Roswell is the defending state champs and are looking to make history as the first program ever in GHSA history to complete a three-peat and entering Friday’s matchup against Buford, the Hornets are aware of the tall-task ahead.
Both of these teams will play in different divisions with Roswell taking Division 2 and Buford in Division 3 and the teams have only matched up just twice in the past 13 years but have seen each other more often in the last few seasons. Roswell won both matchups in 2021 and 2022 finishing with a 15-10 victory and 12-6 victory in 2022.
Despite losing so much, the Hornets have a heap of talent returning. Ben Weir is currently committed to Queens. He was a third-team selection in midfield last season. A strong defender in Carter Dowdy will also return for the Hornets this season. He was first-team all-state. He will be a junior this year after gaining a lot of experience in the last few seasons. Blake O’Neal also returns. He was made second-team all-state for faceoff and was key to helping the Hornets win possession throughout the season as a freshman.
With that talent, they cruised to an early dominating victory over Chattahoochee with a 25-2 victory. It was the most points the Hornets scored since 2023 when they defeated Boyd-Buchanan (TN) 26-1. Roswell is off to another hot start to the season and will have a chance to set the tone for the season against Buford on Friday.
Buford won its first state championship in program history in 2024 after defeating Lambert 15-14. During their run to the state championship, the Wolves scored in double-figures in each game. The last time the Wolves didn’t score in double figures in a game was against Lambert back in 2023 which is 30 consecutive games crossing double-figures. Their offense has been on another level and Buford is establishing themselves as one of the best programs in the state especially in the past decade. Buford won their first game of the season defeating Marietta 19-9 on Monday. The Wolves have won 22 of their last 23 games and are hot as any team coming into this matchup.
What makes this Buford team special this year is their 2026 class. They have three players that are set to play at D1 at the next level. Midfielder Kamden Clack is committed to Ohio State, Midfielder Drew Maloney is committed to Syracuse, and Defender Colton Crawford is committed to Mercer. With that level of talent at the helm, Buford should be a high-end contender this year.
It is rare to see two elite teams meet this early in the season but that is what will happen this upcoming Friday in a can’t miss matchup.
Around the class boys: Riverwood JR Leonard continues to cement his legacy and adds another accolade winning Region 6-5A Player of the Year. Milton Daniel Ogunyemi asserted his dominance on both ends of the floor winning Region 7-5A Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Around the class girls: Senior Kayla Cleaveland was named Region 6-5A Player of the Year after averaging 13.7 PPG and seven rebounds. She is committed to Georgia Southern and will play college ball down south. She is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports. Londyn Walker was named Region 7-5A Player of the Year and Raygen Lewis won Defensive Player of the Year.
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