Class 6A playoffs: Buford and North Gwinnett revive series…
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Class 6A playoffs: Buford and North Gwinnett revive series…

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

It’s been 25 years since North Gwinnett and Buford met on the football field.

It is an old rivalry that has been lost over time due to changes in classification and that the younger generation has never experienced.

Buford head coach Bryant Appling said his phone blew up after news broke that the two northern Gwinnett schools would finally meet again.

“A few old-school people sent me messages like, ‘Hey, this is fun. This is real. I can’t wait to see it. That’s our record against them.” So it has its highlights because of the old-fashioned rivalry agreement. They’re seven miles away and it’s the first time we’ve played them in forever. So it has the feel of a backyard rivalry.”

North Gwinnett will travel to Tom Riden Stadium on Friday for the first time since 1998 in the Class 6A quarterfinals. The Bulldogs won that game 21-6, one of their five wins in the 28-game series. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and can be heard live on AM 550 WDUN.

The Wolves’ wake-up call this season came on August 23 against Benedictine at home. It was a week after the Wolves lost 13-10 on the road to Class 5A top seed Milton. The Wolves rallied from a 21-13 deficit in the third quarter to win the game 29-28. Since then, they have averaged 44.4 ppg, given up 8.2 and won by an average of 36.3 ppg.

“I think we’ve grown throughout the year,” Appling said. “They bought into the process and after the first few games we said, ‘Hey, it’s clear.’ “We need to improve in these areas. The kids took that to heart and found a way to get better.”

As good as those stats are, the Wolves face strong, physical North Gwinnett on Friday, which brings a defense capable of forcing turnovers and making plays in the backfield.

“They’re big and fast,” Appling said. “They are big up front on both sides of the ball, fast and long on the edges. They’re probably the biggest team we’ve seen all year… I’d say they’re comparable to Douglas County, but probably bigger than Douglas County in a lot of positions. It will be a challenge. They are well coached, play hard and are proud of themselves. So it will be a battle, practically from the first whistle to the last.”

Caleb Hutchins contributed to this article.

NORTH GWINNETT in BUFORD
Records: Bulldogs (12-0, Region 7, seed 1); Wolves (11-1, R8, W1)
Last week: North Gwinnett defeated Newton 24-10; Buford defeated Lowndes 42-7
Where: Tom Riden Stadium, Buford
Radio: WDUN AM 550
Time: 7:30 p.m
The Stats: It’s the first meeting since 1999. Buford leads the series 22-5-1 and defeated the Bulldogs 26-7 on September 10, 1999. North Gwinnett’s last win in the series came in a 21-6 victory at Tom Riden Stadium in 1998. Buford left no questions unanswered and dominated Lowndes County 42-7 to advance. Newton gave the Bulldogs everything they could last week, only trailing 17-10 after the third quarter. The Bulldogs scored a TD in the fourth to secure the win. Buford is seeking its first exit from the quarterfinals since the 2021 season, when the Wolves last won the state championship… North Gwinnett is seeking its first exit from the semifinals since 2019. This could be a game where the defense cracks first. as both teams held their opponents to 30 points below their average last week. Normally the Wolves have the edge when it comes to talent, but this game features Power 4 talent on both sides of the ball.
What to watch for: Which defense will collapse first? With both teams averaging over 38 points per game and both defenses playing well, something has to give… The Wolves are giving up just over 10 points per game while the Bulldogs have given up 12 points. The Bulldogs’ defensive stats are impressive and staggering 188 tackles for a loss, 47 sacks, 91 QB hurries, forced 19 interceptions and 11 fumbles. On the other hand, the Wolves’ statistics are also pretty good: they record 68 tackles for loss, 26 sacks, 62 QB hurries, 12 interceptions and 10 forced fumbles… On offense, the Bulldogs prefer the rushing attack with three running backs 200 or more rushing yards this season, including leading rusher Tommy Lafayette (121-788 yards and 11 TDs) … the Wolves also favor the rushing attack with four backs rushing for over 400 yards, led by Justin Baker (93-889 yards, 11 TDs) and Ethan Ervin (79-650 yards, 6 TDs) … and both Bufords Dayton QBs Raiola (96 of 165, 1,717 yards, 18 TDs, 3 INT) and North Gwinnett’s Ryan Hall (127 of 198, 1,851 yards, 24 TDs, 3 INT) can make downfield plays…

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