When: Tuesday, 4 p.m.

About Burke County: The No. 7-ranked Bears (13-1) won the Region 4 championship and were seeded No. 8 by the new GHSA points rankings system. QB Sean Sandiver has thrown for 1,817 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 536 yards and 13 touchdowns. The top rusher is A’merre Williams, who has run for 1,674 yards and 31 touchdowns and caught 17 passes, three for touchdowns. Kel’von Scott has rushed for an additional 765 yards and nine touchdowns and leads the team with 30 receptions, a 22.8-yard average, and eight touchdowns. Top tacklers are Cadyn Bracely (85 tackles), Chris Flournoy Jr. (67 tackles), Darius Jordan (52 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four sacks, 12 hurries) and Scott (three interceptions).

About Carver-Columbus: The No. 5-rankedTigers (13-1) won the Region 1 championship and were seeded No. 2 for the playoffs. Carver may have arrived a year earlier than expected, as many of their best players are juniors – including DI prospects Tristan Givens, an edge rusher whose offers include Georgia Tech and Tennessee, and Parker Pritchett, a 6-5, 320-pound offensive lineman whose offers include Alabama and Auburn. The steady hand on defense comes from senior linebacker A.J. Wilson. Other top players include running backs Kelston Tarver and Kobe Caslin, receiver K.J. Miles, defensive back Jamarcus Davis, Markevious Yancie and Antavius Watts.

How they got there: Burke County def. Cook 27-21, def. Laney 49-28, def. Thomson 49-42, def. Rockmart 35-22. Carver def. Therrell 54-7, def. Ringgold 35-14, def. Pierce County 44-7, def. Appling County 49-6.

Championship history: Carver won the state championship in 2007 and reached the championship game in 2021.Burke County won the state championship in 2011 and reached the final in 1997.

Series history: The teams have met only once, with Carver winning 28-21 in the first round of the playoffs in 2009.