Coin toss could send two No. 1-ranked teams on road for quarterfinals

Marist and Manchester are No. 1-ranked football teams, but they might be playing on the road in the quarterfinals next week because of a coin toss the GHSA conducted Tuesday morning. Also subject to road games are No. 3 North Gwinnett of Class 6A and No. 2 Cartersville and No. 4 Blessed Trinity of Class 4A.

The quarterfinals are the first playoff round in which region champions can play each other. The GHSA determines home field for those games and others in which same-seeded teams play, with a universal coin toss.

Because the coin landed tails, teams placed lower on the playoff bracket will play at home in the quarterfinals.

If the higher-seeded teams win this week, the coin-toss result will send No. 3 North Gwinnett to No. 2 Buford in Class 6A, No. 1 Marist to unranked Central of Carrollton in Class 4A and No. 1 Manchester to No. 6 Lincoln County in Class A Division II. Also in Class 4A, No. 2 Cartersville would play at No. 3 North Oconee, and No. 4 Blessed Trinity would play at unranked Ola.

This week’s second round is played at the home field of the higher-seeded team.

The coin toss does not affect playoffs in classes 3A to A because they use a 1-32 seeding system based on a points formula, and there are no same-seeded teams.

The GHSA will conduct another coin toss next week to determine home field for same-seeded opponents in the semifinals. The Dec. 16-18 finals will be played at a neutral site, Mercedes-Benz Stadium.