The opening round of the 2024 GHSA football playoffs went mostly to plan, with the majority of higher seeded teams winning. There were exceptions, however. There always are.
No. 4 Seeds Defeat Region Champions
In Class 6A, the No. 4 seeded upsets include head coach Matt Helmrich’s Peachtree Ridge knocking off Region 6 champion North Atlanta by 16 points and Archer defeating Harrison 46-42.
In Class 5A, Houston County was a No. 4 seed, but went to Athens and defeated Region 8 champion Clarke Central 69-49.
In Class 3A, Westover, who had ascended to the No. 2 spot in our 2024 Georgia high school football rankings for Class 3A, lost to unranked Luella 25-24.
Jasper County Ends Playoff Drought
In Class 1A-Division I, Jasper County won their matchup against ACE Charter 41-31. Although it wasn’t an upset victory, the Hurricanes hosting and winning their first playoff game in 32 years is big news for fans of the Monticello program.
Jasper County is 8-3 and enjoying their first winning season since 2003 under head coach Ashley Henderson, who formerly coached at Valwood and Thomas County Central.
Round 1 Winners From Region 1 in Class 6A Have a Tough Road Ahead
Three of the four teams from Region 1 in Class 6A all won in Round 1. Colquitt County, Valdosta, and Lowndes all move on to Round 2 of the 2024 GHSA football playoffs, while No. 4 seed Camden County does not advance after losing to North Cobb.
The Valdosta Wildcats and the Lowndes Vikings will hit the road to take on the teams many feel are the favorites to win it all in Class 6A this year. The Wildcats travel to Carrollton to battle the undefeated Trojans and five-star quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis. The Vikings must go into Tom Riden Stadium and find a way to upset Buford.
This is quite the challenge for both teams. Valdosta lost to Carrollton last season in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs, while Lowndes was outside the playoffs in 2023.
This is a chance for both teams to put last year behind them and give fans of Valdosta and Lowndes hopes of a return to the glory days of their respective programs.
Another team hoping to return their proud program to its winning ways is Collins Hill. After playing for state championships in 2020, when they fell short, and in 2021, when they won it all, the Eagles stumbled and went through a rebuild in 2022 and 2023.
But defensive-minded head coach Drew Swick has fans of the program believing again. After a 9-1 regular season and a playoff win last week over Westlake, Collins Hill will make the long journey from Suwannee to Moultrie to try to win a playoff game against the Colquitt County Packers in one of the state’s toughest venues, Mack Tharpe Stadium.
We’ll be back next week for a recap of Round 2 of the 2024 GHSA football playoffs and a look at the quarterfinals.
