Carrollton is one of several teams in Class AAA that could win the state title. Photo by Elisa Herring

The brackets really broke down nicely.

The high school football playoffs are upon us here in Georgia, and fans should be pleased with how the brackets have set up for the next five weeks. In Class AAAAA, Collins Hill will host Woodstock in what might be the best first round match-up in the highest classification. Stephenson and Hillgrove should provide plenty of hitting on defense and Camden vs. Coffee could offer the toughest 1 vs. 4 in all of the state.
In AAAA, fans could get to see Tucker and Northside-Warner Robins in the third round and perhaps Kell and Flowery Branch in the second round. Clarke Central and Griffin are also on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning a potent finals is certainly believable.
In Class AAA, we could have a final four of Peach County, Sandy Creek, Gainesville and either Cairo or Carrollton. WOW. That is a loaded final five.
In Class A, whoever survives the Wesleyan/Athens Academy/Wilcox County bracket will be lucky enough to possibly face Charlton County and then Clinch for the title.

But Georgia high school football fans should be most grateful for the Class AA brackets because everything is set up for a Buford/Carver-Columbus state championship game. This is the game that we wanted when the reclassifications were announced and we wanted a rematch after the first classic these two put on earlier this season. Buford will be looking for revenge from that game as well as to put a fourth straight trophy in the Wolves' display case while Carver will look to finally shake the underachieving demons from past seasons and end the Buford dynasty. With Crowell and company, one would expect that this is the best chance the field has had in years of dethroning Buford, but I remember saying the same thing last season about Calhoun, with Da’Rick Rogers and Nash Nance.

You can have March Madness all you want. Give me the next five weeks of Georgia high school football and I’m happy.