No chance for North Oconee against Buford

It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s a preseason scrimmage or a playoff opponent: Buford just does whatever it wants to do and there’s little the opponent can do about it. The Wolves dominated from start to finish and beat North Oconee 44-7 in Friday’s second round of the Class AA playoffs.

Buford ran for five touchdowns and threw for two more while accumulating 333 yards of offense, 224 on the ground. The defense held North Oconee to three first downs through three quarters. Lineman Dallas Lee, who has committed to play at Georgia, was part of the domination on both sides of the ball.

“We came out and played how we’ve been practicing,” Lee said. “We pride ourselves on playing physical football and beating people down, and we came out and did that tonight.”

Buford (12-0) will play Dublin next week, the quarterfinal site to be determined by a coin flip today.

Wherever the game is played, Dublin faces a tall task. Buford coach Jess Simpson said the Wolves are peaking at the right time. “I think we’re starting to play our best ball,” he said. “When we play like that we’re really fun to watch. I feel like the kids are really starting to get it and understand what we’re trying to do.”

It didn’t take long for Buford, the defending champion, to take control. The Wolves scored on their first four possessions and took a 27-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter when Jessel Curry scored his first of two touchdowns on a 29-yard pass from Michael May. In the first half, the Wolves started drives on the Titans’ 7, 40, 23, 31, 23 and 19-yard lines. Buford started only one drive in its own territory, that at its 40-yard line, after a Daunte Carr interception.

After forcing a punt from the 2-yard line, Buford’s first play from scrimmage was from the Titans’ 7-yard line after a 24-yard return by Cody Getz. Two plays later, he was in the end zone and the rout was on.

“The key was that we started fast,” Simpson said. “That kind of set the tone.”

North Oconee finished the first half with only two first downs and 44 total yards. The Titans crossed midfield once in the first half, driving to the Buford 25 before Carr’s interception. Despite often starting deep in Titan territory, Buford had 233 yards of total offense at halftime and led 37-0.

North Oconee, a fifth-year school making its first playoff appearance, finishes at 9-3. Head coach Terry Tuley said the Wolves are “stacked at every position” and he doesn’t see anybody beating them. The Titans came in with hope, he said, but Buford, which has now won 26 straight games, took that away quickly. “We were climbing out, climbing out, climbing out,” Tuley said, “and we never got out.”