NIGHT 1 RECAP: Wolves, Patriots get it done in the Dome

The Buford Wolves can officially be called a dynasty as they defeated the Calhoun Yellow Jackets 13-10 in the Class 2A Championship game at the Georgia Dome. Calhoun got the scoring started first as Adam Griffith kicked a 39-yard field goal in the first quarter. Buford answered midway through the second thanks to Jessel Curry’s 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down, but the PAT was blocked and the Wolves were only up by six going into the half. Buford was able to increase its lead in the fourth quarter with an Alex Ross 5-yard touchdown pass to Curry to go up by 10. Calhoun did not give up, however, recovering a Buford fumble with five minutes left in the game. Shortly after, Da’Rick Rodgers scored on a 5-yard touchdown run. However, Buford was able to run out the rest of the clock and go on to win its third consecutive title. The Wolves’ record is 44-1 from 2007-09. Calhoun finishes its 2009 season with a 14-1 record. The loss is the second in a row to Buford at the Georgia Dome.In the second game of the evening, Sandy Creek came back from a 9-7 fourth-quarter deficit to beat an upstart Clarke Central squad. Sandy Creek used a late-game offensive surge to come out on top 29-15 in what was a tightly contested game until the latter half of the fourth quarter. Patriots quarterback Ronnie Bell hit wide receiver Jarrett Brown for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, and running back Rajion Neal tacked on a rushing touchdown to push the lead to 29-9 with under four minutes remaining. The title is Sandy Creek’s first in its 18 years as a football program. Clarke Central was playing in its first title game since 1992, the first year that Sandy Creek competed in football. Clarke Central finishes the year with a 12-3 overall record, and Sandy Creek moved to 14-1 with the win, the Patriots’ only loss coming in the first game of the season in overtime to East Coweta.