Of the 10 area teams that opened the state playoffs on Friday, only half managed to avoid elimination. The area’s three defending state champions — Gainesville, Buford and Jefferson — are among the five local teams moving on to the second round, keeping alive their hopes of a repeat title. While top-ranked Buford (11-0) is favored to go all the way in Class AAA, second-ranked Gainesville (10-1) appears to have drawn a favorable bracket in Class AAAAA. Apart from a potential meeting with No.