Latest Augusta-Area Teams Set for GHSA Football Playoff Openers
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Augusta-Area Teams Set for GHSA Football Playoff Openers

Published November 8, 2026 at 7:36 am | By Sandeep Pope, Staff Reporter

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Georgia High School Association regular season is over, and several Augusta-area football teams now turn to the state playoffs, with first-round games set for Friday. Four of them will play at home.

Richmond Academy (8-2) earned a home date in Class 5A by winning 35-21 at Jenkins in Savannah on Friday, and the No. 14 Musketeers will host No. 19 Statesboro.

Hephzibah (8-2) lost its last regular-season game to Thomson but still locked up a top-16 seed, so it will open the Class 3A bracket at home against Pike County. Hephzibah High School sits in the town of Hephzibah, about 10 miles south of downtown and inside the consolidated Augusta-Richmond County.

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In Class 2A, Lucy Craft Laney High School (6-4) gets Brooks County at The Boulevard. In Class A, Lincoln County is the No. 1 seed and will welcome No. 32 Irwin County. The Red Devils reached the Class A Division II title game last season and finished second to Bowdon.

Burke County, seeded 18th, goes on the road to No. 15 Carver of Columbus.

Aquinas High School, the private Catholic school in Augusta, drew a first-round bye in the Private Class. The Fightin’ Irish will wait to see whether 14th-seeded Kings Ridge or 19th-seeded Athens Academy comes out of that first-round game, then play the winner.

Teams need five straight wins to claim a GHSA title. The state finals are scheduled for Dec. 15 and 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Across the Savannah River, North Augusta comes off a first-round bye in the South Carolina playoffs and will host Irmo, which shut out South Aiken 39-0 in its opener.

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Section: More Augusta GA sports news

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Filed under: Augusta GA Sports News

What's Happening
What is next?
GHSA football playoff first-round games are Friday.
Which local teams host?
Richmond Academy, Hephzibah, Laney and Lincoln County.
Where is the final?
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Dec. 15 and 16.
Sandeep Pope
HEREAugusta · SPORTS

Sandeep is a staff reporter for HERE Augusta covering local news, community stories, and developments across Richmond County. Sandeep is committed to accurate, community-first journalism.

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