The playoffs are set after an exciting Week 12 of high school football wrapped up Friday night.
Here are five things we learned from the final week of the regular season.
East Forsyth never quits, and White County bounced back. Habersham Central made the playoffs for the first time since 2021, while Lumpkin County continues to make history. We also learned all the playoff matchups for the opening week of the state tournaments.
1. East Forsyth showed grit and tenacity
The Broncos trailed North Hall by 10 points late in the first half in the Brickyard. Not many teams have come back from a double-digit lead in that stadium, but East Forsyth's defense stood up strong and gave the offense the chances to show they can score with anyone. Now the Broncos are in the playoffs for the first time in the short history of the program, and we wouldn't be shocked if they are in a nailbiter in the opening round.
2. White County clinched a spot in the Class 3A playoffs
Three weeks ago, we thought White County was a shoo-in for a playoff spot. Turns out they needed the win over Gilmer Friday after back-to-back losses to get to the regular season finale. Tripp Nix and Ryan Fowler led the Warrior offense to victory, and White County is in as the No. 3 seed out of region 7-3A. A tough road matchup awaits them, but that offense has the ability to lead the Warriors through to round two.
3. Habersham Central is back in the postseason
It hasn't been terribly long, but the Raiders are back in after their win over Shiloh Friday night. The Raiders have a very balanced attack offensively with Zeke Whittington leading the way, but Habersham has to go to Douglas County in the opening round. Not an easy road for the Raiders, but if Whittington gets going, Habersham could pull off the upset Friday night.
4. Lumpkin County continues their historic season
The Indians wrapped up a perfect regular season with a 35-point win over West Hall. Now the Indians are hosting the playoffs in the Gold City for the second straight year. It's hard for us not to look ahead to a potential rematch of last year's opening round matchup in this year's second round should the Indians and Oconee County get through their first matchups, but if the Indians continue to do what they have been this season on offense, they will be tough for anyone to stop.
5. The playoffs are HERE!
In total, 13 of our area teams are in the playoffs. Buford, Gainesville, Commerce, Lumpkin County, Union County and Jefferson will all host the opening round, while Rabun County, North Hall, East Forsyth, Rabun County, North Forsyth, Flowery Branch and Habersham Central will take their teams on the road. Be sure to tune in to Thursday's Friday Game Night Pick'Em Show to hear all the analysis and see how we see it all playing out!
