Buford football has won at least one state championship in every classification except 7A.
How would Buford perform in the state’s highest class, against tougher competition?
Before we begin, some ground rules must be established. Mountain View will be moved down to 6A, and Buford will take their spot in Region 8-7A. Buford will also adopt Mountain View’s schedule to maintain consistency.
To predict matchups, I will be using the CalPreps simulator, which predicts games based on 2020 statistics and trends. Let’s get started!
Buford opens their 2020 campaign with a dominating 48-3 road win over Shiloh. The Wolves improve to 3-0 after defeating Parkview and Lanier by scores of 35-17 and 42-6 respectively. An eventual state runner-up, Jefferson, falls at Buford’s hands as well. Former region foe, Dacula suffers a blowout loss, allowing the Wolves to enter the bye week at 5-0. Awaiting Buford on October 16 is the Brookwood Broncos, an undefeated squad looking to build momentum prior to region play. However, they prove no match, losing 42-21.
Now begins region play.
First, Buford travels to Mill Creek, rolling over the Hawks easily. Next, Buford hosts Collins Hill in a clash of titans. They escape with a 28-21 victory following a late-game rushing touchdown to extend their record to 8-0. After a 6-touchdown blowout against Peachtree Ridge in the next game, Buford is set up with North Gwinnett for the region championship. Despite a poor offensive performance, the Wolves clinch a 1-seed in the playoffs and an undefeated regular season with a 28-14 victory over the Bulldogs. It’s playoff time!
In the first round, Buford hosts an overmatched Alpharetta team which falls behind early and never recovers, losing 38-8. Denmark is the next team to make a trip to Buford, coming off a 63-point win over Discovery. In similar fashion to Alpharetta, three first quarter Buford touchdowns seal a 35-7 win. This victory sets up a rematch with Parkview, who lost by 18 in the first bout. Despite a strong effort, Parkview succumbs again, 30-21. Buford advances to the semifinals in their first season in 7A!
A vaunted Lowndes defense awaits the explosive Buford offensive for a trip to Center Parc Stadium. With under a minute remaining in the game, Lowndes scores a touchdown and converts the 2-point conversion to lead 22-21. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Buford attempts a throwback lateral across the field and succeeds, scoring the final seven points to win. Buford just needs to win one more game to claim the 7A state championship!
Against Grayson, Buford’s offense struggles to get going. Grayson jumps out to a 28-7 halftime lead and never relinquishes it. The Wolves’ undefeated run finally ends with the sound of the buzzer and a 31-21 score.
It seems that Buford will have to wait another 12 months to claim the 7A state title. In a year of massive changes, Grayson’s outright victory in both real life and simulation seems to be the only constant.
