The state girls soccer playoffs begin Tuesday night with first-round games in classes 7A, 5A, 3A and A (Divisions I and II), to be played at the higher-seeded schools.
Classes 6A, 4A and 2A will play their first of five rounds Thursday night. Champions will be crowned May 7-10 at Mercer University, McEachern High School and Duluth High School.
Here’s a look at the classifications that begin play Tuesday. Previews for the other classifications will be posted Thursday.
Class 7A
*No. 1 team: Buford
*2023 champion: Denmark
*Overview: Top-ranked Buford (17-0-1) is eyeing its first state title, but the Wolves will have to travel a tough road to the final that could include games against No. 9 Norcross in the second round, No. 6 Hillgrove in the quarterfinals and No. 7 Walton in the semis. The Wolves have outscored their opponents 89-2. Forsyth County teams have won the past three 7A titles – Denmark last season and West Forsyth in 2021 and 2022. Both remain threats. Denmark is the No. 2 seed from Region 6 and ranked No. 7 by MaxPreps. West Forsyth is the Region 6 champion and is ranked No. 4 by AJC/Score Atlanta and No. 2 by the girls soccer coaches poll.
*Worth noting: Eighth-ranked Richmond Hill is the champion from Region 1, made up of south Georgia teams. The Wildcats hope to become the first team from outside of metro Atlanta to reach the semis in the highest class since Tift County and Greenbrier in 2010.
*First-round matchups:
(R4 #3) Parkview (R1 #2) Lowndes
(R3 #4) Marietta at (R2 #1) Campbell
(R7 #3) Duluth at (R6 #2) Denmark
(R8 #4) Collins Hill at (R5 #1) Walton
(R1 #3) Camden County at (R4 #2) Archer
(R2 #4) Pebblebrook at (R3 #1) Hillgrove
(R6 #3) Milton at (R7 #2) Norcross
(R5 #4) Wheeler at (R8 #1) Buford
(R5 #3) Cherokee at (R8 #2) Mill Creek
(R6 #4) Lambert at (R7 #1) North Gwinnett
(R2 #3) Carrollton at (R3 #2) Harrison
(R1 #4) Colquitt County at (R4 #1) Brookwood
(R8 #3) Mountain View at (R5 #2) North Cobb
(R7 #4) Peachtree Ridge at (R6 #1) West Forsyth
(R3 #3) North Paulding at (R2 #2) East Coweta
(R4 #4) South Gwinnet at (R1 #1) Richmond Hill
Class 5A
*No. 1 team: Jefferson
*2023 champion: Chamblee
*Overview: Much like Class 7A Buford, top-ranked Jefferson is seeking its first title and has dominated its opponents, scoring 82 goals while allowing just two in a 15-0-1 season. The tie came against Buford, 0-0, on April 15 at the Jack Turner Complex in Athens. The Dragons’ first big challenge is likely to come in the quarterfinals, when they could face No. 5 Northgate or No. 6 Decatur. The best game in the early rounds might come in Round 2, when No. 2 Midtown and No. 4 Greater Atlanta Christian could collide. GAC has won three state championships, most recently in 2015. Seventh-ranked McIntosh, with its 12 state titles, always remains a threat.
*Worth noting: Chamblee won the Class 5A tournament each of the past two seasons, but the 2022 championship was vacated after the GHSA found rules violations. The Bulldogs got an official title last season. Chamblee, ranked No. 9, is 8-6-3 this season.
*First-round matchups:
(R4 #3) Tucker at (R1 #2) Statesboro
(R3 #4) Northside-Columbus at (R2 #1) Dutchtown
(R7 #3) Woodland-Cartersville at (R6 #2) Greater Atlanta Christian
(R8 #4) Eastside at (R5 #1) Midtown
(R1 #3) Ware County at (R4 #2) Decatur
(R2 #4) Locust Grove at (R3 #1) Northgate
(R6 #3) Chattahoochee at (R7 #2) Cartersville
(R5 #4) Tri-Cities at (R8 #1) Jefferson
(R5 #3) Jackson-Atlanta at (R8 #2) Loganville
(R6 #4) Northview at (R7 #1) Dalton
(R2 #3) Union Grove at (R3 #2) McIntosh
(R1 #4) Coffee at (R4 #1) Chamblee
(R8 #3) Clarke Central at (R5 #2) Villa Rica
(R7 #4) Calhoun at (R6 #1) Cambridge
(R3 #3) Harris County at (R2 #2) Ola
(R4 #4) Arabia Mountain at (R1 #1) Greenbrier
Class 3A
*No. 1 teams: Oconee County (AJC/Score Atlanta), Wesleyan (Scorbord)
*2023 champion: Oconee County
*Overview: Last year, Oconee County became the first public school to win the Class 3A title since Allatoona in 2012. To win a second consecutive title, the Warriors will need to hold off a group of strong private schools, led by No. 2 Wesleyan and No. 3 Savannah Country Day. The only loss for Oconee County (12-1-5) came against Jefferson, 1-0 on March 1. Wesleyan is 15-1-1, losing to Fellowship Christian 2-1 on March 7. The Wolves won the Class A championship in 2017 and the Class A Private title in 2019. Starting next season, private schools in classes A through 3A will compete for their own separate championship.
*Worth noting: First-year Oconee County coach Judson Hamby won five state championships while leading Parkview from 2007 to 2022. After leaving Lilburn, he coached for one season at Athens Academy, which he led to a Class AA runner-up finish last year.
*First-round matchups:
(R4 #3) Harlem at (R1 #2) Thomasville
(R3 #4) Long County at (R2 #1) Pike County
(R7 #3) Dawson County at (R6 #2) Adairsville
(R8 #4) Stephens County at (R5 #1) Sandy Creek
(R1 #3) Crisp County at (R4 #2) Morgan County
(R2 #4) Upson-Lee at (R3 #1) Savannah Country Day
(R6 #3) Coahulla Creek at (R7 #2) Lumpkin County
(R5 #4) Carver-Atlanta at (R8 #1) Oconee County
(R5 #3) Cedar Grove at (R8 #2) Hebron Christian
(R6 #4) Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe at (R7 #1) Wesleyan
(R2 #3) Jackson at (R3 #2) St. Vincent’s
(R1 #4) Carver-Columbus at (R4 #1) Richmond Academy
(R8 #3) Monroe Area at (R5 #2) Douglass
(R7 #4) White County at (R6 #1) Bremen
(R3 #3) Calvary Day at (R2 #2) Mary Persons
(R4 #4) Hephzibah at (R1 #1) Columbus
Class A Division I
*No. 1 teams: Social Circle (AJC/Score Atlanta), Paideia (Scorbord)
*2023 champion: Mount Vernon
*Overview: Paideia and Social Circle met in the semifinals last season, with Paideia winning 6-0. If they meet in the playoffs again this season, it will be in the state final. Social Circle would need to get past fifth-ranked Mount Vernon, the defending state champion, in the semifinals to get there. Social Circle won the Class A Public championship in 2021. Paideia has won three state titles, most recently in 2013 in a combined Class A. Mount Vernon, which won its first state title last season, is 8-2 since a 1-5 start. No. 4 East Laurens (17-1) has the best record in the classification but the weakest schedule among the top-five teams, according to MaxPreps.
*Worth noting: Commerce entered the playoffs ranked No. 1 or No. 2 each of the past three seasons but lost in the second round in 2021, the state final in 2022 and the semifinals last year. The Tigers (7-8) are unranked this season and the No. 3 seed from Region 8.
*First-round matchups:
(R4 #3) Crawford County at (R1 #2) Irwin County
(R3 #4) Screven County at (R2 #1) East Laurens
(R7 #3) Darlington at (R6 #2) Whitefield Academy
(R8 #4) Elbert County at (R5 #1) Social Circle
(R1 #3) Brooks County at (R4 #2) Temple
(R2 #4) Jefferson County at (R3 #1) Metter
(R6 #3) Mount Vernon at (R7 #2) Trion
(R5 #4) Prince Avenue Christian at (R8 #1) Tallulah Falls
(R5 #3) Jasper County at (R8 #2) Rabun County
(R6 #4) Atlanta International at (R7 #1) Armuchee
(R2 #3) Swainsboro at (R3 #2) Bryan County
(R4 #1) Lamar County bye
(R8 #3) Commerce at (R5 #2) Oglethorpe County
(R7 #4) Dade County at (R6 #1) Paideia
(R3 #3) Claxton at (R2 #2) Bleckley County
(R1 #1) Bacon County bye
Class A Division II
*No. 1 team: Lake Oconee Academy
*2023 champion: Aquinas
*Overview: Three of the top five teams in the classification (No. 1 Lake Oconee Academy, No. 2 Aquinas and No. 5 Towns County) play in Area 3, and all three made it to the semifinals last season. Towns County defeated Lake Oconee Academy in the semifinals season before losing to Aquinas in the championship game. This season, Lake Oconee defeated beat both teams in the regular season to earn the area title. Lake Oconee and Aquinas have first-round byes, while Towns County hosts Treutlen. No. 4 Atlanta Classical, the Class A Public champion in 2021, looms on Lake Oconee’s side of the bracket, and the two teams could meet in the semifinals.
*Worth noting: Class A Division II has a 24-team bracket, with the top six teams from each area making the playoffs and the top two from each area receiving first-round byes. Dooly County, the No. 3 seed from Area 3, also received a bye because Area 4 did not have six teams in the playoffs.
*First-round matchups:
(A1 #6) Lanier County at (A4 #3) Mt. Zion-Carroll
(A3 #2) Aquinas bye
(A2 #5) McIntosh County Academy at (A3 #4) GMC Prep
(A2 #1) Portal bye
(A2 #6) Treutlen at (A3 #3) Towns County
(A4 #2) Christian Heritage bye
(A1 #5) Echols County at (A4 #4) Fugees Academy
(A1 #1) Hawkinsville bye
(A1 #3) Dooly County bye
(A2 #2) Wheeler County bye
(A3 #5) Lincoln County at (A2 #4) Montgomery County
(A3 #1) Lake Oconee Academy bye
(A3 #6) Greene County at (A2 #3) Johnson County
(A1 #2) Atkinson County bye
(A4 #5) Bowdon at (A1 #4) Chattahoochee County
(A4 #1) Atlanta Classical bye
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