First-round primer: Playoffs begin with 124 games

Surprise qualifiers: Of the 255 playoff teams, 196 also qualified last year for a 76.9 percent retention rate. First-time qualifiers are Cherokee Bluff, Discovery, Kennesaw Mountain, King’s Ridge Christian and Lakeview Academy. It’s been a long time coming for LaFayette (last appearance 1993), Oglethorpe County (2002), Georgia Military (2002), Social Circle (2009) and Mount Zion-Jonesboro (2009).

Not back: Marion County, the 2019 Class A Private runner-up, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Emanuel County Institute is out for the first time since 2002. Also missing are Hillgrove (last absence 2009), Stockbridge (2009) and Mary Persons (2010). And for the first time since 1985, all DeKalb County Schools playoff teams are on the road for the first round.

What’s new: The Class 1A playoffs now have 32 teams (up from 24) in the public and private divisions. That means eight more first round games and no automatic byes. This also is the first time when most Georgia football teams were still playing Thanksgiving weekend. The GHSA delayed the regular season two weeks because of COVID-19 and will finish the week after Christmas this year.

Best first-round game: Parkview and Camden County were top-10 teams in preseasons that have fallen by the wayside with injuries and other misfortunes, but both are talented and dangerous. Each has an AJC Super 11 player – Parkview running back Cody Brown (committed to Tennessee) and Camden tackle Micah Morris.

Other good first-rounders: No games match current top-10 teams, but several have teams with top-10 experience and potential. Among those are Brookwood at Colquitt County, Mill Creek at Roswell, Cherokee at North Gwinnett, Coffee at Ola, Northside-Warner Robins at Hughes and Haralson County at Rabun County. The Douglas County-Buford game features nine recruits rated three stars or higher by the 247Sports Composite.

Best players: Five-star quarterbacks lead three major contenders. Those are Brock Vandagriff of Prince Avenue Christian, Gunner Stockton of Rabun County and Malaki Starks of Jefferson, although Starks is an option quarterback who’ll play another position in college. Southern Cal-committed Jake Garcia of is another elite quarterback, although his team’s MVP has been Clemson-committed running back Phil Mafah. Five-star recruit Travis Hunter of Collins Hill, a Florida State commit, has 17 touchdown receptions while also starting at cornerback. The only AJC Super 11 player whose team didn’t not qualify was Paulding County’s Smael Mondon, who was lost to season-ending injury in September.

Officials needed: The GHSA on Monday moved the 32 games in classes 4A and 2A to Saturday to ensure having enough qualified officials. The number of officials has declined in recent years, and their ranks were thinned more this season because of COVID-related opt-outs. The playoffs also have expanded through time. Twenty-five years ago, there were 64 first-round games. Now there are 128.

COVID restrictions: Until the finals, the host school and not the GHSA will set attendance, mask, distancing and other pandemic protocols. Most schools are limiting attendance. Atlanta Public Schools allows no fans. That means that South Atlanta, hosting its first playoff game in history, will play Chattooga before an empty Lakewood Stadium. Same deal for Washington, playing its first home playoff game since 2005 at Grady Stadium against Model.

Forfeits: COVID-related cancellations didn’t count as forfeits in the regular season, but now they do. Banks County, Landmark Christian and Arabia Mountain have forfeited their games because of COVID-19 exposure within their programs. Each was a No. 4 seed facing a region champion. Until this season, there had been only one pregame forfeit in GHSA playoff history. That one occurred in 2016, when KIPP Academy pulled out of a first-round against, coincidentally, Banks County.

Next: The second of five rounds commences next week. The championship games are Dec. 28-30 at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.

First-round predictions: The computer Maxwell Ratings project the margin of victory for each game. The predicted winner is on the left. The projected margin of victory is on the right.

Class 7A

Archer vs. Gainesville -13

Collins Hill vs. Alpharetta -18

Colquitt Co. vs. Brookwood -31

Denmark vs. Discovery -33

East Coweta vs. Marietta -17

Grayson vs. Tift Co. -36

Lowndes vs. Newton -31

Mill Creek at Roswell -1

Milton vs. Peachtree Ridge -29

Newnan vs. Harrison -7

Norcross vs. South Forsyth -22

North Cobb vs. Pebblebrook -29

North Gwinnett vs. Cherokee -3

Parkview vs. Camden Co. -3

Walton vs. McEachern -1

West Forsyth vs. Meadowcreek -31

Class 6A

Allatoona vs. Johns Creek -26

Brunswick at Alcovy -19

Buford vs. Douglas Co. -21

Carrollton vs. Winder-Barrow -21

Creekview vs. Sprayberry -5

Dacula vs. Alexander -4

Evans vs. Statesboro -6

Glynn Academy vs. Grovetown -38

Hughes vs. Northside, Warner Robins -5

Kell vs. Cambridge -9

Lee Co. vs. Tucker -35

Richmond Hill vs. Lakeside, Evans -42

River Ridge vs. Kennesaw Mountain -22

Rome vs. Habersham Central -14

Valdosta vs. Lovejoy -15

Westlake vs. Houston Co. -9

Class 5A

Blessed Trinity vs. Chapel Hill -42

Calhoun at Lithia Springs -25

Cartersville vs. Jackson, Atlanta -40

Clarke Central vs. M.L. King -24

Coffee at Ola -10

Creekside vs. Harris Co. -11

Decatur vs. Greenbrier -14

Eastside vs. Southwest DeKalb -14

Griffin vs. Jonesboro -9

Jones Co. vs. Wayne Co. -4

New Manchester vs. Hiram -10

St. Pius vs. Loganville -14

Starr’s Mill vs. Mundy’s Mill -34

Ware Co. vs. Dutchtown -34

Warner Robins vs. Union Grove -41

Woodward Academy vs. Whitewater -7

Class 4A

Bainbridge vs. Westside, Macon -29

Baldwin vs. Thomas Co. Central -6

Benedictine vs. Troup -28

Cairo vs. West Laurens -7

Carver, Columbus at Jenkins -17

Flowery Branch vs. Luella -38

Hapeville Charter vs. Heritage, Ring. -21

Islands vs. Hardaway -8

Jefferson vs. Mount Zion, Jonesboro -42

Marist vs. Central, Carrollton -29

New Hampstead at LaGrange -11

North Oconee at Fayette Co. -15

Perry vs. Westover -12

Riverdale vs. Cedar Shoals -4

Stephenson at Northwest Whitfield -10

Class 3A

Adairsville vs. Dawson Co. -1

Appling Co. vs. Morgan Co. -22

Carver, Atlanta vs. Hart Co. -9

Cedar Grove at Monroe Area -29

Central, Macon at Liberty Co. -13

Cherokee Bluff vs. LaFayette -17

Crisp Co. vs. Windsor Forest -26

GAC vs. Franklin Co. -28

North Hall vs. North Murray -2

Oconee Co. vs. Westminster -21

Peach Co. vs. Johnson, Savannah -42

Pierce Co. vs. Burke Co. -30

Richmond Academy vs. Brantley Co. -40

Rockmart vs. White Co. -7

Thomson vs. Tattnall Co. -42

Upson-Lee at Southeast Bulloch -2

Class 2A

Bremen at Elbert Co. -13

Dodge Co. vs. Swainsboro -13

Early Co. at Putnam Co. -6

Fannin Co. vs. Pace Academy -4

Fitzgerald vs. Oglethorpe Co. -45

Heard Co. vs. Union Co. -17

Jeff Davis vs. Washington Co. -2

Jefferson Co. vs. Cook -7

Lovett at Pepperell -9

Northeast vs. Toombs Co. -2

Rabun Co. vs. Haralson Co. -15

South Atlanta vs. Chattooga -21

Thomasville vs. Westside, Augusta -37

Vidalia vs. Bleckley Co. -4

Washington vs. Model -6

Class 1A Private

Athens Academy vs. Mount Vernon -27

Christian Heritage vs. King’s Ridge -37

Darlington at Mount Pisgah Christian -1

Eagle’s Landing Christian vs. Aquinas -22

Fellowship Christian vs. Mount Paran -38

First Presbyterian vs. Heritage, New. -35

George Walton at Holy Innocents’ -4

Mount de Sales vs. Pacelli -5

North Cobb Christ. vs. Lakeview Acd. -36

Prince Avenue vs. Hebron Christian -38

Stratford Academy at Brookstone -13

Trinity Christian vs. Tattnall Square -21

Wesleyan vs. Athens Christian -27

Whitefield Acad. vs. Sav. Country Day -8

Class 1A Public

Bowdon vs. Wilkinson Co. -35

Brooks Co. vs. Claxton -36

Chattahoochee Co. vs. Lincoln Co. -24

Clinch Co. at McIntosh Co. Academy -4

Commerce vs. Manchester -18

Dublin vs. Terrell Co. -41

Gordon Lee vs. Georgia Military -35

Hancock Central vs. B.E.S.T. Acad. -14

Irwin Co. vs. Jenkins Co. -35

Johnson Co. at Mitchell Co. -1

Macon Co. vs. Social Circle -38

Metter vs. Turner Co. -20

Pelham vs. Montgomery Co. -14

Warren Co. vs. Mount Zion, Carroll -4

Washington-Wilkes vs. Taylor Co. -7

Wilcox Co. vs. Miller Co. -32