It’s Week 12 of the 2025 football season, and Friday night means everything for several Savannah-area teams fighting for playoff seeding and championships.
OUTLOOK
Playoff qualification varies by league. In the Georgia High School Association (GHSA), the top 32 teams in Class 3A, 2A, 1A Public, and 3A–1A Private qualify through the GHSA Post Season Rankings (PSR), which rank teams on based on criteria such as winning percentage, opponents winning percentage, and the opponents opponents winning percentage. For GIAA and SCISA, playoff spots are determined by region records, meaning only the top finishers from each region make the playoffs. In GHSA Class 6A and 5A, a traditional seeding format is used: teams qualify based on their finish within their regions, with the top teams from each region advancing.
Turning to Class 6A, Richmond Hill has already secured a playoff spot. The Wildcats host Colquitt County at their new stadium. A win gives them the No. 3 seed; a loss drops them to No. 4. Last year, Richmond Hill missed the postseason despite finishing 7–3 overall.
Similarly, in Class 5A Region 1, both Effingham County and Statesboro won last week, setting up a showdown for the Region 1-AAAAA championship in Statesboro. The Blue Devils are chasing their first region title since 2011, while Effingham County last won in 2023.
Next, in Class 4A, Benedictine beat Perry to claim its fifth region title in six years and tenth in 15 seasons under head coach Danny Britt. The Cadets will enter the playoffs as a No. 1 seed.
Shifting to Class 3A Region 3, Beach upset Liberty County, 18–8, creating an interesting race for the final playoff spot. Beach faces Southeast Bulloch, while Long County hosts Islands High School. If both Beach and Long County win, they’ll tie in region play, but Long County would advance due to its 22–21 win over Beach on Sept. 19. Still, both teams are in good shape thanks to the GHSA Power Rankings system.
Meanwhile, in GHSA Class A Division II, Bryan County sits tied in the region standings with McIntosh County Academy and Jenkins County for the third or fourth place spot, while Metter trails by one game. The Redskins will travel to Metter on Friday night in a key matchup that could decide their playoff fate.
Savannah Christian visits Toombs County for the Class A Division I Region 3 championship. Savannah Country Day hosts Vidalia for a shot at the fourth playoff spot and a critical postseason ranking.
Turning to the Georgia Independent Athletic Association (GIAA) Class AAA, St. Andrew’s fell to Frederica Academy and will miss the playoffs due to the region seed and point system used for tiebreakers.
Finally, in the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) AA, Bethesda Academy remained unbeaten, defeating Pee Dee Academy to capture the region title and earn a No. 1 playoff seed.
As the regular season wraps up, every snap and play this Friday will determine who extends their season and keeps their championship dreams alive across the Coastal Empire.
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STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 11
| GHSA | ||
| Class 6A Region 1 | ||
| Team | REGION | OVERALL |
| 1-AAAAAA | ||
| Lowndes | 4-0-0 | 9-0-0 |
| Valdosta | 3-1-0 | 8-1-0 |
| Colquitt County | 3-1-0 | 7-2-0 |
| Richmond Hill | 2-2-0 | 6-3-0 |
| Camden County | 0-4-0 | 5-4-0 |
| Tift County | 0-4-0 | 3-6-0 |
| Class 5A Region 1 | ||
| Team | REGION | OVERALL |
| Brunswick | 6-1-0 | 7-2-0 |
| Effingham County | 6-1-0 | 7-2-0 |
| Statesboro | 6-1-0 | 7-2-0 |
| Glynn Academy | 4-3-0 | 5-4-0 |
| South Effingham | 4-3-0 | 4-5-0 |
| Bradwell Institute | 2-5-0 | 2-6-0 |
| Evans | 2-5-0 | 2-7-0 |
| Greenbrier | 1-6-0 | 2-7-0 |
| Lakeside, Evans | 1-7-0 | 1-9-0 |
| Class 4A Region 1 | ||
| Team | REGION | OVERALL |
| Benedictine | 4-0-0 | 6-2-0 |
| Ware County | 2-2-0 | 7-2-0 |
| Warner Robins | 2-2-0 | 5-4-0 |
| Perry | 2-2-0 | 4-5-0 |
| New Hampstead | 1-3-0 | 2-7-0 |
| Wayne County | 1-3-0 | 1-8-0 |
| Class 3A Region 3 | ||
| Team | REGION | OVERALL |
| Jenkins | 8-0-0 | 8-1-0 |
| Calvary Day School | 7-1-0 | 8-1-0 |
| Liberty County | 6-2-0 | 7-2-0 |
| Long County | 5-3-0 | 6-3-0 |
| Beach | 5-3-0 | 5-3-0 |
| Southeast Bulloch | 4-4-0 | 4-5-0 |
| Windsor Forest | 2-6-0 | 3-6-0 |
| Johnson, Savannah | 2-6-0 | 2-7-0 |
| Islands | 1-7-0 | 1-8-0 |
| Groves | 0-8-0 | 0-9-0 |
| Class 1A DI Region 3 | ||
| Team | REGION | OVERALL |
| Toombs County | 3-0-0 | 8-1-0 |
| Savannah Christian | 3-0-0 | 6-3-0 |
| Swainsboro | 2-2-0 | 8-2-0 |
| Savannah Country Day | 0-3-0 | 3-6-0 |
| Vidalia | 0-3-0 | 1-8-0 |
| Class 1A DII Region 3 | ||
| Team | REGION | OVERALL |
| Screven County | 7-0-0 | 9-0-0 |
| Emanuel County Institute | 7-0-0 | 7-2-0 |
| Bryan County | 4-3-0 | 5-4-0 |
| Jenkins County | 4-3-0 | 5-4-0 |
| McIntosh County Academy | 4-3-0 | 5-4-0 |
| Metter | 3-4-0 | 4-5-0 |
| Portal | 2-5-0 | 3-6-0 |
| Savannah | 1-6-0 | 1-7-0 |
| Claxton | 0-8-0 | 0-10-0 |
|
GIAA AAAA/AAA District 2 |
||
| Team | REGION | OVERALL |
| Bulloch Academy | 2-1 | 7-3 |
| Federica Academy | 3-0 | 8-2 |
| Pinewood Christian | 1-2 | 4-6 |
| St. Andrew's School | 0-3 | 3-7 |
| SCISA 2A Region 1 | ||
| Team | REGION | OVERALL |
| Bethesda Academy | 3-0 | 8-0 |
| Pee Dee Academy | 2-1 | 5-3 |
| Dillion Christian | 2-1 | 3-5 |
| Hilton Head Prep | 1-3 | 2-7 |
| St. John's CA | 0-3 | 0-8 |
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WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Thursday, Oct. 30
Benedictine at New Hampstead, 7 p.m. (PS) *
Oct. 31
Colquitt County at Richmond Hill *
Evans at Bradwell *
Effingham County at Statesboro *
South Effingham at Brunswick *
Beach at SE Bulloch *
Liberty County at Calvary Day *
Groves at Windsor Forest * (IS)
Islands at Long County *
Johnson at Jenkins * (GS)
Savannah Christian at Toombs County *
Vidalia at Savannah Country Day *
Bryan County at Metter *
Jenkins County at Savannah High * (SHS)
Bethesda at St. John's Christian
Stadium Key
DP — Daffin Park
GS — Groves Stadium
IS — Islands Stadium
MS — Memorial Stadium
SHS — Savannah High Stadium
PS — Pooler Stadium
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FINAL SCORES
WEEK 11
Lowndes 49, Richmond Hill 23
Lakeside-Evans 38, Bradwell 21
Effingham County 45, Glynn Academy 42
Statesboro 27, South Effingham 17
Benedictine 41, Perry 17
New Hampstead 34, Wayne County 13
Beach 18, Liberty 7
Long County 43, Southeast Bulloch 21
Calvary Day 48, Groves 8
Jenkins 21, Islands 0
Windsor Forest 32, Johnson 15
Savannah Christian 45, Swainsboro 13
Savannah Country Day 17, Episcopal School (FL) 14
McIntosh Academy 35, Savannah High 20
Bethesda 49, Pee Dee Academy 0
Frederica Academy 49, St. Andrew's 16
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Photo Credit: Courtesy RDP Productions (Kyunnie Schuman)
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