Fast, physical, and traditional Buford football was on full display Friday night as the Wolves defeated the defending 7A state champions, Milton Eagles, 26-23 on the road in the 2019 Corky Kell Classic.

The Wolves overwhelmed the Eagles right from the start with a two-play touchdown drive. Elijah Turner (SR) showed his incredible vision and speed with a huge 65-yard TD run which really set the tone for the night offensively. After a quick Milton touchdown response, the Wolves marched down the field and capped off an impressive drive with a 1-yard Gabe Ervin, Jr. (JR) touchdown run. The tailback duo combined for 183-yard rushing and three scores. The offensive line, led by Seniors Malone VanGorder and Seth McLaughlin, dominated the line of scrimmage all night long. The big guys up front allowed Junior quarterback, Jarvis Evans, to throw for 90 yards completing 5 out of 6 passes. One of the those passes went to Justice Johnson (SR) who found himself wide open off an elite play action pass for a 43-yard score. The TD catch was the second for the Senior wide-receiver on the season.

The Wolves defense put pressure on and swarmed the Eagles offense all night starting with sacks from Malik Spencer (So.) and Justice Johnson (Sr.). The young, fast, and physical defense held the Eagles to just 96 total yards (Buford-223 yards) in the first half. One thing was clear, the Buford defense wasn’t going to let the lead slip away holding tough after a late surge from the Milton offense scoring two touchdowns late in the 4th quarter. Juniors, Amari Wansley and Matthew Alexander, led the defense in tackles with 4.5 and 3.5 respectively.

The special teams closed out the game recovering a muffed punt by the Eagles with 2 minutes to go in the 4th quarter allowing the Buford offense to get in victory formation to finish the game. The Wolves second win on the season is by far their most impressive. The Wolves went on the road in a hostile environment, battled adversity, and were still able to close the game out with a victory. One thing is clear, Coach Appling has these young men sold on the idea that defense wins championships. There are some things to clean up for sure, but Coach Appling and his staff have to be pleased with how their guys were able to close out the game despite Milton making a huge surge in the second half.

Buford (2-0) will take on Life Christian Academy (VA) next Friday at Tom Riden Stadium in a non-conference match up at 7:30 p.m. The community and student support has been incredible this season, and the Wolves will certainly need Tom Riden to be loud next Friday night. Come out and support your Buford Wolves!

Defensive standouts:

Amari Wansley: 4.5 Tackles.

Matthew Alexander: 3.5 tackles. 1.5 TFL.

Carlton Holley: 2 Tackles.

Malik Spencer: 1 sack.

Justice Johnson: 1 sack.

Offensive standouts:

Jarvis Evans: 5-6, 90 yds. 1 TD.

Elijah Turner: 98 yds. 2 TD’s.

Gabe Ervin: 85 yds. 1 TD.

Justice Johnson: 1 receiving TD.