Tuesday night's opening round of the Forsyth County Middle Schools Football Playoffs featured fast starts from the top and middle of the bracket, the postseason's first shutout and a No. 7 seed knocking out one of the tournament favorites.
When it was over, Liberty, Vickery Creek, North Forsyth and Little Mill had punched their tickets to the semifinals.
Liberty Starts Fast, Advances Past Otwell
Liberty wasted little time showing why it entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.
The Patriots jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead, putting Otwell in a deep hole before the Bulldogs found some momentum after the break.
Otwell responded with 21 second-half points and outscored Liberty 21-6 over the final two quarters, but the Patriots' dominant first half provided more than enough cushion for a 33-21 victory.
Liberty moves on and remains the highest seed left in the field.
Little Mill Knocks Out No. 2 Hendricks
The biggest surprise of the opening round came from the bottom of the bracket.
Little Mill took an 8-0 lead into halftime and never surrendered it, holding Hendricks to six points in a 20-6 victory.
The result sends the No. 7 seed into the semifinals and ends the season for a Hendricks team that entered the postseason as the No. 2 seed.
Little Mill is now the lowest-seeded team remaining — and the Mustangs are still playing.
Vickery Creek Defense Shuts Down South Forsyth
Vickery Creek and South Forsyth played the tightest game of the opening round through the first half.
The Vipers led just 7-0 at halftime, but South Forsyth never found the score it needed to change the game.
Vickery Creek added another touchdown after the break and finished off a 14-0 victory, recording the only shutout of the first round.
The No. 3 seed advances to the semifinals.
North Forsyth Erupts for 60
The 4-5 matchup was the closest pairing by seed.
It wasn't close for long.
North Forsyth exploded for 44 points in the first half and carried a 44-12 advantage into halftime. The Wildcats added 16 more after the break to finish with a first-round-high 60 points in a 60-18 victory.
North Forsyth advances after one of its biggest offensive performances of the season.
The quarterfinals cut the playoff field from eight teams to four, and the remaining seeds stretch from No. 1 all the way to No. 7.
No. 1 Liberty will face No. 4 North Forsyth, while No. 3 Vickery Creek will meet No. 7 Little Mill.
Liberty is the last of the top two seeds standing. Little Mill is trying to continue its run from the No. 7 spot. Vickery Creek enters after a shutout, while North Forsyth comes in after putting 60 on the board.
Four teams remain. Two will earn a chance to play for the 2026 FCMS Football Championship.
The regular season is complete. The field is set. Eight teams remain in the chase for the 2026 Forsyth County Middle Schools football championship.
After eight weeks of regular-season games, Liberty earned the No. 1 seed with a perfect 7-0 record, while Hendricks secured the No. 2 seed at 6-1.
Behind them, the race was much tighter.
Vickery Creek, North Forsyth and Lakeside all finished 5-2, requiring tiebreakers to determine the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 seeds. South Forsyth secured the No. 6 seed at 4-3, while another tiebreaker was needed between Little Mill and Otwell for the final two positions.
Now the standings are settled and the postseason begins.
From this point forward, there is no margin for error.
Win and advance. Lose and the season is over.
The final records didn't tell the entire story. Two sets of ties required tiebreakers to determine the final playoff seeding.
Vickery Creek, North Forsyth and Lakeside each finished 5-2, creating a three-team battle for the No. 3 through No. 5 seeds.
Vickery Creek's head-to-head victory over North Forsyth gave the Vipers the advantage and the No. 3 seed.
That left North Forsyth and Lakeside tied for the next spot. Both teams lost to top-seeded Liberty, but Lakeside also lost to No. 2 Hendricks, while North Forsyth did not face the Hawks.
That gave North Forsyth a 0-1 record against the top two seeds compared with Lakeside's 0-2 mark, providing the edge in the tiebreaker. North earned the No. 4 seed, while Lakeside landed at No. 5.
The result? Two teams that finished with identical records will meet immediately in the opening round.
The other tiebreaker went much deeper.
Little Mill and Otwell both finished 3-4, and four tiebreakers weren't enough to separate them.
The decision eventually reached the fifth tiebreaker — highest-seeded road win.
Little Mill owned a road victory over Riverwatch, while Otwell did not record a road win during the regular season. That was enough to give the Mustangs the No. 7 seed, with Otwell taking the No. 8 seed.
After eight weeks, the playoff field was finally set.
Liberty enters the postseason as the team everyone is chasing.
The Patriots completed a perfect 7-0 regular season, scoring 260 points while allowing just 90. Their +170 point differential was the best in the league, and they enter the playoffs riding a seven-game winning streak.
Otwell comes in at 3-4 with an opportunity to wipe the slate clean. The Bulldogs had impressive moments during the regular season, but their postseason begins with the biggest challenge on the bracket: knocking off the undefeated No. 1 seed.
On paper, this might be the most evenly matched game of the quarterfinal round.
Both teams finished 5-2, and a tiebreaker was required just to determine which would receive the No. 4 seed.
North Forsyth produced a league-high 270 points during the regular season and finished with a +156 point differential. Lakeside scored 214 points and enters the postseason having won its final two games.
They finished with the same record. Now they get to settle it on the field.
Don't let the three-seed difference fool you.
Vickery Creek finished 5-2 and emerged from the three-team tiebreaker with the No. 3 seed. The Vipers scored 212 points while allowing just 107, giving them a +105 point differential.
South Forsyth enters at 4-3, but perhaps more importantly, the Eagles enter the playoffs hot. South closed the regular season with three consecutive victories, giving the Eagles the second-longest active winning streak among playoff teams behind Liberty.
Vickery Creek has the higher seed. South Forsyth has momentum.
Hendricks put together one of the strongest regular seasons in the county.
The Hawks finished 6-1, with their only loss coming against top-seeded Liberty. Hendricks allowed just 111 points and closed the regular season with three consecutive victories on the way to securing the No. 2 seed.
Little Mill finished 3-4 and needed a tiebreaker to earn the No. 7 seed, but none of that matters now.
The Mustangs are in.
One win would send them to the semifinals and eliminate one of the championship favorites.
The final numbers show both Liberty's dominance and just how crowded the field became behind the Patriots.
Those numbers helped determine how they got here.
Now they have to settle it on the field.
FCMS-Athletics.com will be the home for the 2026 postseason.
Playoff Central will be updated throughout the postseason with scores, an updated bracket, semifinal matchups, championship information, recaps and more as the field moves from eight teams to one champion.
Bookmark this page and check back after each round as the road to the championship continues.
Eight teams. Seven games. One champion.
Four weeks of the 2026 Forsyth County middle school football season are in the books, and the first half has already produced dominant performances, dramatic finishes and an increasingly interesting playoff race.
Each team will play seven regular-season games before the playoffs begin, with eight of the county’s 11 teams advancing to the postseason. With scheduled bye weeks resulting in teams having played either three or four games so far, everyone has now reached the midway point of the regular-season schedule.
Hendricks and Liberty remain the county’s only unbeaten teams at 3-0, while North Forsyth has responded to an opening-week loss with three consecutive victories. Vickery Creek, Lakeside and Otwell are each 2-1 and remain firmly in the mix near the top.
But with only three or four games remaining for each team, the focus during the second half won’t be limited to the teams battling at the top. There is also a race developing around the playoff cutoff, where three teams will ultimately be left out of the postseason.
No team has been more consistently impressive than Hendricks.
The Hawks opened the season with a 35-0 shutout of Otwell, followed it with another shutout, 26-0 over Lakeside, and then defeated Little Mill 33-26 in Week 3.
That gives Hendricks a perfect 3-0 record while outscoring its opponents 94-26.
Little Mill provided the Hawks’ first close test after two weeks of dominance. Hendricks responded by scoring a season-high 33 points and holding on for the seven-point victory.
Through three games, Hendricks has shown it can win in different ways — with defense in its first two games and with offense when challenged in Week 3.
With four regular-season games remaining, the Hawks have put themselves in an excellent early position not only to reach the eight-team playoff field but to contend for one of the top spots in the bracket.
Liberty is also 3-0, although the Patriots have taken a much different road to perfection.
They began with one of the best games of opening night, edging North Forsyth 31-28. A week later, Liberty rolled past Little Mill 38-8 before finding itself in another nail-biter against Vickery Creek.
Liberty escaped that matchup with a 20-19 victory, handing the Vipers their only loss.
Two of Liberty’s three victories have come by a combined four points, and those wins came against North Forsyth and Vickery Creek — teams that are a combined 5-1 against everyone else.
The Patriots may not have the overwhelming point differential of some of the other contenders, but they have already demonstrated an ability to finish close games — something that becomes increasingly valuable as the postseason approaches.
Like Hendricks, Liberty has four games remaining to protect its perfect record and strengthen its playoff position.
North Forsyth’s season could have gone in a very different direction after the Wildcats dropped their opener to Liberty, 31-28.
Instead, North has been nearly unstoppable since.
The Wildcats overwhelmed DeSana 52-8, defeated Piney Grove 52-8, and then picked up perhaps their biggest victory yet with a 28-16 win over South Forsyth.
North has scored 132 points during its three-game winning streak and now sits at 3-1.
Even including the opening loss, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 160-63, a +97 point differential that is the best in the county through four weeks.
With its only loss coming by three points against unbeaten Liberty, North Forsyth has firmly established itself among the leading contenders. The Wildcats have already played four of their seven regular-season games, leaving just three opportunities to improve their position before the playoffs.
Vickery Creek had a Week 1 bye before immediately making an impression with a 34-14 victory over South Forsyth.
The Vipers then came within a single point of remaining unbeaten, falling 20-19 to Liberty.
Their response was emphatic.
Vickery Creek shut out Piney Grove 42-0 in Week 4, improving to 2-1 and pushing its scoring differential to +61.
The Vipers’ only loss came by one point against one of the county’s two remaining unbeaten teams. With four games still to play, Vickery Creek remains in position to contend for one of the better spots in the eight-team playoff bracket.
Two other 2-1 teams have followed similar paths.
Lakeside opened with a 36-13 victory over Riverwatch before being shut out 26-0 by Hendricks. Following a Week 3 bye, the Lions responded with their best offensive performance of the season, defeating DeSana 52-22.
Otwell’s turnaround has been equally impressive.
The Bulldogs were shut out 35-0 by Hendricks on opening night but haven’t lost since. Otwell defeated Riverwatch 40-14 and DeSana 40-6, outscoring those two opponents 80-20.
At 2-1, both teams have four games remaining and have already created some separation between themselves and the teams currently near the playoff cutoff.
Little Mill is one of the teams that has already played four games, reaching the midpoint at 2-2.
The Mustangs opened with an impressive 43-0 victory over DeSana before consecutive losses to Liberty and Hendricks. They stopped the skid in Week 4, edging Riverwatch 16-14.
That two-point victory could become increasingly important as the playoff picture develops.
With three regular-season games remaining, Little Mill currently sits among the eight teams that would qualify for the postseason based on overall record. The Mustangs also have an opportunity to climb higher with a strong finish.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the standings is beginning to develop around the eighth and final playoff position.
South Forsyth opened with a 34-12 victory over Piney Grove, but the Eagles have since dropped games to Vickery Creek, 34-14, and North Forsyth, 28-16.
At 1-2, South currently owns the eighth-best record in the county.
That is significant this season.
With eight of 11 teams advancing, the Eagles would be inside the playoff field if the season ended today, while Riverwatch, Piney Grove and DeSana would be on the outside.
South still has four of its seven regular-season games remaining, giving the Eagles plenty of opportunity to move away from the cutoff — but also leaving plenty of opportunity for the teams behind them to close the gap.
Riverwatch, Piney Grove and DeSana enter the second half searching for their first victories, but none has been eliminated from postseason contention.
Riverwatch may be particularly interesting to watch.
The Panthers are 0-3, but their most recent game was a 16-14 loss to Little Mill, by far their closest result of the season. With four games remaining, Riverwatch is only one victory behind South Forsyth in the win column.
Piney Grove is also 0-3 after losses to South Forsyth, North Forsyth and Vickery Creek, while DeSana has played four games and sits at 0-4.
For DeSana, the margin for error is becoming particularly small. With only three regular-season games remaining, every opportunity becomes increasingly important if the Dragons are going to make a push toward the eight-team field.
Four weeks have provided some separation, but there is still a lot that can change.
At the top, Hendricks and Liberty are trying to protect perfect records, while North Forsyth sits just behind them at 3-1. Vickery Creek, Lakeside and Otwell form another group at 2-1, and Little Mill is right behind at 2-2.
Then comes the playoff line.
South Forsyth currently holds the eighth-best record at 1-2, with Riverwatch and Piney Grove one win behind and DeSana still looking to get into the win column.
With a seven-game regular season, there simply isn’t much time to recover from a losing streak — or much time separating a team near the bottom from a sudden surge into the playoff field.
And the first half has already shown how small those margins can be.
Liberty beat North Forsyth by three. Liberty beat Vickery Creek by one. Hendricks beat Little Mill by seven. Little Mill beat Riverwatch by two.
One play here or there has already changed several outcomes. As the number of games remaining gets smaller, those plays — and those wins — become even more valuable.
Eight teams will get a chance to continue their season in the playoffs. Three will see their season end after Game 7.
The first four weeks have shown us who has the early advantage.
The next four weeks will decide who’s still playing when the postseason begins.
