As Chestatee boys soccer coach Mike Herrin puts it, every year in the playoffs, "some (teams) leave with hurt feelings."
Herrin hopes his eighth-ranked War Eagles (12-4-1) can be one of those teams dishing out the hurt. They travel to No. 3-ranked and two-time Class 4A state champion Southeast Whitfield (12-3-3) on Friday in the opening round of the state playoffs.
On Wednesday, just two Northeast Georgia-area boys teams advanced through to the Sweet 16 in the opening round of the Georgia High School Association soccer playoffs -- Flowery Branch in Class 5A with a 2-0 win over Cartersville and West Hall in Class 3A with a 10-0 whitewash of Franklin County. Eight more area teams, including Chestatee, will get their shot on Friday to try and advance in Classes 6A, 4A, and 2A.
The Chestatee-Southeast matchup is the only one in 4A in the first round that involves two ranked teams in what should be a hotly-contested tournament with three 2022 state champions in the field. Besides Southeast, Johnson, the reigning Class 5A champion, and Pace Academy, which won Class 2A last year, all will be vying for the 4A title. Six of last year's Elite 8 also have returned to the postseason.
"It's a tough field," Herrin said. "Our match is one of the toughest. But we've been up there before to play them in the playoffs. We're familiar with the field and with them."
The two teams last met in 2021, with the Raiders taking a 7-0 win in the playoffs.
"They're still the champs, so they're the team to beat. But no team is the same from year-to-year," Herrin said. "I definitely feel like we have a chance for sure. We will have to find a way to score first, and hopefully multiple goals.
"Our goal is to not lose focus and just find a way to win. But we want to be the ones giving out the hurt feelings this time."
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Class 4A is that Regions 8 and 7 meet in the first round. In the final scoreboard.com poll, five of the top 10 teams came from those two regions. Johnson topped the poll at No. 1, with Southeast Whitfield third, East Hall fifth, Northwest Whitfield sixth, and Chestatee eighth.
One of the biggest burning questions: Can Johnson, who won two of the last four Class 5A state titles (2018, 2022), make a return trip to the championship match, only this time in Class 4A?
The Knights (16-0) are hoping so. They also are on a 22-match win streak going back to last season.
"We're certainly going to shoot for getting back to the finals," Johnson coach Frank Zamora said. "But Class 4A is as tough, if not tougher, than Class 5A was the last few years. We know we always have a target on our backs, and we like that. We ended the regular season playing well, and the break gave us a chance to rest and get healthy. We're looking forward to the playoffs."
Gainesville is back to the playoffs for the first time since losing to Dalton in the 2019 Class 6A state title game. But similar to Chestatee, the Class 6A ninth-ranked Red Elephants (12-4-1) may face the toughest opener in the classification. On Friday, they play host to No. 4 Blessed Trinity (14-3) at City Park.
The Titans are coming off a semifinal appearance in Class 5A in 2022. Gainesville has been waiting four years to get back in the playoffs after missing out on the playoffs for two seasons in Class 7A.
Red Elephants coach Elie Viviant understands it will be a new experience for his squad.
"None of (our guys) were in high school for the last run of playoffs, so for them (this) is new," Viviant said. "I hope they rise to the occasion and enjoy the ride."
Gainesville battled injuries during the season but appears to be at full strength heading into the postseason. Viviant said they will need everything they have.
"We are as healthy as we can be right now, and I hope to field my strongest team on Friday," he said. "Obviously, we will play a strong team with several key players that we will have to keep at bay. However, I feel that if we...play our soccer, then we will be successful. Games like these are played on small details, and we will have to stay disciplined and determined for at least 80 minutes."
But those aren't the only interesting matchups. Region 8-5A champion Flowery Branch (9-5-3) shook off a 1-4 start to go 8-1-3 down the stretch, including beating No. 3 Clarke Central in penalty kicks that eventually decided the region title. The Falcons open against Cartersville (5-7-3) and have a favorable draw with home-field advantage and possibly only one ranked team standing in their way to the semifinals.
Going back to Class 4A, East Hall (12-3) is hoping for another run to the semifinals or better, and they also have a favorable draw. The Vikings take on Cedartown (7-7-1) in Valhalla and may have just one other ranked team, Lovett, to deal with for a shot at the semifinals.
(Check below for Friday's boys playoff schedule.)
BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE, Friday, April 14
Class 6A
Blessed Trinity (R7, S3) at Gainesville (R8, S2), 7 p.m.
Habersham Central (R8, S4) at Lassiter (R7, S1), 7:30 p.m.
North Forsyth (R8, S3) at Sprayberry (R7, S2), 7:30 p.m.
Class 4A
Cedartown (R7, S3) at East Hall (R8, S2), 7 p.m.
Central-Carroll (R7, S4) at Johnson (R8, S1), 6:30 p.m.
Chestatee (R8, S3) at Southeast Whitfield (R7, S2), 6 p.m.
Class 2A
East Jackson (R8, S4) at Model (R7, S1), TBA
Union County (R8, S3) at Murray County (R7, S2), 6 p.m.
BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT SCORES, Wednesday, April 12
Class 7A
Norcross 2, Buford 0
Class 5A
Flowery Branch 2, Cartersville 0
Dalton 4, Jefferson 0
Class 3A
West Hall 10, Franklin County 1
Hebron Christian 2, Lumpkin County 1
Class A Division 1
Dalton Academy 7, Rabun County 1
Class A Division 2
Mt. Zion-Carroll 6, Towns County 1
