With the exception of Region 8′s No. 4 seed Banks County forfeiting to the Region 5 champions, No. 8 Callaway, all Class 2A playoff teams took to the field on Saturday — a day later than originally scheduled, as the GHSA postponed the start of the 2A and 4A tournamets due to lack of available game officials.

There were a lot of marquee first-round matchups in Round 1, so let’s take a look at how the teams fared.

For an updated 2A bracket, visit GHSA.net.

Also, check back on Tuesday when we compare my predictions to what actually happened. Spoiler alert: I got some picks wrong.

Upper-left quadrant

  • The No. 3 ranked Thomasville Bulldogs beat the Westside Patriots 42-13 to improve to 7-4. Pat Donahue has a game story for the Thomasville Times-Enterprise. It’s the fourth year in a row the Bulldogs, who are a No. 2 seed from Region 1, have advanced in the playoffs. The Patriots, a No. 3 seed from Region 4, end their season at 6-5 under second-year coach Jon Wiley — their first winning season since 2006.
  • The No. 9 Dodge County Indians beat the Swainsboro Tigers 35-0, advancing to the second round for the sixth time in the last eight seasons. The Region 3-champion Indians are 6-3. The Tigers (4-7), a No. 4 seed from Region 2, endured their first losing season since 2016.
  • The No. 4 Lovett Lions — in the playoffs as a No. 3 seed from Region 6 — went on the road to defeat the Pepperell Dragons 38-17. You can watch the game in its entirety on the Lovett Network and Jeremy Stewart has a game story for the Rome News-Tribune. The Lions improved to 6-2 and advance for the eight time since 2012. The Dragons, a No. 2 seed from Region 7, end their season at 5-5 for their first non-winning season since 2013.

Lower-left quadrant

  • The Model Blue Devils beat the Washington Bulldogs 28-14 for their first playoff win since 2014. The Blue Devils, a No. 3 seed from Region 7, improve to 7-4. The Bulldogs, a No. 2 seed from Region 6, finish 7-3.
  • The No. 2 Rabun County Wildcats beat the Haralson County Rebels 35-7 to advance for the seventh year in a row. Blitz has full coverage. The seven-time Region 8 defending champions are 10-1. The Rebels, a No. 4 seed from Region 5, finish 7-3.
  • The Early County Bobcats, a No. 3 seed from Region 1, defeated Region 4′s No. 2 seed, the Putnam County War Eagles, by a score of 48-7. The Dothan Eagle has details. It was the first playoff win since 2015 for the Bobcats (7-2). The War Eagles (9-2), under third-year coach Shaun Pope, won their most games since 2010 and had their lowest loss total since 2001.
  • The No. 10 Vidalia Indians, Region 2′s champion, were pummeled at home by the Bleckley County Royals, who beat them for a second time this season — this time by a score of 56-15. Dave Whitaker has a writeup for The Bleckley Progress. The Indians finished 7-3 under first-year coach Jason Cameron. The Royals, a No. 4 seed from Region 3, are 7-3. They also beat the Indians 21-14 on Sept. 25 in Vidalia.

Upper-right quadrant

  • The Heard County Braves beat the Union County Panthers 31-28 to improve to 7-4. Todd Forrest has a Twitter thread on the game. The 2018 2A champion Braves are Region 5′s No. 2 seed. The Panthers, a No. 3 seed from Region 8, finish 4-6 for their first losing since 2011.
  • The No. 7-ranked Fannin County Rebels, the Region 7 champions, beat Region 6′s No. 4 seed, the Pace Academy Knights 28-21. You can watch the game in its entirety on YouTube. The Rebels (9-0) have won their first playoff game since 1995 under third-year coach Chad Cheatham. The Knights finish 6-4.
  • The Northeast Raiders beat the Toombs County Bulldogs 27-14 for their first playoff win since 2002. The Raiders, a No. 2 seed from Region 3, are 8-2. The Bulldogs, Region 2′s No. 3 seed, finish 7-4.
  • The top-ranked Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane handily defeated Region 4′s No. 4 seed Oglethorpe County Patriots 58-12 to advance for a third consecutive season. The Purple Hurricane (10-0) are the Region 1 champions. The Patriots (3-8) initially failed to qualify for the playoffs but were gifted an extra game after Laney was forced to forfeit their position as the No. 4 seed. Shortly after the regular season, it was announced that a GHSA investigation found Laney guilty of undue influence.

Lower-right quadrant

  • The Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets beat the Washington County Golden Hawks 28-25 for their first playoff win since 1997. For Jackets fourth-year coach Lance Helton, it was a win over his alma mater. The Jackets, a No. 2 seed from Region 2, are 9-1. The Golden Hawks, a No. 3 seed from Region 3, finish 6-5.
  • The No. 5 Jefferson County Warriors beat the Cook Hornets 36-22 to advance for an eighth consecutive year. The Warriors (8-2) are three-time Region 4 champions. The Hornets, Region 1′s No. 4 seed, finish 5-5.
  • The Bremen Blue Devils defeated the Elbert County Blue Devils 28-21 to advance for the third year in a row. The Blue Devils (7-4), are Region 5′s No. 3 seed. The Blue Devils, the No. 2 seed from Region 8, finish 3-6 for their first losing season since 2008.
  • The South Atlanta Hornets beat the Chattooga Indians 26-14 for their first playoff win in a program that dates back to 1994. The Hornets of Region 6, who are also region champions for the first time in school history, are 7-3. The Indians, the No. 4 seed from Region 7, finish 3-8.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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