Class 3A championship game at Mercer’s Five Star Stadium in Macon. John Milledge (12-1) had won 62 consecutive games and four straight state championships.

GHSA executive director Robin Hines announced Wednesday that he will retire Aug. 1. Hines shared the news at the end of an executive committee meeting in which the GHSA ratified reclassification for 2024-26 and adopted a playoff format and rankings formula for classes 3A to A Division I. Also approved at the Thomaston meeting were four schools’ appeals to move down in classification for the 2024-26 academic years.

The two highest-ranked teams in Class 3A - No. 1 Calvary Day and No. 2 Cedar Grove - will battle for a spot in the state final when they meet Friday night at Buck Godfrey Stadium in Decatur. The winner will face Savannah Christian or Carver of Columbus for the championship at 1 p.m. on Dec. 13 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In the Class 2A semifinals, Fitzgerald will travel to Pierce County and Cook will play at Rockmart.

The Class 5A playoffs have played out according to form as the top four ranked teams - Coffee, Creekside, Jefferson and Cartersville - survived the first three rounds to reach the semifinals. In Class 4A, Stockbridge will try to take down two-time defending champion Benedictine this week, and Perry will face Starr’s Mill for a shot at the state final.