Coin flip could send No. 1 teams Grayson, Hughes on road next week
The No. 1-ranked football teams in classes 6A and 5A could be on the road for next week’s quarterfinals because of a coin toss Monday.
Grayson will play at No. 3 Carrollton in Class 6A if both teams advance Friday night. Hughes could play at unranked Brunswick, 300 miles away.
That was determined by the GHSA’s universal coin toss that settles home field when same-seeded teams meet in the quarterfinals. Same-seeded teams cannot meet in the first two rounds.
The coin toss, held at the GHSA’s offices in Thomaston, landed tails, which means the teams lower on the bracket will play at home when teams are equally seeded. Grayson, Carrollton, Hughes and Brunswick are No. 1 seeds from their region.
The coin toss applies only the classes 6A, 5A, 4A and A Division II, which use region seedings. The other classes are seeded 1-32 using the GHSA’s Post Season Ratings model, and the higher-seeded teams always host.
The Grayson-Carrollton and Brunswick-Hughes quarterfinals are far from certain, though.
Grayson plays ninth-ranked Colquitt County at home this week while Carrollton faces 10th-ranked Harrison. If Colquitt County and Harrison win, Harrison would be the home team, as both are No. 2 seeds, and Harrison is lower on the bracket.
Hughes must get by No. 8 Lee County at home Friday. Brunswick is an underdog against fourth-ranked Gainesville at home.
Other teams guaranteed home-field advantage in the quarterfinals, if they advance, include Valdosta, Buford, Thomas County Central, North Oconee, Kell, Benedictine and Lincoln County.
Region champions that might play on the road include North Gwinnett, Rome, Roswell, Cartersville and Marist.
In 2026, there will be no more universal coin tosses, as the GHSA plans to use a rankings model to seed all eight brackets 1-32. Region finish will no longer affect seeding or home field except to give region champions a top-16 seed.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
