Wolves chew up Patriots

BUFORD - Another postseason, another blowout for Buford.

The Wolves outthrew, outdefended and outplayed Westside-Augusta, to roll into the second round of the playoffs after a 35-6 whipping Friday night at Tom Riden Stadium.

It didn't take long for Buford (11-0) to make its presence felt. After holding the Patriots (6-5) to a three-and-out on their first possession, the Wolves went on a 10-play drive, capped off by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Justin Roper to Jordan Grant for a quick 7-0 lead.

It was just the beginning for Roper and the Buford offense.

Still up by a touchdown, the Wolves finished the first quarter with another long drive that wound up in the end zone.

Roper used play-action to find a wide-open J.T. Swanson inside the 10-yard line. Swanson broke the plane untouched, starting the rout for Buford.

The next possession ended when Roper's pass was intercepted in the back of the end zone. But it turned out to be the only real rough spot for Buford and its quarterback.

After stopping Westside's offense yet again, the Wolves took advantage of great field position to move back down the field. With less than a minute to go in the half, Roper found Isiah Cross for his third touchdown pass of the half, a 20-yard strike giving Buford a 21-0 lead.

Roper saw limited action in the second half, but it was still one of his best games of the season. He finished 12-of-16 passing for 160 yards to go along with the three touchdowns and the interception.

The second half saw the Wolves working the clock more than the scoreboard. But they got a short touchdown run from Grant early in the third quarter and a 4-yard scoring run by Quinton Cantrell in the fourth.

Cantrell finished the game with 64 yards on the ground. Starting tailback Matt Pridemore had 67 yards rushing, but sat out most of the second half to give other players some playoff experience.

Buford's defense began the game without leading linebacker Trey Hunsucker, who missed the game with a sprained ankle.

But the squad didn't need him, as it held the Patriots to 87 yards of total offense, and just one touchdown.

Buford moves its postseason record over the last five years to 22-2, and it continued its dominance of teams in the first round of the playoffs.

Their 29-point win against Westside gives the Wolves an average margin of victory of more than 37 points against its last six first round opponents.

And just like past years, Buford had no problem walking into the second round.

(By Judd Hickinbotham)