BUFORD, Ga. — Coaches always tell us it’s hard to beat a team twice in a season. But how about three times in just over a calendar year?
That’s where Buford and Douglas County stand coming into Friday’s Class 6A quarterfinals showdown at Phillip Beard Stadium. The Wolves held on for a 34-26 win over the Tigers back on Sept. 12. They beat them 31-14 in 2024.
Who will get the charm the third time?
Buford coach Bryant Appling said past success has no bearing on future results.
“It’s always hard to beat a good program twice, especially in the same year. But this is the third time, which probably makes it even harder and this is a much more important game than the first two,” he said. “We’re familiar with them. They’re familiar with us. Everyone knows what you did last time and that just makes it more difficult to hone in on the things you try to do well.”
Does that mean Appling, who is known for his riverboat gambler mentality, especially in the playoffs, will be looking to add some unexpected wrinkles?
“I mean, you gotta have a wrinkle every game, because everybody’s got your film, whether they played you before or not,” he said. “Teams expect the plays that you made against them last time, and we’re expecting the plays that they had on us last time. You have to figure out ‘how can I get a clear-cut advantage in this contest over what I did last time?’”
The Tigers offense, which scored just 135 points (22.5 points/game) over their first 6 games, has really caught fire over the last half of the season, averaging 37.3 ppg (224 points) in their last 6 games. Senior QB Mike Johnson (Utah commit, 2,131 yards, 10 TD, 2 INT passing; 71-478 yards, 10 TD rushing) is a dangerous dual-threat talent. Seniors Zamarcus Lindley (1,026 yards, 14 TD) and Rah’keith Kelly (405 yards, 7 TD rushing; 24-421 yards, 2 TD receiving) are a dynamic 1-2 punch out of the backfield. Senior WR Aaron Gregory (Texas A&M commit, 68-1,161 yards, 3 TD) is as good as any in the state.
The Buford defense has not been tested since the two teams met back in September. Since their win over Douglas County, the Wolves have given up just 41 total points (5.12 ppg) over the past 8 games.
Regardless of gameplans changing on either side, the Wolves will not have to worry about whether they can adapt to whatever new wrinkles the Tigers’ offense brings into Phillip Beard Stadium this time. They have Bryce Perry-Wright, who is having one of the best seasons ever by a Buford defender.
The senior lineman leads the unit in nearly every category (82 tkl, 15 TFL, 5 sacks, 19 QB hurries). But they are more than just a one-man wrecking crew.
Seniors Ty Green (41 tkl, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FF) and Nassir McCoy (21 tkl, 4 TFL, 1 PD, 1 FR, 1 FF) will be tasked with trying to cover Gregory in the secondary. Senior linebacker Deion Miller (80 tkl, 7 TFL) is a force in the second level.
“Bryce is having a great season,” Appling said. “He can play inside, outside, you can move him around a little bit. That makes it easier for us to give him good matchups and let him make plays.
“As for the whole group, I’m proud of the development they’ve had. But I still think we can get better. I still think we got another peak that we can get to. Hopefully we start to do that this week in practice, and on Friday.”
Since joining the state’s largest classification — first in 7A and now in 6A — the Wolves have shown steady improvement, reaching one step farther each year. They made the semifinals last year. A win Friday would put them back there for a second consecutive season.
Is this group the one that can make that final push to get to the championship game?
“I know they’re focused on that, and they’re taking it one game at a time even more,” Appling said. “That’s their goal. We’ve had plenty of teams that should have been the best team in school history and didn’t finish the deal. We’ve had teams that had no chance playing in the semifinals but went on to win it all.
“It’s all about how you execute. It’s all about how much they love each other. I feel like this team loves each other, so that gives us a chance.”
The post Football: Final 4 on the line as Buford-Douglas Co. meet for 3rd time in 14 months appeared first on AccessWdun.
