Predicting the Winners of the Georgia High School Football State Semifinals

See who High School On SI thinks will reach the GHSL state championship games in every classification

Grayson's Alex Sanchez (1) leaves a Collins Hill defender in his wake as he scores in the Rams' 38-14 Class 6A playoff victory last week. / Colin Hubbard

The state semifinals are here for the state of Georgia, and it’s jam packed with some tremendous matchups across all classifications. 

Two matchups in particular stand out above the rest. Carrollton and Buford, two Top 25 nationally ranked teams, will go to war for a spot in the Class 6A state finals in Mercedes Benz, as will Class 5A powerhouses Milton and Lee County. 

Both of those matchups are more than worthy of being state championship games. 

Most tournament favorites are still alive across the eight classifications, but that could soon change after Friday. Who will earn a trip to Mercedes Benz and who will have their season come to an abrupt end one game short? 

Check out who High School on Si predicts will win their semifinal matchups on Friday, and who will secure a spot in the state championship across all classifications in the state of Georgia. 

Class 6A

Douglas County (11-2) at Grayson (12-1) 

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Grayson Rams are in the Class 6A state semifinals. They are a team that has been wrongfully penalized by many media outlets for losing to a good Collins Hill team in Week 1 - a game they’ll say was a fluke loss due to poor weather - and were ranked as low as No. 9 in the classification heading into the playoffs. 

We’ve been high on Grayson all season. In our final Power 25 rankings of the regular season, the Rams ranked as the No. 7 team in the state, and No. 5 in the classification, and now here they are in the Final 4 just one win away from advancing to a state championship. 

To get to the semifinals, the Rams had to beat Collins Hill in a rematch. After losing 20-19 to the Eagles in Week 1, the Rams never trailed in last Friday’s rematch. They led by three points heading into the fourth quarter and proceeded to dominate the final 12 minutes, out-scoring the Eagles 21-0 to win the game going away, 38-14. 

Their opponent in Friday’s semifinals will be Douglas County, a team that’s already seen the best the state has to offer. Their only two losses this season - Carrollton and Buford - are the other two Final 4 teams that will battle it out for a spot in the state championship game. 

So who wins between Grayson and Douglas County? It’s an intriguing matchup to say the least. 

At quarterback, Grayson’s Travis Burgess and Douglas County’s DJ Bordeaux are very similar. As a matter of fact, the two junior’s have almost identical QB ratings for the season. Burgess clocks in with a rating of 112.7 while Bordeaux is right behind him with a rating of 112.3. 

Burgess (21) has thrown one more touchdown pass than Bordeaux (20) while playing in two fewer games. 

On the ground, both QBs are nearly identical there, too. Burgess has rushed for 535 yards and four touchdowns while Bordeaux has rushed for 510 yards and five touchdowns. 

At receiver, the Tigers should have an advantage. Juniors Aaron Greogry and Devin Carter are currently ranked as the No. 13 and No. 17 wide receivers in the nation for the Class of 2026. 

Gregory has been Bordeaux’s favorite target this season, hauling in 48 catches for 838 yards and eight touchdowns. Carter is second on the team in receiving with 651 yards and five touchdowns. 

The Rams don’t have slouches at wide receiver, however. Aiden Taylor and Alex Sanchez have both turned in great seasons for the Rams. The duo has combined for 1,233 yards and 15 touchdowns. Sanchez had three touchdowns in the Rams win over Collins Hill last week. 

With all of that said, both teams have prided themselves on being successful at running the football this season. And in this matchup, the advantage has to go to Douglas County, who has rushed for 3,170 yards and 39 touchdowns on the ground. The Rams have rushed for a very respectable 2,376 yards and 29 touchdowns this season having played one fewer game than the Tigers. 

Whoever wins this football game will probably come down to which defense performs the best. With terrific offensive weapons on both teams, getting stops on third down will be crucial. 

It’s fair to say that the Tigers are a pretty big step behind Carrollton and Buford. They weren’t able to hang with either of those teams for four quarters, and that’s likely to happen again if they’re able to reach the state championship game and face either of those teams in a rematch. 

What we’re going to find out on Friday is if Grayson also belongs in that category, or if they’re a step better than the Tigers. 

Prediction: Grayson 24, Douglas County 17 

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Carrollton (13-0) at Buford (12-1) 

One could make an argument that the winner of this game will win the Class 6A state championship. 

Carrollton and Buford, two Top 25 nationally ranked teams, will meet on Friday and it’s the matchup most everyone hoped to see. The Trojans haven’t come close to losing a game this season, while the Wolves’ only loss came way back in Week 1 against Milton. 

What should make this an exciting matchup is the clash of playing styles. The Trojans have a huge advantage at the quarterback position with 4-star Colorado commit Julian Lewis calling the shots. He’s thrown for 3,272 yards and 44 touchdowns so far this season. 

Buford on the other hand is a team that does its damage running the football. After throwing the ball aggressively last season with Dylan Raiola, the Wolves have reverted back to what helped build the program into what it is: running the football. As a team, they’ve rushed for 3,051 yards and 35 touchdowns. 

And while the Trojans aren’t slouches at running the football, either, most of their damage on the ground has come from one player. Junior running back Kimauri Farmer has rushed for 1,174 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. The next closest running back has just 144 yards this season. 

With the defensive front seven that the Wolves possess, the Trojans are going to have to beat them through the air. And they definitely have the quarterback to do it with Lewis. With a ton of weapons for him to choose from, the Wolves secondary is going to have their work cut out for them. 

Most are probably going to be on the Trojans to win this game, and for good reason. They’ve been absolutely dominant this season and haven’t even sniffed a loss. The Wolves had a slow start to the season, but are by far playing their best football at the right time. They faced an undefeated North Gwinnett team last week in the quarterfinals and beat them 43-7.

The Wolves defense hasn’t allowed more than nine points in a game over their last six games, and they haven’t allowed more than 14 points in a game since allowing 17 to Roswell way back in Week 3 of the regular season. 

It’s going to be hard to imagine Carrollton not scoring more than 17 points in this game, but the Wolves offense should be able to match that, and then some against the Trojans defense on Friday night. 

Prediction: Buford 27, Carrollton 24

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Class 5A 

Coffee (11-2) at Langston Hughes (12-1) 

Despite finishing as the third-best team in Region 2-5A this season, the Coffee Trojans are back in the state semifinals for a second straight year after winning three consecutive road games. 

The quadrant the Trojans found themselves in ahead of the playoffs was more than favorable, so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that they’ve made it this far. They beat Jackson County in Round 1, Brunswick in Round 2 and Sequoyah in Round 3 last week, three teams that weren’t ranked inside the Power 25 at any point this season. 

But winning three road playoff games in a row isn’t easy. And their win last week came against a red-hot Sequoyah team that had lost just one game this season. They won the game in dominant fashion, scoring 72 points behind a state-record performance from running back Tyrese Woodgett. The senior rushed for 605 yards, a single-game state record, and scored seven touchdowns in the win.

The Trojans will be on the road for a fourth straight week on Friday, and it’ll be their toughest opponent yet.  

Awaiting the Trojans is Langston Hughes, a team that has looked equally as dominant. They’ve lost just one game this season to Douglas County by a touchdown, and they’re fresh off a huge 28-12 win against Thomas County Central, who beat Coffee 38-7 in the Trojans’ regular-season finale. 

With the likes of Milton and Lee County dominating the talks amongst Class 5A’s teams to beat, the Panthers have flown under the radar a tad bit. They’ve still been ranked comfortably inside the Power 25 all season, and they’re going to be favored to win this game on Friday. 

Prediction: Langston Hughes 41, Coffee 14 

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Lee County (13-0) at Milton (13-0) 

Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen. The matchup everyone has been waiting for has arrived. 

Milton vs Lee County has been a dream matchup in the making for quite some time. As the weeks went by this season, it became quite apparent that the Top 2 teams to beat in Class 5A this season were going to be Milton and Lee County. Both teams are undefeated, and they’ll meet in the semifinals on Friday. 

The Eagles were the preseason favorites to win Class 5A and for good reason. They won Class 6A last season and returned the vast majority of their team for this season, as well as adding several key pieces to the mix during the offseason. 

They don’t have any weaknesses on either side of the ball, and their perfect 13-0 record reflects that. They’ve been battle-tested along the way, having played a very difficult schedule and they’ve come out of it looking better and better. 

The Trojans on the other hand are a team that didn’t start the season as a favorite in Class 5A. But it didn’t take long to see that they very clearly were. They were a part of the toughest region in the state this season, Region 2, that sent all four of its teams to the quarterfinals. 

Two of the four teams from Region 2 - Lee County and Coffee - make up the semifinals. 

It’s a real shame that this couldn’t be a state championship matchup. But there’s a good chance that this semifinals matchup is indeed the real state championship game. Whoever wins this game will enter Mercedes-Benz as the heavy favorite to hoist the Class 5A state championship. 

It would not shock us whatsoever if Lee County wins this game. But given where the game is being played and the experience the Eagles have in the playoffs over the past couple of years, they have to be the favorite going into Friday.

Prediction: Milton 38, Lee County 31

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Class 4A 

Creekside (10-2) at Marist (13-0) 

Both teams are entering the Class 4A state semifinals with a lot of confidence. Creekside is fresh off a 26-0 shutout of Eastside, who had lost just one game all season to North Oconee, while Marist is coming off of a 40-14 beatdown of Cambridge. 

The Eagles haven’t lost a game this season, and the Seminoles haven’t lost to a team from the state of Georgia, either. Their only two losses came against out-of-state opponents way back at the start of the season. 

The Seminoles played for a state championship last season, and the War Eagles came very close to doing so. They lost a close one to Thomas County Central in last year’s semifinals, the team that went on to hoist the trophy inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium last December. 

Marist will enter this matchup as the favorite, but this game could go either way. 

Prediction: Marist 35, Creekside 28

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Blessed Trinity (12-1) at North Oconee (13-0) 

What a stellar matchup this is going to be on Friday night. 

Blessed Trinity won its quadrant last Friday, beating Benedictine 24-10 at home while North Oconee won its quadrant beating Cartersville in a thriller, 28-26 at home. Blessed Trinity’s only loss this season came against Milton, the state’s No. 1 team by 14 points, and North Oconee hasn’t lost a game. 

Predicting the winner of this matchup is going to be extremely difficult. Both teams have proven to be worthy of reaching the Class 4A state semifinals. In the final regular season Power 25 rankings, Blessed Trinity ranked No. 20 in the state while North Oconee ranked No. 22. 

This has the makings of being a very good football game, and whoever wins will have without a doubt earned it. 

Prediction: Blessed Trinity 31, North Oconee 24. 

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Class 3A 

LaGrange (10-3) at Jefferson (10-3) 

For the first time ever, Class 3A implemented a 1-32 rankings system to set up the playoff field, and it has No. 1 Jefferson playing host to No. 20 LaGrange in one of the two semifinal matchups on Friday. 

On paper, the Dragons are the favorites heading into the matchup. Outside of a rather surprising 32-30 overtime loss to Oconee in their regular-season finale, the Dragons have had a great season. Their other two losses came against Marist and North Oconee, two of the four Final 4 teams in Class 4A. 

LaGrange has quietly put together a really good season as well. They went 10-3 during the regular season, and despite getting tabbed as the classification’s 20th best team heading into the playoffs, they’ve done nothing but dominate. 

They avenged their 27-7 loss in the regular season to Sandy Creek, beating them 38-22 in the second round of the playoffs. And they took care of business in last week’s quarterfinals, beating North Hall 49-17. 

Both teams run the football extremely well and it will be interesting to see how this one shakes out. 

Prediction: Jefferson 41, LaGrange 30

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Stephenson (10-3) at Calhoun (10-3) 

Calhoun entered the playoffs as the No. 6 ranked team in Class 4A - which might have been a tad too low - and they’ve more than earned their way into the state semifinals. Last week they went on the road and knocked off No. 1 seed Peach County 38-28 to reach the semis. 

Their opponent for Friday’s semifinals is Stephenson, the tournament’s No. 7 seed. The Jaguars had a rocky start to the season, but have since turned it on. They are currently riding an 8-game winnings streak after starting off the year 2-3. 

They’ve had an easier road than that of the Yellow Jackets. The highest seed the Jaguars have faced so far during the playoffs is 10th seed Jenkins. Last week the Jaguars beat No. 18 seed Southeast Bulloch 36-3. 

Who wins the game? Calhoun has to be favored, especially with them coming off of a road win at Peach County. But given how well Stephenson is playing right now, they’re not going to be an easy out. 

Prediction: Calhoun 24, Stephenson 14 

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Class 2A 

Burke County (12-1) at Rockmart (11-2) 

Three of the four top seeds for the Class 2A state playoffs have reached the state semifinals, including Rockmart and Burke County, the Top 2 seeds on the left side of the bracket. 

Rockmart entered the Field of 32 as the No. 1 seed after going 8-2 during the regular season. They were out-classed by two Class 4A teams to open up the season - Cedartown and Cartersville - but they haven’t lost a game since. 

Their road to the semifinals hasn’t been the easiest, however. After beating the No. 32 seed in Round 1, they beat the tournament’s No. 16 seed Westside-Macon 37-30 in Round 2, and then beat the tournament’s No. 8 seed Morgan County 49-40 last week. 

The Yellow Jackets will play host to Burke County on Friday, the tournament’s No. 4 seed. They went 9-1 during the regular season, losing only to Benedictine. The Bears then cruised through the first two rounds of the playoffs beating No. 29 Cook and No. 20 Laney before winning a shootout against No. 12 Thomson 49-42 last week. 

Rockmart has the experience of playing this deep into the playoffs. They played for a state championship last season, losing a heartbreaker to Pierce County 48-45 in triple overtime. 

Burke County is playing in its first state semifinals since 2011, the last year they won a state championship. 

This should be a close game, and a fun matchup that could go either way. 

Prediction: Rockmart 37, Burke County 30 

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Appling County (10-3) at Carver-Columbus (12-1) 

Carver-Columbus has been knocking on the door of a state championship for several years now, and this might be their best opportunity to win one. 

They’re in the semifinals for a second straight year, including three out of their last four seasons, and they’re matched up against an Appling County team that they’ll be favored to beat on Friday. 

The Tigers, who entered the playoffs as the No. 2 overall seed, went 9-1 during the regular season. They have rolled through their first three playoff games, beating No. 31 Therrell, No. 15 Ringgold and No. 10 Pierce County to reach the semifinals. 

Appling County entered the playoffs as the tournament’s No. 6 seed, and they’ve had to win a couple of fairly close matchups to get here. They held off No. 27 Crisp County 17-12 in Round 1 and beat No. 14 Stephens County 23-9 last Friday in the quarterfinals. 

The Pirates also played Pierce County this season. They beat them 13-6, and while it isn’t always fair to compare head-to-head matchups, Carver’s 44-7 win over Pierce County last Friday looks a lot more impressive. 

Carver will enter this matchup as the favorite to reach the Class 2A state championship game. 

Prediction: Carver-Columbus 44, Appling County 21 

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Class A Division 1 

Fitzgerald (10-3) at Northeast (11-2) 

The Northeast Raiders have been playing high school football since 1970, and they’ve never made a state semifinals appearance. That changes this week when they’ll face Fitzgerald for the rights to play for a Class A Division 1 state championship inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

Northeast entered the playoffs as the tournament’s No. 8 seed. They beat No. 25 Swainsboro in Round 1, No. 9 Lamar County in Round 2 and No. 1 Fannin County 48-39 on the road last week in Round 3. 

Fitzgerald entered the playoffs as the 12th overall seed, and they had to win two close games in each of the past two weeks to get here. After cruising past No. 21 Rabun County in Round 1, they staved off No. 28 Bleckley County 28-24 before holding off No. 4 Worth County on the road 42-38 last Friday in the quarterfinals. 

The Raiders have been a great story this season and it would be great to see them get a chance to play for a state championship. The Purple Hurricane have been there, done that in recent years, and they’ll be no easy out on Friday. 

Northeast will get the game at home, and that will peg them as a small favorite heading into this matchup. 

Prediction: Northeast 31, Fitzgerald 21

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Toombs County (11-1) at Dublin (13-0) 

Toombs County was given the tournament's No. 6 seed heading into the playoffs, and that was a major head scratcher given how good they’ve been this season. 

They went 9-1 during the regular season with their only loss coming against a really good Savannah Christian team by seven points. They beat two Class 5A teams during the regular season, including a road win at Rome. 

There aren’t five teams better in the Class A Division 1 state playoffs than Toombs, but if there is a team that has an argument to be ranked No. 1, it’s their opponent for Friday’s semifinals. 

The Bulldogs are set to travel to face the Dublin Fightin’ Irish, a team that hasn’t lost a game this season. Dublin hasn’t sniffed a loss this season, and they’ve looked dominant so far in the playoffs. They ran through Gordon Central, Jasper County and Thomasville to get to this point. 

Toombs County has looked equally as dominant in the playoffs. They have blasted all three of their opponents so far, a list that includes Southwest, Commerce and Elbert County. 

No disrespect to Northeast or Fitzgerald, the other two teams remaining in the playoffs, but this is your Class A Division 1 state championship game. Whoever wins this matchup will head into Mercedes-Benz as the heavy favorites to win it all. 

Prediction: Toombs County 28, Dublin 24

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Class A Division II 

Irwin County (12-1) at Bowdon (11-2) 

Surprise, surprise. The Bowdon Red Devils are back in the Class A Division II state semifinals for a third straight year. 

While Class A Division 1 used computer rankings to seed the 32 teams, Class A Division II did not. Bowdon was awarded one of the eight No. 1 seeds for winning their region championship, and they’ve had a smooth ride to the semifinals, beating Taylor County, Metter and Clinch County. 

Their opponent for Friday’s semifinals will be Irwin County, who’s lost just one game this season. That one loss? Clinch County, which cost them from winning their region championship. 

Our eyes are drawn to that matchup right away considering both of these teams have played Clinch County. Irwin’s loss to the Panthers was by six points back on Oct. 18. Last week, the Red Devils blasted the Panthers 31-13 to end their season. 

Bowdon is without a doubt the favorite to win this matchup on Friday. They’ve had a little easier go of things while the Indians have had to win some close games as of late. It should be a fun matchup, regardless. 

Prediction: Bowdon 42, Irwin County 20 

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Brooks County (9-4) at Manchester (10-1)

No disrespect to the Brooks County Trojans, but it would be a massive failure for the Manchester Blue Devils if they don’t win this game.

When it comes to Class A Division II football, the Manchester Blue devils have been the class of the field. Their only loss came way back in Week 1 to a talented Harris County team out of Class 4A. Since then, they’ve dominated. 

They won their region after beating Bowdown 28-20, and they’ve been ranked as the No. 1 team in the classification ever since beating the Red Devils back on Oct. 4. But they’ve shown some weakness in recent weeks. They were very nearly upset by Lincoln County last week in the quarterfinals, a game they won 20-17. 

In the week prior, they only beat Wilcox County by 12 points. 

Brooks County went 6-4 during the regular season after playing a very difficult non-region schedule. Two of their four losses have come against teams still in the playoffs - Fitzgerald in Class A Division 1, and Irwin County. 

The Trojans are going to lay down to the Blue Devils, but it’s going to be tough to overcome what will be the best team they’ve seen so far during the playoffs. 

Prediction: Manchester 27, Brooks County 20

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Private 

North Cobb Christian (11-1) at Prince Avenue Christian (9-3) 

Using a computer to rank high school football teams has major flaws. And there’s no better example of that than the North Cobb Christian Eagles being tabbed as the All-Private classification’s 8th best team. 

The Eagles went 9-1 during the regular season with their only loss coming against Class AA’s Rockmart, a team they lost to 24-21 that’s playing in their classification’s semifinals this Friday. 

There’s not seven teams better than the Eagles, and they’ve proven that so far in their two playoff wins. They blasted No. 9 Whitfield Academy 40-6 in Round 1, and then made the long trek south to knock off No. 1 seed Savannah Christian 30-27 to reach the semifinals. 

Their opponent in Friday’s semifinals is a team that’s been there many times over the past few years, Prince Avenue Christian. The Wolverines went 7-3 during the regular season, losing to two out-of-state teams and Blessed Trinity by three points, a team that’s in the Class 4A Final 4. 

The Wolverines blasted Providence Christian in the Sweet 16 and took care of business on the road last week at Calvary Day, beating the tournament’s No.4 seed 61-39. They also have a win over Hebron Christian, a team still left in the playoffs, who they beat for their region championship

This is a fascinating matchup, and one that is going to be pretty hard to predict. One could make a fairly good argument for either one of these teams, but experience is going to play a part. The Wolverines are the two-time defending state champs while have never made it this far. 

If we’ve learned anything over the past five years, it’s that you shouldn’t bet against the Wolverines. But don’t be shocked if the Eagles find a way to win this game. 

Prediction: Prince Avenue Christian 38, North Cobb Christian 31

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Hebron Christian (10-2) at Fellowship Christian (10-2) 

The computer rankings really botched the new All-Private classification, and Hebron Christian is another prime example of that. 

The Lions went 10-2 during the regular season, losing only to Class 4A’s Blessed Trinity by two touchdowns and Prince Avenue Christian by three points. Both teams are in their respective Final 4’s, and yet the Lions were tabbed as the classification’s 6th best team. 

Their two playoff games have been relatively easy for the Lions. They beat No. 11 Lovett by two touchdowns in the Sweet 16, and then blasted No. 14 Aquinas 63-13 last week to reach the state semifinals for the first time in program history. 

Awaiting them in Friday’s semifinals is Fellowship Christian, the tournament’s No. 2 overall seed. To make the rankings seem like even more of a joke, these two teams met in Week 2 of the regular season, and the Lions won in a blowout 38-18. 

The Paladines have had a great season, going 10-2. Their only other loss came against Savannah Christian, who entered as the tournament’s No. 1 seed. But given how these two team’s seasons played out, ranking them where they did is a head-scratcher. 

This is new territory for the Lions program, but it isn’t new territory for their head coach Jonathan Gess, who won six state championships at Eagle’s Landing Christian, including five in a row from 2015-19.

The Paladines have been knocking on the door for several years now, but haven’t been able to break through. They will have home-field advantage against the Lions on Friday, but that didn’t matter earlier this season when they lost to the Lions by 20 points at home. 

Prediction: Hebron Christian 35, Fellowship Christian 21