North Springs and Riverwood finished their football seasons outside the GHSA state playoff field, with both Sandy Springs public high school programs near the bottom of their classifications’ final postseason rankings.
North Springs closed at 2-8 overall and 1-5 in Class AAAA Region 5 after a 52-20 home loss to Douglass on Friday, Nov. 6, according to GPB Sports.
Riverwood finished 0-10 overall and 0-6 in Class AAAAAA Region 7, according to GPB’s team page.
The GHSA’s final Post Season Rankings, published Nov. 8, placed North Springs 52nd among 59 Class AAAA teams with a score of 0.35175. Riverwood ranked 63rd among 64 Class AAAAAA teams with a score of 0.29666.
New playoff selection system
This season marks the first year all eight GHSA football classifications use Post Season Rankings to select and seed their playoff fields, replacing a system that primarily relied on region finishes.
The formula assigns 35% of a team’s score to its winning percentage, 35% to opponents’ winning percentage and 30% to opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage, according to the GHSA’s rules.
Region championships still matter: eligible region winners receive an automatic playoff berth and a first-round home game. The remaining places are determined through PSR.
Playoffs begin Friday
The GHSA has released its brackets, with first-round games scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13. Subsequent rounds are scheduled for Nov. 20, Nov. 27 and Dec. 4.
The state championships will take place Dec. 15–16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Class AAAA final is scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 15, followed by the Class AAAAAA championship at 8 p.m., according to the GHSA football schedule.
