In a battle of star-studded rosters with some of the top talent in Georgia, the Friday night clash between the No. 7 Buford Wolves and the No. 1 Douglas County Tigers will have all eyes in the state on Tiger Stadium for this weeks ‘Drive for the GHSA State Title: Game of the Week’ presented by GeorgiaContructionCareers.com for a showdown between top-10 programs in Class 6A.
The game will be broadcast live on the Peachtree Sports Network starting at 8 p.m., and digitally on Atlanta News First and the National Federation High School Network.
The two powerhouse-programs have only lined up against each other once before, when Douglas County traveled to Buford in 2020 for the first round of the GHSA 6A state playoffs where the Wolves defeated the Tigers 48-0 in Buford.
Both programs are coming off of victories against talented programs from a week ago. Buford went on the road and defeated No. 9 Roswell, 52-17 while Douglas County played host to No. 3 Langston Hughes and grinded out a gritty 21-14 victory.
While the Tigers are coming into the matchup undefeated, the Buford Wolves have one blemish on the their record, losing their opener against Milton 13-10, one of the best teams in the nation in a back-and-forth game that included a two-hour rain delay.
With a few games now under their belts this season, this highly-anticipated matchup between some of the teams in the state is a clash of powerhouse programs that should make for an intriguing matchup with tons of eyes on Tiger Stadium.
“The trenches on both sides are the keys to the game,” said Douglas County head coach Johnny White. “Their D-Line and linebackers are big, their physical, their fast, a lot of 4-stars up there, their offensive line is huge and we are going to have to try to maintain that.”
Buford head coach, Bryant Appling is entering his sixth year with Buford and has left his imprint on the Wolves football program since his arrival in 2019. In his six years with the program, Appling’s Wolves have lost just seven games including this year’s matchup with Milton. In his first three seasons, Appling and the Wolves became back-to-back-to-back state champions, bringing Buford’s total to 14 state championships in their football team’s history.
The Wolves’ roster is littered with some of the top talent in the state with 10 players already committed to power conference schools and 36 players with offers to play college football. It is hard to look past the talent at the top with nine 4-stars on the team ranging in all different recruiting classes.
The Buford defensive unit possesses talent all over the field from its front seven to the linebackers to the secondary, there aren’t many more talented units in Georgia high school football. Southern Cal-commit and Mr. Georgia Football Watchlist member, Jadon Perlotte is at the top of scouts boards with his relentless effort of getting to the football and making plays for the Wolves.
Along with Perlotte, the Buford linebacking core of Colorado-commit Mantrez Walker, Kansas-commit Kenyon Rivera and South Carolina-commit A.J. Holloway have each been forces to be reckoned with the four of them combining for over 40 tackles so far through the first three weeks. Holloway leads the team in tackles with 16 total tackles on his own.
While the defense is filled with seniors ready to play at the next level, the juniors on the Buford defense have made themselves known early in the season.
Juniors 4-star defensive end Bryce Perry-Wright, and defensive lineman James Morrow have combined for 11 quarterback pressures and 16 total tackles, creating mayhem for opposing offensive lines and making it tough for offenses to move the chains. Both Class of 2026 Buford-products have received an abundance of collegiate offers with both commitments still looming.
The Buford offense is led by sophomore quarterback Dayton Raiola, younger brother of Nebraska starting quarterback Dylan Raiola, is entering his first season as a starter in his second season of high school football. Raiola leads a Buford offense that has averaged a little over 30 points per game while throwing for 416 yards and three touchdowns in the early season.
“He’s getting better everyday,” said Appling. “I think as a first time starter, you’re not going to be perfect and not going to do everything right. As a coach, you want to see your kids improve from week one to week three or four and I am proud of all my players but definitely the quarterback.”
The young quarterback has had some great help from experienced players on the roster such as the running back duo of 4-star Tennessee-commit Justin Baker, and 3-star FAU-commit Ethan Ervin provide a steady run-game for Raiola to rely on. The tandem have produced 370 yards on the ground for the Wolves along with four touchdowns.
While a good run-game is important with a young starting quarterback, the pass catchers on the offense are as highly-touted as any position group on the roster. On the outside, 3-star Louisville-commit Jordan Allen has been crucial for Buford, already having double-digit receptions on the season with 154 yards and a touchdown to add to it, averaging over 15 yards per catch. Ole Miss-commit, 3-star tight end Hayden Bradley is yet another highly-recruited name to look out for and will look to get more involved in the offense against Douglas County.
White is entering his eighth season with the Douglas County football program and might have his most-talented roster yet. The Tigers were eliminated in the semifinals a year ago after they were upset by Woodward Academy at home, 24-21. The Tigers have their sights set on making it to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in an attempt to win their first state championship since 1964.
Like their opponent, Douglas County’s roster is filled with guys who will play at the next level on both sides of the ball. Per On3.com, the Tigers have 16 players with offers to play in college, including four players with ranking in the recruiting sites top-40 players in their recruiting classes.
The receiving room for Douglas County could be the most talented position group in the state with three highly-recruited players who would start on any other program. USC-commit, 3-star wideout, James Johnson, just recently committed to the Trojans and has been on a tear so far this season for the Tigers. Johnson’s ability to get into the open field and gain yards after the catch poses many threats to secondaries across the state as he is a “do-it-all” guy for the Tigers.
When the attention is on Johnson, defenses can’t forget the pair of 2026 4-star wideouts in Devin Carter and Aaron Gregory. Both Gregory and Carter have received offers from every major college football program and both bring their own special skill sets to the offense. Gregory’s 6-foot-2 frame creates threats all around the field for secondaries as he is fully capable of taking the top off the defense. Gregory’s size along with Carter and Johnson’s blazing speed and ability to run after the catch creates the most polarizing receiving core in Georgia high school football in recent memory.
With immense-talent at the receiver position, it makes junior quarterback D.J. Bordeaux’s job is more simple in trying to get the ball to their playmakers. Bordeaux has led an explosive Tigers offense this season that is averaging closer to 32 points per game. Up front on offense, sophomore offensive lineman Joshua Sam-Epelle has helped protect Bordeaux with his 6-foot-8, 305-pound frame holding the line from his tackle position.
On defense, the Tigers are led by junior 4-star edge rusher Jordan Carter who holds many Power 4 offers with another year of high school football remaining. The junior has totaled 21 total tackles with four for loss and five sacks through the Tigers first four games. Carter leads an impressive Douglas County defense against a high-powered Buford offense. Along with Carter, senior defensive lineman, Jaylen Ray has made a name for himself so far this season, totaling 25 tackles, to go along with four tackles for loss and four sacks, creating a productive pass rushing duo along with Carter.
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