Over the last few years, recruiting has gone younger and younger with colleges starting their evaluations of potential prospects beginning with the targets’ sophomore and sometimes freshman year of high school.

It may have been by four more points than last year, but the 2010 Class AA championship game between Calhoun and Buford had a bit more drama

Buford and Calhoun should plan for this every year. Just put the other team on the schedule for a meeting at the Georgia Dome during state finals weekend.

So when the regular season ended and the brackets came out, everyone, including myself penciled in how we thought the brackets would play out over the last few weeks.

A state title would move Rush Propst to the top of the heap.

South Georgia has the tradition, but this year, Gwinnett has the crown in terms of playing the state’s best football.

Upsets galore made the second week of the playoffs a memorable one and threw several classifications up for grabs. Then Saturday’s coin tosses shifted the dynamic of a few more of the brackets, so now the races are wide open across the state.

The GPB game of the week pits Marist against Chattahoochee in a rarely seen matchup between an intown Atlanta private school and a large suburban school from the northside of town.

And THAT is why they play the games.