Predicting the winners of the 2024 Georgia high school football playoffs 6A Sweet 16

The state's largest classification will feature several tough battles for spots in next week's quarterfinals

Lowndes is one of the hottest teams in the state of Georgia, but can they top one of the state's most consistent playoff powers - Buford. Read our analysis and prediction below. / Marvis Parrish/X

Sixteen teams remain in the state of Georgia’s largest classification, and it’s jam packed with great football teams.

The bracket consists of two nationally-ranked teams in Carrollton and Buford. It also features some other usual suspects, including Grayson, who has reached six straight quarterfinals, as well as Colquitt County, who has six quarterfinals appearances since last winning a state title in 2015.

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 >>GHSL CLASS 6A FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET<<

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Two of the 16 teams entered the playoffs as No. 4 seeds - Peachtree Ridge and Archer - and played spoiler in Round 1. Both of those teams now find themselves in good positions to play spoiler for a second straight week. 

Check out who High School On Si predicts will win their second-round matchups on Friday, and who will secure a spot in the Class 6A state quarterfinals. 

Georgia Class 6A Round of 16 Predictions

Collins Hill (10-1) at Colquitt County (8-3) 

Predicting an outcome in this Round of 16 meeting between host Colquitt County and Collins Hill will be difficult. For two teams that have never played each other before, they have both played their fair share of nail-biters this season. 

Collins Hill, who came out of nowhere to an extent this season, upended Grayson in Week 1 and followed that up with wins against Woodward Academy and Mill Creek. Their only loss during the regular season came against state championship favorite Buford 34-7. 

The entered the playoffs as a No. 2 seed and got everything they could handle from Westlake before running away with it late in a somewhat deceiving 35-14 final score. 

The Packers won an ultra-competive Region 1 championship, narrowly beating out Lowndes and Valdosta for the top spot. They edged out Lowndes 38-35, lost to Valdosta 7-3 and out-raced Camden County 51-41 to clinch the title. 

Their two other losses in the regular season came against Top 5 teams in Lee County and North Gwinnett. 

So who wins against these two powers on Friday?

It’s hard to ignore how difficult of a place it is to play at Mack Sharpe Stadium, but two of their three losses came there during the regular season. The Eagles possess one of the top defenses in the state, but lack in the offensive department at times. 

The Packers have played shootouts and low-scoring affairs this season, which make them a hard team to get a read on. They’re battle-tested, but so are the Eagles. 

Colquitt County will be the betting favorite in this one by most media outlets - due in large part to them getting home field advantage - but what’s the fun in picking the favorite in every game? 

Prediction: Collins Hill 28, Colquitt County 21

Norcross (8-3) at Grayson (10-1) 

Friday will mark the sixth time Grayson and Norcross have squared off in the playoffs. The Rams are 5-1 in those games, and they’re going to be the favorite to win again on Friday when they meet in the Class 6A Round of 16. 

After losing their season-opener, the Rams haven’t lost again. They’re riding a 10-game winning streak into Friday that includes a 56-12 win over Pebblebrook in the first round of the playoffs last week. 

The Blue Devils lost three games during the regular season, two to Top 10 teams in North Gwinnett and Mill Creek, and a third in surprising fashion to Brookwood. That loss to the Broncos cost them a home playoff game in the first round, but that didn’t keep them from knocking off Lambert on the road 37-27. 

When playing up to their potential, one could argue this will be the best offense the Rams have faced this season in the state of Georgia. On the flip side, the Rams haven’t allowed more than 14 points in a game since Week 1. 

Don’t expect the Blue Devils to lay down in this one, but it’s going to be hard to imagine a world where the Rams don’t win this game. They’re one of the favorites to reach the state championship game, and they’re playing really good football at this point in the season. 

Prediction: Grayson 38, Norcross 21

Douglas County (9-2) at North Cobb (11-0)

On paper, this game has the makings to be spectacular. 

The Warriors come into the matchup undefeated despite not playing any Top 25 teams while the Tigers come in with two losses to two nationally ranked teams in Carrollton and Buford. The best win on their resume came against Langston Hughes. 

It’s easy to knock the Warriors for playing an easy schedule, but a large part of that isn’t their fault. Region 5 was way down this year and the Warriors took advantage of that. Four out of their six region opponents finished the season with a losing record. 

But one thing they have done very well this season is continue to get better. They are peaking at the right time, and further proved that when they out-classed Camden County 28-7 in the first round of the playoffs last Friday. 

The Tigers drew a very difficult first-round opponent in Mill Creek, who entered the playoffs as a No. 3 seed after losing to both Buford and Collins Hill in region play. In what could have been a trap game for the Tigers, it was anything but. They won the game without much of a sweat 27-18.

This game on Friday between the Warriors and Tigers could go either way. The Tigers have a few more athletes than that of the Warriors, and they’ve seen the best the state has to offer. But the warriors have something special brewing. They’re on the side of the bracket that they would prefer to be on, and they have a clear path to a Final 4 if they can get past the Tigers. 

Their achilles heel has been the second round of the playoffs, having lost in the second round in 2020, 2021 and 2022. But this just might be the team to get them over that hump. 

Prediction: North Cobb 31, Douglas County 24 

Archer (4-7) at West Forsyth (8-3) 

The Wolverines did something last Friday that they almost never do. Beat a Gwinnett County team in the playoffs. They entered their first-round matchup against Brookwood just 3-12 all-time against Gwinnett County teams in the playoffs, but found a way to beat the Broncos 24-10. 

Awaiting them in the second round is Archer, a Gwinnett County team that won just three games during the regular season. That didn’t stop them, however, from beating No. 1 seed Harrison in the first round 46-42 to advance into the second round for the first time since 2021. 

The Tigers are playing with house money. Nobody - outside of us - gave them much of a chance to win a playoff game. And we’re here to tell you that they can absolutely win another. The wolverines have put together a good season, but they’re far from invincible. 

On paper, West Forsyth should win this game. But games aren’t played on paper. 

Prediction: Archer 35, West Forsyth 31 

Peachtree Ridge (6-5) at Hillgrove (10-1) 

A lot of folks had Hillgrove on upset alert - us included - when they played host to South Gwinnett in last week’s first round. But it was far from an upset. The Hawks steamrolled the Comets 35-14 to advance into the Round of 16. 

The Lions entered last Friday’s first round as a No. 4 seed that could potentially upset a No. 1 seed, and that’s exactly what they did. They traveled to North Atlanta, jumped out to a big lead and held on down the stretch for a 43-27 win. 

Both teams have to feel good about the team they’re facing in the second round. 

Neither the Hawks, nor the Lions are ranked very high, and they’re both coming off of big wins for their respective programs.  The Hawks will have an opportunity to make it past the second round for the first time in six years while the Lions haven’t made it past the second round since 2009. 

The Lions played a much more difficult regular season than the Hawks, and they’re coming off of a bigger win. The momentum advantage might be slightly in favor of the Lions, especially considering they’re not scared to play on the road. 

Prediction: Peachtree Ridge 28, Hillgrove 24 

Valdosta (9-2) at Carrollton (11-0) 

This wasn’t the draw Valdosta had hoped to receive heading into the Class 6A state playoffs. After traveling north and beating Walton 35-27 in the first round last Friday, they’re headed north again, this time to face off against nationally ranked Carrollton. 

The Trojans have looked the part all season. They didn’t lose a game during the regular season, and never came remotely close to doing so. The Wildcats on the other hand have had a great season, but haven’t been a full strength for several weeks now. 

University of Georgia commit Todd Robinson has been hobbled since the second half of the season, and that’s held the Wildcats back. It probably cost them the Region 1 championship, which was won by Colquitt County, a team they beat 7-3. 

Without being able to run, it’s going to be hard seeing them keep this game close against a well-oiled machine in Carrollton. JuJu Lewis has made things look easy this season, and he’s going to be a hard man to slow down on Friday. 

Prediction: Carrollton 45, Valdosta 21 

Newton (7-4) at North Gwinnett (11-0) 

The Rams enter this matchup in uncharted waters. They’re coming off their first playoff win since 2015, and it took all four quarters to knock off McEachern, who very nearly pulled the upset. 

North Gwinnett enters the matchup as one of the favorites in Class 6A having put together a perfect regular season. They took their undefeated record into the playoffs last week and dismantled Denmark 45-7. 

No one, and I mean no one has had an answer for Newton running back Zion Johnson, who eclipsed the 2,000 yard rushing mark against McEachern last Friday. He’s rushed for 2,078 yards and has scored 16 touchdowns, and he’s the player that makes the Rams go. 

The Bulldogs have a great defense, and if they’re able to slow down Johnson, it could be a long night for the Rams. 

Prediction: North Gwinnett 45, Newton 14 

Lowndes (10-1) at Buford (10-1)

In a battle of 10-1 teams, this has the makings of being a sneaky good matchup in Round 2 of the Class 6A state playoffs. 

Vikings head coach Adam Carter is no stranger to football in Gwinnett County. Prior to arriving at Lowndes, he coached Grayson for four seasons and won a Class 7A state championship in 2020. 

But one team he did not face in his four years in Gwinnett was Buford, the state’s No. 3 ranked team. His Vikings will make the long trek north to Buford and will tangle with the Wolves for a spot in the quarterfinals a week from Friday. 

Ever since Week 3 of the regular season, the Wolves have looked dominant. They lost a close one to No. 1 Milton in Week 1 and narrowly escaped with a win against Benedictine in week 2. Since then, no one has come close to beating them. 

Last Friday, they beat East Coweta 59-7 in the first round of the playoffs. 

The Vikings have a mirror record to that of Buford, losing just one game by three points to Colquitt County. They beat Valdosta 30-20 in their regular season finale to clinch the region’s No. 2 seed, and then beat North Paulding 35-17 last Friday in the first round. 

Both teams are playing really good football and it’s a shame that one of these two teams has to lose in the second round. The Vikings aren’t going to be scared to play the Wolves in the least, but they definitely have their work cut out for them.

Prediction: Buford 27, Lowndes 20