The fans started showing up at Buford High School three hours before the season opener. It was Youth Night, so the parking lots filled early and kids were playing touch football and throwing it around in anything resembling green space – even if it was spray-painted green. And by the time kickoff rolled around, both sides of Tom Riden Stadium were packed – even though the out-of-state visitors only counted a few dozen fans.
The Class 7A No. 1 Wolves didn’t disappoint, either. They relied on special teams and defense to outslug and eventually overwhelm national power St. Frances Academy of Baltimore. The 18-0 victory was enough to relieve Buford coach Bryant Appling, who understands the sort of weight his team is carrying.
“We showed toughness on defense all night long,” Appling said. “We knew it was going to be tough sledding on offense and we made the plays we had to make to win the game. Bottom line that’s what go to do early in the season.
The Wolves blocked a punt, caused and recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass in the first half to set the pace.
Devin Williams got a hand on a St. Frances punt with 6:27 in the first quarter to set the Wolves up at the 33. Seven plays later highly-regarded quarterback Dylan Raiola threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tyshun White.
The second Buford score came via special teams. St. Frances’ Jermichael Gillis dropped the punt return and Buford’s Deronte Broughton recovered at the 24. Four plays later Raiola threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to K.J. Bolden. Christian Langford scored on a designed two-point play to give the Wolves a 15-0 lead.
The Wolves almost got another score before halftime. One play after having a 42-yard touchdown pass called back because of interference, Bolden intercepted Michael Van Buren’s pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, only to have it negated by a block in the back penalty. The Wolves could not capitalize in the mistake and nearly returned the turnover favor. Lined up for a field goal, the ball was snapped by the holder and recovered by St. Frances. But as the Panthers were trying to advance the ball, flipping it on the ground, Buford’s Hayden Bradley snuck in to steal it back.
Buford blocked a field goal in the third quarter, with Eddrick Houston reaching up to get part of the ball. Buford finished with five sacks and limited Van Buren, an Oregon commit, to only 88 yards passing.
“We did what our coaches told us to do and we played as one and we came out with the win,” Houston said. “Those turnovers were because it got our offense back on the field.”
The Wolves showed some offensive punch late by moving from their own 9 on a couple of long pass plays to set up a 31-yard field goal by Mario Ventura.
“It wasn’t perfect. We’ve got some things to fix,” Appling said. “But I’m proud of them. Every time they got down there and had a chance score, we found a way to stop them.”
Buford isn’t likely to see a team with as much talent on defense for the rest of the season. The Wolves never got their running game in gear, being held to 51 yards rushing. That put the onus on Raiola, who threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was special,” Raiola said. “To get in there and endure it was special. To have the whole community come out and love on our football teams a lot.”
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