3. Buford (Ga.), 14-1, 54.8
Buford spent time in the Xcellent 25 rankings this season, but fell out after a loss to Calhoun.
Photo by Cecil Copeland
The only team on the list that did not win a state championship, Buford rose as high as No. 9 in the
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard before falling to Calhoun in the Georgia Class AA state championship game. The Wolves had won four straight state titles and were attempting to win a record fifth in a row. Buford has 11 scholarship athletes on the team, including OL
Vadal Alexander and LB
Dillon Lee, both of whom received All-American recognition by other national ranking services. Buford finished the season with six all-state selections, including Alexander, Buford,
Kurt Freitag (TE),
Rick Legrant (DL),
Nathan Staub (LB) and
Ryan Dillard (DB).
