The first round of the Class 2A playoffs will match some unfamiliar foes, as 13 of the 16 games will be between teams that have never met. Among the teams playing an opponent for the first time are No. 1 seed Carver-Atlanta (vs. Butler), No. 3 seed Carver-Columbus (vs. Redan) and No. 5 seed Appling County (vs. Hart County). On the other hand, No. 3 seed Morgan County will face Westside-Macon in a rematch of a regular-season game.

The Georgia High School Association placed its 454 member schools into regions for the 2026-28 academic years Monday. Schools have one week to request a move into a different region in the same classification. The GHSA’s reclassification committee will hear those appeals Nov. 17. Seventeen schools won appeals Monday to play in lower classifications than they were assigned last week.

The Class 4A bracket is filled with playoff regulars. Among the teams with long streaks of postseason appearances are Ware County (24 consecutive seasons), Tucker (19), Kell (18), Benedictine (15), Blessed Trinity (15), Warner Robins (15) and Cartersville (14). No one, however, has more than Marist, which is in the playoffs for the 32nd consecutive season. The War Eagles face Starr’s Mill at home Friday night.

Top-ranked Grayson will begin the defense of its 2024 Class 6A championship when it meets playoff regular Norcross in the first round of the playoffs Friday night. This is Grayson's 12th consecutive playoff appearance. The Rams won their first-round game each of the past 11 seasons and are 19-1 all-time in the round of 32.

West Laurens’ Ty Cummings, North Hall’s Alex Schlieman and Calhoun’s Justin Beasley are the regular-season rushing, passing and receiving champions, respectively. Cummings became the state’s lone 2,000-yard rusher by finishing strong, rushing for 267 yards in West Laurens’ 27-3 victory over Westside of Augusta for the Region 4-3A championship.

GHSF Daily explores the Georgia High School Association’s Post Season Rankings and an alternative, the Extended Standings, created by rankings expert Loren Maxwell. Maxwell argues in today’s Four Questions that the Extended Standings are more accurate even though the calculations are more involved. The PSR is popular for its simple formula based on winning percentage and opponent winning percentage.

The Georgia High School Association placed schools into classifications for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years this week. Schools may appeal their placement or petition to play higher or lower in class by noon Sunday. Appeals will be heard beginning Monday at 10 a.m. Here are four takeaways from Monday’s tentative new classifications.

Creekside QB Cayden Benson, Clarke Central WR Le'Gracion Little, East Coweta WR/DB Walter Maestre Jr., Sandy Creek RB Amari Latimer and Valdosta DE Corey Howard put up big numbers in their teams’ big region victories and led the top performances across the state in the final weekend of the regular season.

Valdosta’s victory over archrival Lowndes earned the Wildcats their highest ranking entering the playoffs since 2019. Valdosta jumped from No. 9 to No. 5 in Class 6A, making the Wildcats the biggest risers in the final football rankings of the regular season. Valdosta defeated then-No. 4 Lowndes 23-14 for the Region 1-6A championship. The title is Valdosta’s first since 2016. Lowndes fell to No. 6.

North Hall quarterback Alex Schlieman became the GHSA's passing leader last week as the first to break 2,500 yards. He also picked up a flattering comparison. “He can make all the throws on the field, and he’s extremely accurate with a strong arm, but the biggest thing that separates him is his intellect,” North Hall coach Sean Pender said. “I’ve had some smart ones, but the only other quarterback that I’ve coached that has intellect like him is Stetson Bennett.”

Region championships will be on the line in several games around the state in the final weekend of the regular season. Among those are Lowndes vs. Valdosta in 1-6A, Douglas County vs. Carrollton in 2-6A, Sandy Creek vs. Troup in 2-3A, Westside-Augusta vs. West Laurens in 4-3A, and Hebron Christian vs. Prince Avenue Christian in 8-2A.