High school football playoffs live blog: Hughes, Gainesville trading blows

The road to Atlanta has never been shorter — and tougher — than it will be Friday night for 16 Georgia high school football teams.

The GHSA football semifinals will kick off Friday night, and Peach State powerhouses will battle teams trying to make their first state championship.

National attention will shift to the only quarterfinal game being played Friday night. That’s the highly-anticipated matchup between Gainesville and Hughes, two nationally-ranked Class 5A teams who had to wait an extra week to play after Gainesville and the GHSA litigated punishments for a brawl in the school’s second-round game at Brunswick.

Previews — including predictions and historical information — of every fourth-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.

Creekside ground game build first half lead

Creekside is known for its explosiveness through the air, but the Seminoles flexed their muscles in the run game with a short score against Kell.

Ced Kelley powered across the goal line for a 21-3 lead over Kell.

Gainesville freshman snags first TD of season for lead

Gainesville freshman Trent Wilcox snagged an eye-popping touchdown catch over his back shoulder. Quarterback Kharim Hughley found Wilcox for the freshman’s first career touchdown.

Gainesville regained the lead 20-13 in the second quarter.

Sandy Creek blocks field goal, takes 11-point lead into halftime

Sandy Creek preserved its two-score lead over LaGrange with a blocked field goal right before halftime. The block kept the Patriots ahead 21-10.

Defending champ Hebron Christian rolling Greater Atlanta Christian early

Hebron Christian has built a 14-3 lead over Greater Atlanta Christian at the end of the first quarter. The Lions are trying to extend their winning streak to 15 games against GHSA opponents.

Hebron Christian appears to be on its way to fighting for its state title defense in Atlanta two weeks from now.

Benedictine takes first two-score lead against Marist

Benedictine quarterback Stephen Cannon cashed a 26-yard rushing touchdown for a 21-7 lead over Marist.

Sandy Creek takes two-score lead on second TD from QB

Sandy Creek quarterback Caleb Hill scored a four-yard rushing touchdown on an off tackle run. The Patriots took a 21-10 lead over LaGrange with the score.

Gainesville hits back with kick return, second TD pass

Gainesville running back Nigel Newkirk’s biggest play of the game so far came on special teams. Newkirk returned the kickoff following a Hughes touchdown well into the red zone.

Three plays later, Gainesville quarterback Kharim Hughley found Collin Porterfield to tie the game at 13-13.

Carrollton rolling, freshman QB claims 20-0 lead

Carrollton freshman quarterback CJ Cypher rolled into the end zone for the Trojans’ third rushing touchdown of the night. Cypher scored untouched on a quarterback draw from seven yards out to extend the lead.

Creekside takes two-score with air attack

Creekside quarterback Cayden Benson has his second explosive touchdown toss of the night. The Seminoles lead Kell 14-0 after Benson’s pass to Armani Hill.

Buford touchdown wiped, Wolves settle for field goal

An illegal block in the back wiped a would-be Buford touchdown off the board, but the Wolves still salvaged the drive with the first points of the game. Buford kicked a 37-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead at Valdosta.

Hughes takes seven-point lead over Gainesville

Hughes running back Qwantavius Wiggins ripped off Hughes’ second explosive TD run of the night from 43 yards out. Wiggins beat the Gainesville defense to the edge on a third-and-long and raced untouched across the goal line.

Hughes leads 13-6.

Both teams have struggled on special teams early, each missing an extra point.

West Laurens gets pick, quick touchdown to close on Jefferson

West Laurens intercepted a Jefferson pass and scored on the next play. The Raiders are fighting to keep their season alive and trail Jefferson just 14-13.

Defending 2A champ Carver leads Burke County 13-7 at half

Carver-Columbus isn’t totally comfortable in its semifinal game against 26-point underdog Burke County. The Tigers lead the Bears 13-7 at the half.

Sandy Creek builds lead on fourth-and-goal TD

Sandy Creek quarterback Caleb Hill took a 14-3 lead over LaGrange in the clutch. Hill housed a 10-yard rushing touchdown on fourth-and-gaol.

Jefferson ground game grinding out 14-7 lead

Jefferson is imposing its will on the ground and has taken a 14-7 lead over West Laurens. The Dragons regained the lead on a quarterback sneak from Colton Grant.

Upset Watch: Calvary Day leads Fellowship Christian

Calvary Day is out to a 17-7 lead over Fellowship Christian in the second quarter. The Cavaliers entered Friday night as seven-point favorites.

Fellowship Christian entered the postseason as the No. 1 overall seed.

Class A Division II update: Bowdon, Lincoln County lead

Bowdon and Lincoln County are well on their way to a state championship matchup. Both teams enter the second quarter with two-score leads.

Bowdon leads Clinch County 14-0 at the end of the first half. Lincoln County extended its lead to 14-0 after a poor punt by Early County gave the Red Devils a short field.

If Bowdon were to face Lincoln County in the state championship, it would be the Red Devils against the Red Devils.

Carrollton chases second TD run in strong start

Carrollton quarterback Mason Holtzclaw cashed a 13-yard rushing touchdown for a 13-0 lead over North Gwinnett. The Trojans have scored 47 unanswered points going back to their 34-14 win over Grayson last Friday.

West Laurens scores first TD on long run

West Laurens running back JD Hogan ripped off an 80-yard touchdown run for the Raiders’ first points of the game against Jefferson. West Laurens is trying to make its first state championship appearance in program history.

Jefferson’s Darren Pinkard drew first blood with a rushing touchdown.

Benedictine takes 14-7 lead over Marist

Benedictine has an early lead in a Class 4A battle between run-heavy offenses. The Cadets took a 14-7 advantage thanks to a 21-yard rushing touchdown from Stanley Smart Jr.

Marist-Benedictine was the only game this week that the Maxwell Ratings projected as a toss-up.

Hughes responds with physical touchdown drive

Hughes leaned on its bread and butter to retake a 7-6 lead over Gainesville. The Panthers responded to their touchdown-causing fumble with a long touchdown drive capped by a 32-yard rushing touchdown from Carsyn Baker.

Sandy Creek explodes for early lead

Sandy Creek quarterback Caleb Hill found Corey Hadley Jr. on a 65-yard touchdown pass for the game’s first touchdown. The Patriots took a 7-3 lead over LaGrange with the score.

Carrollton ground game draws first blood

Carrollton took a 6-0 lead over North Gwinnett with its dominant ground game. Running back Cameron Wood exploded between the tackles and ran through a defender to give the Trojans the lead.

Creekside’s electric offense explodes early

Creekside quarterback Cayden Benson has dominated secondaries all season, and the Seminoles are rolling early against Kell.

Benson found speedy receiver Eric Paul in open space, and Paul burned the Longhorn defense for an early 7-0 lead.

Gainesville gets turnover, TD in back to back plays

Gainesville didn’t wait long to assert itself at Hughes. The Red Elephants recovered a Hughes fumble 32 yards from the end zone and scored on the next play.

Clemson quarterback commit Kharim Hughley connected with Legend Wilmont on a32-yard touchdown pass for an early 6-0 lead.

Lincoln County jumps out to early lead

Lincoln County is expected to have one of the easiest wins tonight against Early County. The Red Devils are off to a good start with a 7-0 lead after breaking off a 74-yard rushing touchdown.

Lincoln County is a 19-point favorite tonight.

3 Super 11 selections playing tonight

Three AJC Super 11 selections are still playing football.

Bowdon tight end Kaiden Prothro, Buford safety Tyriq Green and Gainesville EDGE Xavier Griffin will play in highly-anticipated matchups.

Prothro, who broke the state’s career receiving touchdowns record last week, is trying to lead Bowdon to a fourth consecutive state championship. The five-point underdogs thumped Jenkins County 49-22 last week and visit No. 1-ranked Clinch County Friday night.

Green’s Wolves are hunting a victory in Winnersville Friday night. Buford is favored by 11 points at Valdosta as two No. 1 seeds face off the Class 6A bracket.