Finally! It seems weeks have passed since a football game was played in our coverage area, and now it's time to start the Road to the Benz.
Hurricane Helene forced the start of the Georgia High School Association playoffs to begin a week later (Nov. 15), allowing the programs affected by her damage to make up regular-season contests last week.
The first round of the GHSA playoffs begins on Friday, with several big games across the state. In our coverage area, 15 teams will begin the quest for a state championship, including three on the Jacobs Media airwaves and streaming live on AccessWDUN.com.
To follow scores and more this week, follow our Friday Game Night X for scores, stories and highlights.
Monroe Area at Cherokee Bluff — And there it is. It's the one thing most coaches in Class 3A hoped to stay around from in the first round ... a matchup versus a region foe. The two Region 8-3A members will play for the second time this season on Friday, and in the first matchup, the Bears easily handled the Canes. Will it happen again when it counts the most? We shall find out on Friday. The game can be heard live on WDUN AM 550 (Click to listen live).
Gilmer at North Hall — Gilmer was one of two teams to get in based on its GHSA Postseason Ranking, coming in at No. 28. The Trojans have won 10 straight, including a 47-6 round in 2021, an old Region 7-3A battle. The Trojans defense has been playing well since the season's mid-point and should be ready for Gilmer's wing-T attack. If the Trojans offense is clicking, it could be a long night for the Bobcats. The game can be heard live on FM 102.9 WDUN (Click to listen live).
Gainesville at Sequoyah — Gainesville didn't finish the season as they would have liked, ending up the No. 3 seed out of Region 7-5A. Now, they're back to a familiar place, on the road, for what could be all of the playoffs. There are questions surrounding Big Red's health, but they've had two weeks to recover. The Red Elephants have the firepower to get past Sequoyah. The only question is, can they? The game can be heard live on FM 94.5 The Lake (Click to listen live).
1st ROUND PREP FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY, November 15
Class 6A
East Coweta (Region 2, Seed 4) at Buford (R8, S1)
Class 5A
Gainesville (R7, S3) at Sequoyah (R6, S2)
Habersham Central (R8, S4) at Lee County (R2, S1)
Coffee (R2, S3) at Jackson County (R8, S2)
Class 4A
East Forsyth (R8, S3) at Jones County (R2, S2)
Flowery Branch (R8, S4) At Ola (R2, S1)
Class 3A (Seedings based on GHSA Postseason Rankings)
Chestatee (R6, S30) at Peach County (R1, S3)
Gilmer (R7, S28) at North Hall (R6, S5)
Lagrange (R2, S20 at Lumpkin County R6, S13)
Monroe (R1, S32) at Jefferson (R8, S1)
Monroe Area (R8, S25) at Cherokee Bluff (R8, S8)
Class 2A
East Jackson (R8, S25) at Morgan County (R2, S8)
Union County (R7, S24) at Sumter County (R1, S9)
Class A Division 1
Bremen (R6, S22) at Commerce (R8, S11)
Rabun County (R8, S21) at Fitzgerald (R1, S12)
