The GHSA football season is complete after the three-day Tommy Guillibeau state playoffs were contested at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Only two champions were able to defend their titles and two teams won it all for the first time in school history.

The repeat winners came the first day in Class A, where Prince Avenue defeated Swainsboro 49-32 in a rematch of the 2022 game to take Division I, and Bowdon defeated Manchester 28-27 to win Division II.

“It was hard to go win one last year and it’s a lot harder the second time because your kids get a little complacent,” Bowdon coach Richard Fendley said. “It took us a lot longer in the off-season to get our workouts the way we wanted them, an 0-2 start, a little noise outside the inner circle early in the year, but our kids trusted the process and trusted that we were going to get better each week. I’m just proud to be a Bowdon Red Devil.”

First time winners came in Class 4A, where Perry defeated Stockbridge 38-27 in a battle between two teams going to the final for the first time, and in Class 5A, where Coffee defeated Creekside 31-14.

Perhaps the most exciting game came in Class 2A, where Pierce County defeated Rockmart 48-45 in three overtimes to regain the title it last won in 2020.

In Class 3A, Cedar Grove defeated Savannah Christian 49-28 to win its fifth championship since 2016. In Class 6A, Thomas County Central finished undefeated and won its first sixth title, its first since 1997, by defeating Woodward Academy 49-28. In Class 7A, Milton knocked off Walton 31-21 for its first championship since 2018.

Here is the final GPB Rankings for 2023.

Class 7A

  1. Milton
  2. Walton
  3. Grayson
  4. Camden County
  5. Mill Creek
  6. Carrollton
  7. Colquitt County
  8. Buford
  9. Norcross
  10. Westlake

Class 6A

  1. Thomas County Central
  2. Woodward Academy
  3. Douglas County
  4. Marist
  5. Gainesville
  6. Rome
  7. Lee County
  8. Roswell
  9. Hughes
  10. Houston County

Class 5A

  1. Coffee
  2. Creekside
  3. Jefferson
  4. Cartersville
  5. Warner Robins
  6. Ware County
  7. Harris County
  8. Hiram
  9. Dalton
  10. Cass

Class 4A

  1. Perry
  2. Stockbridge
  3. Benedictine
  4. Starr's Mill
  5. Spalding
  6. North Oconee
  7. Central Carroll
  8. Bainbridge
  9. Stephenson
  10. Troup

Class 3A

  1. Cedar Grove
  2. Savannah Christian
  3. Calvary Day
  4. Carver-Col
  5. Mary Persons
  6. Lumpkin County
  7. Stephens County
  8. Morgan County
  9. Adairsville
  10. Bremen

Class 2A

  1. Pierce County
  2. Rockmart
  3. Cook
  4. Fitzgerald
  5. Fellowship Christian
  6. Callaway
  7. Toombs County
  8. Appling County
  9. Thomson
  10. Columbia

Class A Division I

  1. Prince Avenue Christian
  2. Swainsboro
  3. Brooks County
  4. Bryan County
  5. Irwin County
  6. Commerce
  7. Elbert County
  8. Rabun County
  9. Bleckley County
  10. (tie) Trion, Dublin

Class A Division II

  1. Bowdon
  2. Manchester
  3. Schley County
  4. Telfair County
  5. Clinch County
  6. Macon County
  7. Early County
  8. Dooly County
  9. Portal
  10. Greene County