The semis & championships for high school football are here. Which Middle GA teams are in?
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The Georgia high school football playoffs are nearly done, with the private schools in GIAA playing for a championship this week and GHSA schools in the semifinals.
With title games just around the corner, only a few Middle Georgia teams remain. Which local schools still have a shot at a championship?
GHSA Semifinals
The biggest Middle Georgia school still in the fight for a state trophy is Perry, a team that hit some bumps along the way but got into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in Region 2 of the GHSA 4A classification.
The Panthers finished 8-2 in the regular season, and both of their losses came against strong opponents. They opened the year with a loss to 6A powerhouse Houston County in a game that came down to the wire before a last-second Bears touchdown saddled Perry with a 42-35 loss.
The Panthers proceeded to go on an impressive seven-game win streak that nearly stretched into November and included strong wins over programs like Jones County and Westside. Perry’s only other loss came against region foe Spalding, though, so the Panthers couldn’t win their region.
The regular season earned Perry the No. 6 place in GPB’s 4A rankings and a chance to start the playoffs at home, where they handled Burke County with ease. The second round proved more of a challenge, but the Panthers snagged a 7-3 win on the road against Bainbridge to make the quarterfinals.
After winning 34-20 last week over Stephenson, Perry will travel once more to face Starr’s Mill, GPB’s No. 8 team in 4A, in Fayetteville this Friday.
Lower level Middle Georgia teams still in the hunt include Telfair County, Schley County and Swainsboro. Schley comes into the semifinals particularly hot, riding a 13-0 record and region championship into a matchup with Bowdon.
GIAA championships
Two teams from Middle Georgia will play for a GIAA championship this week as well.
The FPD Vikings experienced a resurgent season under first-year head coach Brett Collier this year, going 8-3-1 and earning the top seed in the GIAA 4A playoffs. The regular season included a hot stretch through October and into November where the Vikings beat all three of their Macon rivals — Mount de Sales, Tattnall and Stratford — in a span of four weeks.
That same stretch included a loss that showed the team’s grit when the Vikings nearly made a furious comeback to end John Milledge’s nation-leading win streak. While FPD lost 27-22, the game showed the team’s talent level and set them up for a strong finish. The Vikings face Brookstone, who they beat in the regular season, Friday night for the title.
John Milledge is a No. 1 seed in the 3A bracket after notching yet another undefeated season. The Trojans have not lost a game since 2018 and look to continue that streak with another championship.
John Milledge dominated Tiftarea and Pinewood Christian in the first two rounds. Now the Trojans will play Valwood for the trophy Thursday night.
The Gatewood Gators will also play for a championship Friday after finishing 10-2 and winning their region. They’ll face the 11-2 Edmund Burke Academy Spartans.
Game times
Perry @ Starr’s Mill, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Schley County @ Bowdon, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Swainsboro @ Brooks County, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Telfari County v.s. Manchester, Friday at 7 p.m.
John Milledge vs Valwood, Thursday at 8 p.m. at Mercer University
FPD v.s. Brookstone, Friday at 8 p.m. at Mercer University
Gatewood v.s. Edmund Burke Academy, Friday at 5 p.m. at Mercer University
All game times are taken from MaxPreps.
