Somewhere there’s a misconception that all Buford does is line up and run over people. And while the Wolves still lean on their powerful rushing attack at times, the Wolves proved on Friday that they don’t belong in a box.
Buford, the No. 1 ranked team in Class 7A, set up a score with an option pass and ran a fake punt from its own 3 yard line on the way to a 39-27 win over No. 3 Mill Creek on Friday at Tom Riden Stadium.
The game lived up to its pregame hype. It was shown on Georgia Public Broadcasting and still drew a crowd of 11,000, many of them relegated to the expansive standing-room only areas and some sitting among the shrubbery on the hillside. Spotted on the sidelines were Georgia coach Kirby Smart, Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott, Ohio State coach Ryan Day and a dozen other assistant coaches from programs throughout the region.
Buford improved to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in Region 8. Mill Creek is 6-1 and 1-1 in the region.
“I said the other day, don’t leave any stone unturned,” Buford coach Bryant Appling said. “Don’t be scared to call anything.”
The “roll the dice” philosophy was evident on the first possession when all-state tailback Justice Haynes took a pitch and threw a 26-yard pass to Eli McElwaney, who was brought down just short of the goal line. Quarterback Dylan Wittke scored on a keeper on the next play. After a penalty on the extra point the Wolves opted to go for two and Alijah Williams ran it in for an 8-0 lead.
“We can’t sit there and say we’re going to bully anybody,” Appling said. “We haven’t done that the last three or four years and everybody still thinks we just run the ball.”
The Buford defense then produced a big play when Mill Creek set up for Jacob Ulrich set up for a 27 yard field goal. But Williams leaped high in the middle and got his hand on the ball to block it away.
After stalling on offense, the Wolves got the ball back when Jadon Perlotte intercepted Clark at the 18. The Mill Creek defense prevented a score and Buford settled for a Mario Ventura’s 30-yard field goal and an 11-0 lead.
Mill Creek got on the board when Hayden Clark thew a 36-yard touchdown to Mackhail Woods, only to have Buford answer on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Wittke to McElwaney.
The next momentum shift came on the next possession. After going three-and-out, Mill Creek was forced to punt and Buford’s Jordan Allen returned it for an 82-yard touchdown and a 25-6 lead.
It could have been worse. Mill Creek fumbled and Perlotte recovered for the Wolves, but they failed to cash in and had to punt. The Hawks then drove 80 yards for a touchdown, overcoming a holding call along the way, with Cam Robinson running it in from the 7. Clark and Woods hooked up for the two-point conversion and the 25-14 lead stood at the half.
Buford upped the lead to 32-14 when Haynes broke free for a 56-yard touchdown, but Mill Creek got to within a scored after a 6-yard touchdown pass from Clark to Brendan Jenkins and a 12-yard touchdown run by Downs.
The Wolves finally put it away when Haynes scored on a 16-yard run with 5:49 to complete the scoring.
“The problem was we dug ourselves a hole early,” said Mill Creek coach Josh Lovelady. “When you play really good teams its all about penalties and turnovers and missed opportunities. That’s what happened tonight.”
Haynes finished with 20 carries for 220 yards and two touchdowns and threw for a score. Wittke completed 13 of 19 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
Clark completed 13 of 29 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Downs ran six times for 73 yards and one touchdown and caught six passes for 50 yards.
Although Buford allowed 27 points, the Wolves held Collins Hill to a season-low in points. The Hawks entered the game averaging 46 points.
“This was a rivalry game,” Haynes said. “We felt like we had to come out there and prove a point and I feel like this was a step in the right direction.”
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