No. 13
Buford (Ga.) opened up the new $62 million Phillip Beard Stadium with a 20-13 win Thursday night over No. 22
Milton (Ga.) on ESPN2.
Buford has done nothing but win under seventh-year head coach Bryant Appling, who is now 76-8 with three state championships.
The Wolves' new 10,000-seat palace saw its share of big plays all night, none bigger than a pick-6 by Buford junior
Silas Nuckles to start the third quarter.
Trailing 10-7, Milton faced a third down in Wolves territory. Milton quarterback
Derrick Baker dropped back and fired the ball. Nuckles intercepted the pass and sprinted 70 yards for the defensive scored and a 17-7 Buford lead early in the second half.
No. 13 Buford senior Torre Costin hauled in a 48-yard pass from senior Nebraska commit Dayton Raiola in the first half. The Wolves scored a few plays later and never relinquished its lead against No. 22 Milton. (PHOTO: Brandon Sumrall)
On the next Eagles possession, the Buford defense again swarmed and junior
Joshua Echols intercepted the screen pass and returned it all the way to the Milton 15-yard line with 7:48 left in the third. The Milton defense got a stop and Buford nailed a 20-yard field goal to go up 20-7 with 5:44 left in the third.
Milton (0-1) scored a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 20-13 and the Eagles again mounted an offensive drive looking for the equalizer. But with less than a minute left, Buford sophomore defensive back
Brendon Davis intercepted the Milton throw to seal the 20-13 win.
All three phases of the game excelled for Buford.
After the first Buford drive stalled to start the game, senior
Andrew Ivanciuc pinned Milton at the 1-yard line on a punt. The Buford defense stepped up and got the ball back quickly.
The Milton defense answered with a stop of its own to force a field goal attempt and Ivanciuc drilled a 39-yarder for the first points in the stadium’s history with 2:31 left in the first to give Buford a 3-0 lead.
Milton answered right back with a 55-yard touchdown from Baker to
E. B. Bailey to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead with 1:28 left in the first quarter.
Those were the last points Buford allowed until the fourth quarter. On top of the interceptions by Nuckles, Echols and Davis, the defense shined all night. Clemson commit
Dre Quinn, Army pledge
Deion Miller and future Texas A&M Aggie
Bryce Perry-Wright, a five-star, stopped opponents in their tracks at the line of scrimmage.
Senior Nebraska commit
Dayton Raiola led Buford on a second quarter scoring drive, connecting with senior
Torre Costin for a 48-yard pass to put the Wolves in the red zone. A few plays later, senior Georgia commit
Tyriq Green ran the ball in from 2-yards out to give Buford a 10-7 lead.
Buford had a chance to extend its lead in the final minute of the first half but Milton sophomore
Keelan Wonsley intercepted Raiola’s pass at the goal line right before halftime.
The Wolves scored 10 straight points in the third off the interceptions to take a 20-7 lead.
Midway through the fourth quarter with Baker sidelined, Milton had the football on fourth down and 11 with 5:58 left. Freshman
Trey Hasan stepped in and threw a 29-yard touchdown to three-star junior
Jordan Carrasquillo to cut the deficit to 20-13.
Buford got the ball back near midfield but its offense sputtered as Milton got a stop on third down and Buford punted the ball down to the 8-yard line. Pinned deep, Milton began to drive down the field. With 54 seconds left, Hasan threw an interceptions to Davis.
