In a matchup of two powerhouse programs that have not played against each other since the turn of the century, the undefeated North Gwinnett Bulldogs will make the 15-minute drive over to Buford to face the one-loss Wolves in a Class 6A quarterfinal clash of prominent North Georgia teams.
The game will be broadcast live on the Peachtree Sports Network starting at 8 p.m., and digitally on Atlanta News First, ZEAM and the National Federation High School Network.
The last time the two teams faced off in 1999, Dexter Wood’s Buford team enjoyed a 27-6 victory against Tim Hammontree’s North Gwinnett Bulldogs.
North Gwinnett is coming off of a 24-10 victory against Newton in the second round where the Bulldogs totaled over 400 yards of total offense including rushing for over 300 yards. North Gwinnett senior running back Tommy Lafayettte accounted for 188 rushing yards on his own in the victory over the Rams to put the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022.
The Buford Wolves are coming off of a 42-7 victory against Lowndes, holding the Vikings to their lowest point total all season. The Wolves’ offense eclipsed 400 yards, with a balanced offensive attack that totaled close to 160 yards through the air a just over 250 yards on the ground, with five different players rushing for 25 yards or more.
Both programs are looking for their first taste of the semifinals this decade as Buford hasn’t made it since the 2017 season and North Gwinnett not since 2019.
The Bulldogs are looking to keep their perfect record clean as they are looking for their first-ever undefeated season in program history. Led by Eric Godfree who is in his second season in the program after spending eight seasons at Parkview, a victory Friday would be the coaches first trip back to the semifinals since 2019.
This year’s North Gwinnett team is a different breed, stifling any competition that lines up in front of them. The Bulldogs possess an explosive and experienced offense that averages over 38 points per game and over 4,000 yards of total offense to go along with a defense that has held opponents to 10 points or less in seven out of their 12 games this season, including the two postseason games and have registered 188 tackles for loss on the season.
The Bulldogs are led by senior quarterback, Georgia Tech baseball-commit Ryan Hall who has commanded a well-oiled machine of an offense through 12 games. Hall has thrown for just under 1,800 yards on a 65% completion percentage to go along with 23 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions on the season. While not known for his mobility, Hall has been able to use his legs to his advantage, totaling over 450 yards and five rushing touchdowns on the season.
“He’s probably our most overall productive football player,” said Godfree. “What he brings at the quarterback position, he can run, he can throw, he can make plays. He’s a dynamic football player for us, offensively he really helps us go.”
Hall’s legs have been an added bonus to an already strong rushing attack from the Bulldogs led by recent Stanford-decommitment, Tommy Lafayette. The senior running back has rushed for over 780 yards on the season to go along with 11 rushing touchdowns on 121 carries. Lafayette averages over six yards a carry and has accounted for two 100-plus yards games this season including in the second round win over Newton.
The North Gwinnett receiving corps features a handful of upperclassmen that have made multiple big plays throughout their high school careers. Seniors Erik Ronning and Nicholas Bookman have been incredible for the Bulldogs combining for close to 1,500 all-purpose yards. Ronning leads the team in receiving yards with 570 and Bookman a close second with a little over 480 yards on the season.
With as many playmakers on its offense, the Bulldogs defense is no stranger to causing problems for opposing offenses with a disruptive defensive line that is up there with some of the best in the state.
Led by seniors edge rusher and Wake Forest-commit Cole Funderburk and defensive lineman, Rutgers-commit Braxton Kyle, the Bulldogs have marked their territory in the backfield as the two have combined for 117 total tackles, an astonishing 56 tackles for loss including 16 sacks between the two star defensive lineman.
Sophomore linebacker Jake Godfree, son of coach Godfree, has done an impressive job commanding an experienced North Gwinnett defense from his position in the middle of the defensive unit. The sophomore leads all Bulldogs in tackles with 117 on the season including 18 tackles for loss on his own. Godfree has accumulated offers from major college programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee and Florida State after an impressive sophomore outing.
Leading the backend for the Bulldogs is senior cornerback Malaki Weedon who has made throwing on North Gwinnett very difficult for its opponents. The senior leads the team in interceptions with five on the season, including two last weekend against Newton. Along with his five interceptions, Weedon has recorded six pass deflections and a pair of fumble recoveries during his final season of high school football.
Bryant Appling leads an impressive Buford team which has remained dangerous throughout the 2024 season. The Wolves only blemish on the season was to nationally-ranked Milton by just three points, the closest anyone has played the reigning Class 7A champions since their title a year ago.
“We didn’t play bad or anything (against Milton), we just didn’t execute in the red zone and couldn’t prevent the big play,” said Appling. “We’ve gotten better at all of those facets of the game over the last 12 games, they’ve grown closer and they trust each other a lot more in difficult situations which has paid off on the field.”
After rattling off 11 wins in a row after the Milton game, including wins against Benedictine, Roswell, Douglas County and Collins Hill the Wolves enter Friday’s quarterfinal match up battle-tested and ready to show why they are one of the top teams in the state.
Buford quarterback junior Dayton Raiola has been a key to the offensive success this season, leading a high-powered offense in his first season as a starter. The junior has thrown for more than 1,700 yards and 18 passing touchdowns along with a 58% completion percentage and just three interceptions on the season. Raiola is averaging just over 140 yards per game through the air while recording just one rushing touchdown on the season.
The four-headed monster of a rushing attack for the Wolves features two seniors and two juniors that have each gained over 300 yards on the season on the ground. Senior running back and Tennessee-commit Justin Baker has been the lead back and leads the team in carries, yards and touchdowns with 93 carries for just under 900 yards and 11 touchdowns. Having a back like Baker and a committee featuring senior Ethan Ervin who has totaled over 600 yards and six touchdowns along with a pair of junior backs in Tyriq Green and Dylan McCoy who have combined for 10 touchdowns between them, have all proved to be great options for the Wolves.
In the passing game, recent Georgia Tech-commitment, Jordan Allen leads all Wolves in receiving yards by a substantial margin, with close to 800 on the season, averaging about 25 yards a catch. He leads the next highest receiver on the team by more than 500 yards and has been a real threat in the return game for the Wolves as well with his speed and elusiveness.
The Buford defense is as good as you can find around the state. The Wolves feature multiple players on the defensive side of the ball that are committed to prominent college football programs across the country.
The leading tackler on this year’s Wolves team, senior LB and 3-star South Carolina-commit AJ Holloway as he has totaled 64 tackles through 12 games this season to go along with 10 tackles for loss. Along with Holloway, this years linebacking corp for Buford is with some of the best in the country as it includes USC-commit Jadon Perlotte. Perlotte is one of the top players in the state and flipped his commitment from Georgia to the Trojans back in July. The senior has recorded 23 tackles in just seven games of action this season. Along with Perlotte and Holloway, senior linebacker, Colorado-commit Mantrez Walker has been another name that has caused problems from his linebacker position. The senior is second on the team in tackles with 53, to go along with a fumble recovery and three tackles for loss.
The Wolves defensive line features multiple pass rushing threats that will make life hard for the North Gwinnett offense. Junior defensive lineman Bryce Perry-Wright along with senior Wake Forest-commit Nicco Maggio have been terrors in the front seven for Buford this season. The two rank first and second on the team in tackles for loss with 13 for Perry-Wright and 10 for Maggio. Perry-Wright has totaled 48 tackles on the season and has accumulated offers from major programs such as Alabama, Florida, Oregon , Ohio State, Georgia and plenty more.
The secondary for Buford is up there with some of the best in the country. Stanford-commit Chris Garland and Tyriq Green have been exceptional for the Wolves this season. The two have combined for eight interceptions as well as 43 tackles on the season holding down the backend of the Wolves defense.
After not meeting for the last two decades and more, North Gwinnett and Buford will meet for the first time in the postseason this Friday at Buford’s Tom Rosen Stadium.
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