Georgia high school football teams are entering the second week of the state playoffs, but the Bulloch Academy Gators will be playing their first postseason game Friday night. The Gators earned a bye in the first round after a 10-0 regular season and are the overall No. 2 seed in GIAA. 

Bulloch Academy will open things up in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2018 Friday at Gator Alley against George Walton. 

Head coach Aaron Phillips feels the bye week has been a real advantage for a team that has been pretty banged up at some key positions. 

“We haven’t had a full roster, especially on offense, for quite a while,” Phillips said. “We have had to play without running backs Isaiah Smart and Reid Clifton for about five weeks or so. The two of them left as our top two scorers and had about 20 touchdowns when they went down. The good thing is we had guys really step up and that helped us build some depth. Getting them both back is huge.” 

Phillips feels there are benefits and drawbacks from having a week off. While the Gators were able to rest, George Walton comes in with a little momentum from their 42-7 win over Westfield. The Gators also knew the two teams they may play this week and were able to prepare a little for both. 

“We knew it would be either Westfield or George Walton,” Phillips said. “While they had to spend the week preparing for each other we were able to look at game film of both of them and start our plan a week earlier. We are pretty sure we know what to expect from them and overall, a week off was a good thing.” 

The Gators opponent is someone they don’t have much history with, and according to Phillips that is a good thing. Phillips felt the Gators were a little too emotional in their last game against Pinewood and feels an unknown opponent may actually be an advantage.  

“When we play Pinewood the kids and the fans act a little like it is the Super Bowl,” Phillps said. “Our guys were so wound up they were gassing out early and had trouble concentrating on the game plan. This week it is a school we don’t usually play in any sport. I think it will help us to be able to get back to basics and just execute our game plan.” 

George Walton comes in with a record of 7-4 and were the No. 2 seed out of their region. They average 25 points per game and surrender less than 14 points per contest. They are led offensively by running back Laji Taylor and quarterback Jackson Wells. 

“They are a lot like Frederica in that they want to run the football,” Phillips said. “They have pretty good size up front and some good skill guys. They do a lot of shotgun, single-wing concepts and some Wing-T stuff thrown in there. This could be a really short game. If we can make them get in third and long and have to throw the ball, I like our chances.” 

Bulloch Academy and George Walton are set for a 7:30 p.m. start Friday at Gator Alley.