A showdown with national title implications lived up to the hype Tuesday as No. 5
Buford dug deep in the second half to beat No. 1
Carrollton 28-21 in Georgia's Class AAAAAA state championship game.
With the game tied at 21, future Georgia Bulldog
Tyriq Green of Buford busted loose for an 82-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes to play to give the Wolves the lead and the school's first state title since 2021. Green also scored on a 19-yard run in the second half.
The victory assured that Buford (15-0) will finish No. 1 in the final
MaxPreps Top 25 when it is released next Monday. The Wolves will become the first Georgia squad to
be elevated to that spot in the 21 seasons MaxPreps has been crowning a
national champion.
Tyriq Green was the difference-maker for Buford in Tuesday night's Class AAAAAA state championship game. (PHOTO: Corey Jones)
Carrollton (14-1) rose to
the top of the rankings Nov. 28 after a dominant win over previous No. 1
Grayson (Loganville). Buford kept climbing while other contenders suffered postseason losses around the country.
Buford's offense came alive in the second half, spurred by a defense that forced four turnovers resulting in 11 third-quarter points.
That same defense all but sealed the game after the Wolves took the 28-21 lead forcing Carrollton to turn it over on downs with 1:20 left.
Graham Houston (75), Tyriq Green (1) and Bryce Perry-Wright (3) hold Georgia's state championship trophy high after a battle with national No. 1 Carrollton. (PHOTO: Corey Jones)
Carrollton led 7-0 lead at halftime as a one-yard touchdown run by freshman
Nick Archer was the only scoring play of the first half.
While there was only one score on the board, Carrollton dominated the first half on both sides of the ball. The Trojans racked up 165 yards of offense while Buford could muster just 52. The Wolves' defense helped keep the game close with back-to-back interceptions in the second quarter as
Ethan Hauser picked off
Mason Hotlzclaw and
Nassir McCoy swiped one against
C.J. Cypher.
Buford opened the second half with a field goal and then turned a
Cameron Simmons interception and
Zion Benyard fumble recovery into a 14-7 lead.
After surrendering the lead for the first time, Carrollton engineered a
nine-play, 80-yard drive capped by a
Cameron Wood touchdown from three yards out on the fourth quarter's first play to knot the score at 14.
The see-saw final 12 minutes saw Buford take a 21-14 lead as
Deion Miller recovered a fumble in the end zone on a fourth-and-goal as
Dylan McCoy reached for the score.
Carrollton came up with its first turnover and capitalized with a
Zykie Helton strip sack and
Jahmir Harris 40-yard fumble return for a touchdown to tie the game at 21.
Carrollton's path to the final included postseason wins over
North Forsyth (Cumming),
Harrison (Kennesaw), Grayson and
North Gwinnett (Suwanee).
Head coach Bryant Appling celebrates his fourth state title at Buford. (PHOTO: Corey Jones)
Buford quarterback Dayton Raiola celebrates the title game victory with older brother Dylan Raiola, who is currently a hot commodity in the college football transfer portal. (PHOTO: Jessica Phillips)
