Unranked Sequoyah, Cambridge and Luella defeated top-10 teams, and Archer, Peachtree Ridge, Houston County and Bleckley County eliminated region champions in highlights of last week’s first round. The opening round was light on upsets, which is the norm. The computer Maxwell Ratings pegged 104 of 119 games correctly.

New Hampstead’s Rashawn Truell finished first in regular-season passing yards with his 500-yard performance last week in the team’s season finale against Ware County, a 48-41 victory. Teammate Kamari Maxwell had 271 receiving yards in the game and took the Class 4A lead with 1,344 and fell five yards short of the statewide leader, Jaylen Elder of Morgan County.

The GHSA playoffs begin this weekend with 119 games across the state to be played Friday and Saturday in the first of five postseason rounds. Among the high-profile matchups are Camden County at North Cobb and Mill Creek at Douglas County, with the winners to square off in the second round.

Calvary Day’s Mark Stroud, whose 272 victories rank second behind Marist’s Alan Chadwick among active GHSA coaches, will step down after the playoffs and give way to offensive coordinator Jason Cameron. Stroud held a press conference Tuesday to announce the news. His win total ranks 17th in GHSA history.

Apalachee running back Favian Williford provided a bright spot in a rough season, running for 269 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Loganville. New Hampstead QB Rashawn Truell passed for 500 yards and five touchdowns in an upset victory over Ware County, and Telfair County’s Bradyn Cook ran for 216 yards and two TDs in a region-clinching victory over Wilcox County.

Carver of Columbus is the new No. 1 football team in Class 2A, marking the first time the Tigers are atop the AJC rankings since current Georgia State head coach Dell McGee was the Tigers’ coach in 2010. Carver didn’t play last weekend but got the promotion when previous No. 1 Appling County lost to Fitzgerald 21-16.

Chattooga’s Zayden Cook clinched the regular-season rushing title last week with a 302-yard final effort, and Morgan County’s Jaylen Elder appears safe as the regular-season receiving leader with 1,349 yards. The passing leader, Antwann Hill of Houston County, has completed his regular season and faces a final challenge Friday night.

It’s makeup week in Georgia high school football. Forty-eight games Friday and Saturday will close out the regular season. The GHSA hopes to have playoff draws posted by 8 p.m. Saturday. This week wasn’t on the original schedule, but the GHSA added it to accommodate dozens of games still un-played from Hurricane Helene storm damage.

Stockbridge, the 2023 Class 4A football runner-up and a recently crowned region champion that was on a nine-game winning streak, was forced to forfeit its nine victories Tuesday for using an ineligible player. GHSA executive director Tim Scott confirmed the penalty and told GHSF Daily that Stockbridge self-reported the violation.