CANTON — The Creekview High football team sealed its second consecutive playoff berth with a 42-20 win against Chestatee Friday night at Grizzlies Stadium in Canton.

With the win, the No. 3-seed Grizzlies (9-1, 7-1 Region 7A-AAA) visits Carrollton (9-1) in the first round of the Class AAA state playoffs next Friday in Carrollton.

Chestatee was eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.

The War Eagles (4-6, 3-3) jumped out to an early 7-0 lead when Ben Souther raced up the middle for a 63-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the game. The Grizzlies (9-1, 7-1) answered with a five-play drive that ended with a Hunter Livingston 5-yard touchdown run.

The ensuing possession saw the War Eagles hold the ball for 16 plays and almost nine minutes, but ended when Jordan DeGraff was intercepted by Creekview’s Alex Tatum. A late second quarter touchdown by Livingston gave the Grizzlies the 14-7 lead at halftime.

The third quarter was one filled with big plays. It featured five turnovers, four touchdowns, two onside kicks and a 30-yard penalty.

It began with an onside kick by the War Eagles that they recovered to start in Grizzlies’ territory. On the next play, War Eagles running back Keaton Summerlin ran 39 yards for a touchdown and tied the game at 14-14.

The lead was short-lived as the Grizzlies put together an 11-play drive that was capped by 2-yard touchdown run by Livingston. He finished the game with 173 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Two possessions later, Taylor Temples scored on a 5-yard run, extending Creekview’s lead to 28-14.

After the extra point was kicked, a Chestatee player was flagged for a personal foul. He was then flagged again for unsportsmanlike conduct. The 30 yards worth of penalties were assessed on the kickoff, which meant the Grizzlies kicked off on the War Eagles’ 30 instead of their own 40.

Since they were deep into War Eagle territory, the Grizzlies attempted an onside kick. The kick was recovered by Chestatee at the 18.

The next seven plays included four turnovers (two interceptions and two fumbles). After four turnovers in seven plays it took eight plays for the next turnover. That turnover turned into a touchdown as the Grizzlies’ Morgan Wright scooped up the fumble and ran 80 yards for the score, making their lead 35-14.

While the quarter was not textbook football, the 21 points scored by the Grizzlies put the game away. Donevan Neal added a 10-yard run late in the game and the War Eagles also added a late score.