Northeast, ACE and Westside in playoffs

The GHSA announced its playoff field for all seven classifications Sunday — and three Macon teams will make an appearance in the postseason.

Northeast won the Region 2-A Division I championship with a victory over East Laurens last week, finishing the season 8-2 and 8-1 in region play to earn the No. 5 seed in the Class A-Division I state tournament.

Even with the high seed, the Raiders got a bit of an unlucky draw. They will host No. 28 Fannin County (5-5 this year) in the first round but are on the same side as two top teams in the classification: No. 12 Swainsboro and defending champion No. 4 Toombs County.

Northeast would host Swainsboro in the second round if both teams made it there, while the Raiders would travel to Toombs in the quarterfinals if both teams made it that far. Other teams in the Raiders’ quadrant include Bacon County, Temple and Thomasville.

Here’s all the details about Northeast’s first-round playoff matchup:

• Who: No. 5 Northeast (8-2) vs. No. 28 Fannin County (5-5).
• What: GHSA Class A-Division I State tournament, first round.
• When: Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (time subject to change).
• Where: Thompson Stadium, Macon.

And some other notes:

• Northeast defeated Fannin County, which had the No. 1 seed, in last year’s state quarterfinals en route to a championship appearance.
• Fannin County will have to travel about three hours for the first round contest.
• Fannin County has a run-heavy offense, according to their MaxPreps stats, though when they do throw the ball, it goes for chunk plays — three different wideouts average more than 14 yards per grab with at least eight catches.
• Northeast’s No. 5 seed means they were ranked behind four other region champions: Heard County, Lamar County, Worth County and Toombs County. Gordon-Lee was the only public school region champion to be ranked lower than the Raiders in Class A-Division I.

ACE Charter

The ACE Gryphons lost their final game of the season last week, falling to Washington County 27-21 to give ACE a 5-5 overall record and 4-5 region finish good for sixth in Region 2. This meant the Gryphons were waiting anxiously for the bracket announcement Sunday since they did not have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.

ACE ended up with the No. 24 ranking, putting them on the road against No. 9 Fitzgerald to start the playoffs. Fitzgerald is one of the top teams in A-Division I this season, often ranking highly in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia High School Football Daily polls.

The Gryphons have been spotty this season, but head coach Keith Hatcher said he believes the team’s roster is about as talent-rich as it’s been since he arrived at ACE in 2022. The offensive line has had success making lanes for star back Bryson Vincent.

Here’s everything you need to know about ACE’s first round playoff matchup:

• Who: No. 24 ACE (5-5) at No. 9 Fitzgerald (7-3).
• What: GHSA Class A-Division I State tournament, first round.
• When: Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (time subject to change).
• Where: Jaycee Stadium in Fitzgerald, Georgia.

And some additional details:

• Fitzgerald earned the No. 9 seed by finishing second in Region 1, a region which ended up getting six of its seven teams in the playoffs. The Purple Hurricane’s only loss came against eventual region champ Worth County, one of only three undefeated teams in Class A-Division I.
• ACE has never met Fitzgerald on the gridiron before.
• Fitzgerald, which has not missed the playoffs since 1999, has recently become even more of a dynasty. The Purple Hurricane made the state championship game three years in a row from 2020-22, winning the trophy in 2021. They lost to Northeast in the semifinals last season.
• Even with the immense recent success, Fitzgerald’s eighth-year head coach Tucker Pruitt departed for Appling County after last season. Wesley Tankersley guided the team to a 7-3 mark in his first year.
• Despite losing to Washington County to end the regular season, ACE actually finished one spot above the Golden Hawks in the playoff seedings. If they had been No. 25, the Gryphons would be facing Dublin in the first round.

Westside

The Seminoles got crucial region wins down the stretch to secure a playoff spot, though Westside did lose in unceremonious fashion 42-13 to Jackson in the season finale to finish 3-7 overall and 2-3 in the region.

That finish netted the ‘Noles fourth place in Region 2-2A, though their record led to a lower finish in the power rankings and a tougher tournament seed of No. 29.

Westside will face No. 4 Morgan County in the first round of the Class 2A state tournament. The Bulldogs finished the season perfect at 10-0, with the Seminoles losing to them during the regular season as the teams both play in Region 2.

It will be head coach Spoon Risper’s final postseason run with Westside, as he announced earlier this year that he will retire after this season.

Here’s everything you need to know about Westside’s first round playoff game:

• Who: No. 29 Westside (3-7) at No. 4 Morgan County (10-0).
• What: GHSA Class 2A State tournament, first round.
• When: Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. (time subject to change).
• Where: Bill Cory Stadium in Madison, Georgia.

And some other matchup matters:

• Morgan County dominated Westside in their regular season clash. The Bulldogs won 56-14 behind an explosive offense. Receiver Ty Tillery highlighted the matchup for Morgan County, finishing with 114 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
• The Seminoles have struggled offensively, averaging only about 100 yards per game both passing and rushing for an average of 225 yards of offense per game.
• Morgan County is one of only three undefeated teams in Class 2A, along with Carver-Columbus and Carver-Atlanta. Rockmart was ranked No. 3, the only other team above the Bulldogs, despite finishing 9-1.