Georgia high school football playoffs live blog: What to know before Round 3

The Georgia-Georgia Tech dust will clear at Mercedes-Benz Stadium just in time for the quarterfinal round of high school football.

State championship rematches, Cinderella stories and upset potential all make up the top headlines of Round 3. Follow below for the latest highlights, notable moments and more from the games.

Previews — including predictions and historical information — of every second-round matchup can be found below:

• Class 6A
• Class 5A
• Class 4A
• Class 3A
• Class 2A
• Class A Division I
• Class A Division II
• Class 3A-A Private

AJC Varsity’s playoff brackets can be found here.

Super 11 updates: Two Super 11 players face off, four others playing in Round 3

AJC Super 11 selections Aaron Gregory and Tyriq Green will battle in the secondary for the second time this season when Douglas County faces Buford.

Gregory, a 4-star Texas A&M commitment, caught five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in Douglas County’s 34-26 loss to Buford earlier this season. Green made several punishing tackles, had 37 yards of total offense and exploded for a 30-yard punt return.

Five other Super 11 selections will play in the GHSA quarterfinals. Grayson linebacker Tyler Atkinson visits Carrollton, Gainesville edge rusher Xavier Griffin visits Hughes, Bowdon tight end Kaiden Prothro hosts Jenkins County and Central-Carrollton running back Jonaz Walton visits Benedictine.

North Oconee edge rusher Khamari Brooks suffered a season-ending injury, but his team is hosting Marist on Friday night.

Four high school football state championship rematches tonight

Four teams will try to defend their state title Friday night against the teams they beat to earn it last season.

Class 6A, Class 4A, Class A Division I and Class 3A-A Private will all have state championship rematches.

Class 6A: Grayson at Carrollton

Top-ranked Grayson’s trip to Carrollton is one of the highest-anticipated games in the country this week. The Rams beat the Trojans 38-24 last December to win their third state title in the last 10 years.

Grayson, which just picked up a third No. 1 national ranking this week, is headed to Carrollton for the first time in program history. The Rams and Trojans played for the first time in last year’s state title game. Both teams will enter Friday night’s showdown undefeated.

Class 4A: Marist at North Oconee

North Oconee and Marist had also never played before they battled in Mercedes-Benz Stadium last year. The Titans won a physical 14-7 battle for the school’s first state championship.

Fans should be in for another physical showdown, as both teams are known for dominating the line of scrimmage. Marist, a two-point underdog, enters at 11-1. North Oconee hasn’t lost at home since its 2021 season-opener.

Class A Division I: Northeast at Toombs County

Toombs County won the first state title in program history last year with a 38-14 domination of Northeast. It was the second meeting between the programs.

Northeast won both of its first two playoff games by double digits. Toombs County escaped Thomasville’s upset bid last week. The teams are 1-1 against each other all-time.

Class 3A-A Private: Prince Avenue Christian at Hebron Christian

Hebron Christian also won its first state title last season when it thumped traditional private school powerhouse Prince Avenue 56-28.

Hebron Christian beat Prince Avenue Christian 43-6 to win its region and close the regular season on Oct. 31. The Lions are 3-11 against Prince Avenue Christian all-time, but they have won the last two matchups.

Top-10 high school football matchups tonight

There are 22 games between top-10 teams in the third round of the GHSA football playoffs Friday night.

Here are all 22 games divided by classification, including point spreads generated by the Maxwell Ratings.

Class 6A

• No. 1 Grayson at No. 3 Carrollton (-1)
• No. 7 Douglas County at No. 3 Buford (-14)

Class 5A

• No. 4 Gainesville at No. 1 Hughes (-12) (postponed)
• No. 9 Sequoyah at No. 3 Roswell (-12)

Class 4A

• No. 2 Cartersville (-12) at No. 5 Kell
• No. 6 Marist at No. 3 North Oconee (-2)
• No. 7 Central-Carrollton at No. 4 Benedictine (-4)

Class 3A

• No. 9 Cairo at No. 3 Jefferson (-11)
• No. 6 Jenkins (-2) at No. 7 West Laurens

Class 2A

• No. 8 Thomson at No. 1 Carver-Columbus (-24)
• No. 5 Sumter County at No. 2 Carver-Atlanta (-1)
• No. 7 Hapeville Charter at No. 3 Morgan County (-5)
• No. 9 Burke County at No. 4 Rockmart (-2)

Class A Division I

• No. 4 Northeast at No. 2 Toombs County (-18)
• No. 8 Fitzgerald (-1) at No. 3 Heard County

Class A Division II

• No. 5 Brooks County at No. 1 Lincoln County (-13)
• No. 6 Wheeler County at No. 2 Clinch County (-6)
• No. 7 Screven County (-8) at No. 8 Early County

Class 3A-A Private

• No. 6 Prince Avenue Christian at No. 1 Hebron Christian (-20)
• No. 4 Savannah Christian at No. 2 Fellowship Christian (-14)
• No. 10 Whitefield Academy at No. 3 Calvary Day (-14)
• No. 8 Greater Atlanta Christian at No. 5 Athens Academy (-5)

Every No. 1 team’s GHSA quarterfinal game

Class 6A: Grayson at Carrollton (-1)

Class 5A: Gainesville at Hughes (-12)

Class 4A: Lithonia at Creekside (-44)

Class 3A: Douglass at Sandy Creek (-28)

Class 2A: Thomson at Carver-Coumbus (-24)