BUFORD VS. TUCKER
WHERE: Georgia State Stadium
WHEN: Friday at 5:30 p.m. EST
TV: The ATL
WEB: 11Alive.com | Facebook Live | YouTube
BUFORD WOLVES
Head Coach: John Ford
Status: Lost in the 5A semifinals last season (falling to eventual champion Rome)
Preseason State Ranking: No. 2 in 5A (Georgia High School Football Daily)
2017 Record: 11-2
2017 Legacy: Five total shutouts last year, including four straight during the entire month of October
The Ultimate Mic Drop: Buford has captured five state championships since 2007
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
**Buford and Tucker have held scrimmages in recent years, but no official game action in some time
**Coach Ford on Tucker: "(Coach Bryan Lamar's) kids are always going to play with an edge" .... and "If you beat them, you absolutely have to earn it, because they will not give it to you."
**Tucker typically operates out of a Wing-T formation on offense. Ford says Tucker gets "dynamic" results with its time-tested system. "It's a son-of-a-gun to prepare for ... they're really good at it."
PLAYERS OF INTEREST
#12 QB AARON MCLAUGHLIN
**Ford says McLaughlin, as a freshman in 2017, handled himself very well in the Wolves offense
**Ford on McLaughlin: "Aaron's a high-character kid, just excited to see what he does. ... "There's a spotlight at Buford. It's not a place where you can go 5-5 (your first year) and ease yourself into the role."
#3 RB/DB DERRIAN BROWN
**Ford says Brown had a productive summer, getting ready for a major-workload campaign
**Brown draws rave reviews for his quickness, vision and anticipation skills, when running the football
**Ford on Brown: "He's a special kid. ... If you don't like being around him, you're just not a very happy person."
THE OFFENSIVE LINE
**Ford has high expectations for the Wolves' deep, talented and experienced O-line, featuring Carter Colquitt (still-growing body, high character), Riley Simonds (great feet, 'throwback' mentality on the field), Seth McLaughlin (great feet) and Reece McIntyre (great baseball player, amazing core strength, excellent feet).
COACH FORD ASSESSMENTS
**There's no shame in losing to Rome in last year's playoffs ... probably the best team overall in the state
**Buford has to do a better job this season of putting more pressure on mobile quarterbacks, attacking certain looks in the passing game
**It's an awesome challenge to schedule formidable competition during the non-region period: "The idea of (playing) anyone, anywhere, any time ... that has always stuck with me."
______________
TUCKER TIGERS
Head Coach: Bryan Lamar
Status: Lost in the 6A semifinals to Coffee last December
Preseason State Ranking: No. 2 in 6A (Georgia High School Football Daily)
2017 Record: 12-2
Legacy: Tucker has notched double-digit victories for more than 20 consecutive years
PLAYERS OF INTEREST
#2 QB TRAVON FORD
**Lamar sees Ford as a solid fit for the Wing-T attack, even with the prodigious size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds)
**Lamar: "We expect (Ford) to be a big-time leader" at the quarterback slot.
**Ford has already drawn interest from Mid-American Conference schools
#54 OL BLAKE JEFFERSON
**Jefferson, a three-year starter, has been the anchor of Tucker's O-line for a few years
#4 RB DAVID DAVIS
**A three-year starter at this demanding position
#20 RB LATAVIOUS JOHNSON
**Lamar hails the freshman Johnson as an "extremely, extremely rare talent." His athletic skill set should mesh well with Davis in the Tucker backfield.
#14 CB/WR ISAIAH DUNSON
**A 4-star prospect with dual-position potential at the next level, Dunson has reportedly attracted interest from programs with the ACC (Florida State, NC State) and Big Ten (Nebraska).
COACH LAMAR ASSESSMENTS
**On the philosophy of scheduling daunting opponents early in a season: "At one point (before Georgia reclassifications), it used to be about teams trying to be 10-0 (heading into the playoffs)."
**On rebuilding vs. reloading: "I think we've got a good group," says Lamar, emphasizing how there's no sense of entitlement with this year's squad, since the majority of players are in the same boat, production-wise.
**On fortifying the offensive line and tight end positions--two deep spots in years past: "We're headed in the right direction, it's just about being physical and knowing what we're doing all the time."
