Many teams prefer to ease into their region schedule by playing a cupcake. Then there’s Buford.
The Wolves, who have already walked a non-region gauntlet, are ending it this weekend with a visit to Archer, the No. 8 ranked team in Class AAAAAAA. It may be the biggest challenge for the Class AAAAA No. 2-ranked Wolves until the postseason.
Buford (3-1) has been imposing in three games against Georgia opposition. They crushed Tucker (No. 9 in Class AAAAAA), Jonesboro and Newton. Their loss came to Deerfield Beach, one of the best teams in Florida.
Archer will likely be the best defensive team that Buford has faced so far. The Tigers (3-1) have blanked their last two opponents, Mill Creek and Norcross, who have both been state-ranked at some point this season.
Archer’s aggressive, physical defense will be a test for the Buford offense, which averages 41.5 points. The Wolves have some great weapons in running back Derrian Brown, a Texas commit who has rushed for 688 yards and 11 touchdowns, and sophomore quarterback Aaron McLaughlin.
Here are four other interesting games in Class AAAAA this week:
Warner Robins vs. Northside Warner Robins: The No. 6 Demons renew their rivalry against Northside, ranked No. 8 in Class AAAAAA. Warner Robins leads the series 35-25 and their 28-17 victory in 2017 broke a three-game losing streak. Northside has won six of the last eight contests.
Warner Robins (3-1) was drubbed last week by Colquitt County 41-14 to break a 13-game regular-season winning streak. Quarterback Dylan Fromm leads the Demons with 1,233 yards passing and 10 touchdowns and sophomore running back Jahlen Rutherford has rushed for 409 yards.
Veterans at Perry: Veterans (5-0) finishes its non-region schedule by traveling to next-door neighbor and rival Perry (4-0). Perry won last year's game to break a four-game losing streak to Veterans. The series is all-square at 4-4.
Veterans continues to get solid efforts from quarterback Sebastian Verger (527 yards passing, 343 yards rushing) and running back Cyrus Zuell (504 yards, nine TDs). Kedrek Smith averages 10.3 yards on 16 carries. The Warhawks will be challenged defensively by Perry quarterback Lane Rucker, who has thrown for 1,120 yards and eight touchdowns.
Jackson at Banneker: This will put another piece of the puzzle in place to help decipher Region 6. Jackson beat Banneker 27-10 a year ago, giving the Jaguars their first victory in eight tries.
Banneker (3-1) opened region play with an impressive 25-13 win over Riverwood. Quarterback Nick Williams directs a strong offensive attack, which features running backs Kobe Harris, Gary Benton Jr. and Zerian Hood. Jackson (2-2) lost its region opener to Carver 27-15. Quarterback Charles Daniels has thrown for 601 yards and rushed for 354. Jamari Scott and Marques Neal are a pair of dangerous receivers.
Woodland at Hiram: The winner of this game remains in the hunt for the playoffs in Region 7, while the loser will have a tough time reaching the top four.
Woodland (4-0) brings a strong running attack to the table. Titus Jones, Demarcus Williams and Justice Carter are all proficient at moving the ball downfield. Hiram (2-1) features quarterback Nathan Presnell (324 yards passing) and running back Marcus Fulks (543 yards, four TDs), who has rushed for 100 yards in each game.
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