GPB’s Football Fridays in Georgia kicks off its playoff coverage this week when the Valdosta Wildcats visit the Walton Raiders in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

Valdosta (8-2) is the No. 3 seed from Region 1. The Wildcats won their first seven games before losing to Richmond Hill, then finishing the season with a 30-10 loss to rival Lowndes in the “Winnersville Classic.”

 Walton (7-3) is the No. 2 team from Region 5. The Raiders finished the season by winning their final four games after losing to eventual region champion North Cobb on Sept. 20. Walton’s other losses came against Class 5A No. 5 Roswell and Norcross.

This will be the second meeting between the schools. They played in the state quarterfinals in 2004, with Walton winning 17-14 in Valdosta.

Walton reached the state championship game last year before losing to Milton in the title game. Valdosta, the state’s winningest program, was eliminated in the second round last season.

The game can be seen live on GPB-TV, GPB.org and the GPB sports app.