Today’s blog will serve as a guide to all of the first round playoff action taking place in Class 4A. The first thing worth mentioning is Monday’s announcement that the GHSA was moving all Class 4A and Class 2A games to Saturday due to a shortage in officials qualified to work the playoffs. I reached out to the GHSA Tuesday morning and they confirmed that this move was made just for the first round and that the schedule would return to Friday for all of the classifications following the opening round.
When the latest reclassification cycle restructured the GHSA landscape this past offseason, it was clear that Class 4A was heavily impacted. I have maintained the belief that it was impacted more than any other classification in the state, and my conviction of Class 4A’s dramatically new landscape is validated when looking at this year’s first round pairings.
Out of the 16 First Round matchups, 13 of them will feature teams meeting for the first time in their histories. The entire left side of the bracket features first-ever meetings and the most recent contests between any of the three rematches on the right side of the bracket (Westside at Bainbridge, Westover at Perry, Central-Carroll at Marist) was all the way back in 2009. Here is a closer look at each of the matchups.
LEFT SIDE OF THE BRACKET
R4#3 West Laurens @ R1#2 Cairo [Saturday, 3:30 p.m.]
Cairo is making its 18th consecutive playoff appearance and carries a 4-game winning streak into kickoff after opening the season 0-4. West Laurens sits at 5-4 and is just one season removed from last year’s school record-tying 11-2 finish. West Laurens has advanced past the first round in five of its last six seasons.
*First-ever meeting
R2#4 Troup @ R3#1 Benedictine [Saturday, 7:00 p.m.]
Benedictine claimed Class 2A state titles in 2014 and 2016 and is making its 10th straight playoff appearance. Troup will appear in its fifth-straight postseason and is flying under the radar as a No. 4 seed. Troup’s two region losses were determined by a combined five points and the team nearly claimed a No. 1 seed this past week before Carver rallied for a 32-29 win. The Tigers are led by freshman quarterback Taeo Todd—who has rushed for more than 2,000 yards this season. Benedictine only played one game within the classification during the regular season and the result was a 49-35 win over North Oconee. The Cadets have junior Holden Geriner at quarterback and are complemented with a rushing attack that averages 191 yards per game. Both teams come in battle-tested and this should be one of the top opening round showdowns.
*First-ever meeting
R6#3 Stephenson @ R7#2 Northwest Whitfield [Saturday, 3:30 p.m.]
Northwest Whitfield made history by winning its first-ever playoff game in 2016 and will be making its sixth-straight postseason appearance against the visiting Jags on Saturday. Stephenson will be making its 21st straight playoff appearance.
*First-ever meeting
R8#4 Cedar Shoals @ R5#1 Riverdale [Saturday, 7:00 p.m.]
Riverdale clinched its first region title since 1998 this season and will be making its third-straight playoff appearance with an opportunity to win its first playoff game since 2001. The Raiders currently carry a four-game winning streak into the matchup. Cedar Shoals is 2-6 on the year and is making its fourth-straight playoff appearance.
*First-ever meeting
R7#3 Heritage-Catoosa @ R6#2 Hapeville Charter [Saturday, 6:00 p.m.]
Hapeville Charter has advanced past the first round of the playoffs each of the last four years—including their 2017 run to Class 2A state champions. Heritage-Catoosa notched the program’s first-ever playoff win in 2016 and is making its fifth-straight playoff appearance this season.
*First-ever meeting
R5#4 Mt. Zion-Jonesboro @ R8#1 Jefferson [Saturday, 1:00 p.m.]
Undefeated and No. 2 ranked Jefferson makes its 10th-straight playoff appearance and is looking to bring home the program’s first state title since 2012 this season. Mt. Zion-Jonesboro will be making its first playoff appearance since 2009 and carries a 2-game winning streak after opening the season 0-5.
*First-ever meeting
R1#3 Thomas County Central @ R4#2 Baldwin [Saturday, 3:00 p.m.]
Baldwin dropped its first game of the season last week and is making its 5th-straight playoff appearance. Thomas County Central is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
*First-ever meeting
R3#4 Jenkins @ R2#1 Carver-Columbus [Saturday, 6:00 p.m.]
Undefeated and No. 3 ranked Carver-Columbus is in the playoffs for the 15th-straight season. As for Jenkins, they have made two quarterfinal runs and a semifinal appearance over the past three seasons.
*First-ever meeting
RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRACKET
R8 #3 North Oconee @ R5#2 Fayette County [Saturday, 2:00 p.m.]
Fayette County is in the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and it has been the program’s dramatic defensive improvements that have led to their homefield advantage in the first round. Fayette County went from allowing 28.3 ppg this past season to this year’s 10.3 ppg. Their defense will be put to the test against North Oconee, which carries a 4-5 overall record into kickoff and boasts an offense with a 31.22 ppg average.
*First-ever meeting
R6#4 Arabia Mountain @ R7#1 Cedartown [Saturday, 3:00 p.m.]
Cedartown has won six-straight games following its 0-2 start and is making its fourth-straight playoff appearance. Arabia Mountain is 3-4 and is in the playoffs for the fifth-straight year.
*First-ever meeting
R2#3 Hardaway @ R3#2 Islands [Saturday, 4:00 p.m.]
Islands made its playoff debut in 2016 and will be looking for the program’s first-ever playoff win against Hardaway. As for the Hawks, they make their third-straight playoff appearance with a 7-3 record and are looking for their first playoff win since 1998.
*First-ever meeting
R4#4 Westside-Macon @ R1#1 Bainbridge [Saturday, 6:00 p.m.]
Bainbridge has won six-straight games, is making its 10th-straight playoff appearance and was crowned the Class 5A state champs in 2018. Westside-Macon has made 9-straight playoff appearances and carries a 5-4 overall record.
*Westside is 2-0 all-time against Bainbridge (last meeting 2009)
R3#3 New Hampstead @ R2#2 LaGrange [Saturday, 6:00 p.m.]
This matchup features two first-year head coaches that have made a big impact this season. LaGrange and head coach Matt Napier are 7-3 and will be making its first playoff appearance since 2014, with a chance to win its first postseason game since 2012. New Hampstead under head coach Kyle Hockman is 6-1 overall and will look to win its first playoff game since 2018 when the program posted its first-ever postseason victory.
*First-ever meeting
R1#4 Westover @ R4#1 Perry [Saturday, 6:00 p.m.]
Perry won its first region title since 1959 this season and is riding a four-game winning streak. Westover’s last playoff appearance came in 2014 and carries a 1-4 overall record.
*Westover is 4-1 all-time against Perry (last meeting 2009)
R5#3 Luella @ R8#2 Flowery Branch [Saturday, 6:00 p.m.]
Flowery Branch is 8-2 overall and has won five-straight games. Luella will be looking for its first-ever playoff win.
*First-ever meeting
R7#4 Central-Carroll @ R6#1 Marist [Saturday, 5:30 p.m.]
No. 1 ranked Marist is 8-0 and has reached 27-straight playoffs. The War Eagles have won championships in 1989 and 2003 during that span. Central-Carroll is 5-3 and makes its first playoff appearance since 2015.
*Marist is 3-0 all-time against Central-Carroll (last meeting 1996)
