BUFORD — Christian Turner is finally feeling healthy.
And that could not have come at a better time for Buford football.
For the second week in a row, the Buford running back came up huge in the state playoffs, ripping off four scoring runs to lead Buford to a 34-27 win over Carrollton in the Class AAAAA quarterfinals.
Turner, who has fully healed from an early-season high-ankle sprain, finished with 273 yards rushing to help push Buford back into the state semifinals for a 10th straight campaign. The Wolves (12-1) will face Kell at home next Friday after the Longhorns defeated Woodland-Stockbridge.
"This is what we practice for here. We know we've got home field, and we know that not many teams are even playing at this time of year, so we're excited," said Turner, who provided plenty of excitement of his own on Friday.
The junior looked a threat to score almost every time he touched the ball, carrying 17 times for a whopping 16.1 yards per attempt. That included a 73-yard first quarter touchdown run in which he showed off more than just speed, fending off one tackler, spinning past another and tight-roping the sideline en route to the end zone. His blazing speed proved thrilling as well, as he torched the Trojans for an 89-yard scoring run in the second quarter.
"I'm feeling it right now -- but I also have to give a huge shout out to my offensive line," Turner said. "They were opening up huge holes, just like they do in practice."
The Wolves continued to shred the Trojans defense after in the interval, with Turner taking off on third quarter touchdown bursts of 26 and 31 yards. Yet Carrollton's offense proved equally dogged, quarterback Mark Wright tossing two second half touchdown passes to keep the visitors within striking distance. And Buford also hurt its own cause with two punt mishaps -- one blocked, one muffed -- and a late fumble that gave the Trojans a last gasp, taking possession with just over a minute to play.
The Wolves defense held firm however, forcing the Trojans backward and an eventual turnover on downs after a performance that saw them yield 269 total yards -- compated with 446 for Buford.
"We had two debacles on punts, but give credit to our kids and the poise they showed," Wolves coach Jess Simpson said. "I'm proud of how they responded to the type of the stuff that will get you beat. And they had real resolve to make a key play when we had to get a stop.
"I thought this would be a one-score game; Carrollton was huge and talented. But it's not supposed to be easy this time of year."
Turner almost made it look that way, however. And his first run proved the perfect answer to a strong start from Carrollton. The Trojans forced the Wolves into a punt attempt on their opening possession -- an attempt that Reid Dedman blocked and Tyler Harper recovered to give Carrollton the ball at the Buford 21.
The Wolves yielded little ground, but Sam Barge was accurate enough to give the visitors a 3-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal with 7:57 left in the opening quarter. The deficit only set the stage for Turner, however, as he showed vision, speed and strength to push Buford ahead 6-3, following a missed point after attempt from the Wolves.
And it was only a warm-up.
Minutes later the Turner bailed the Wolves out of a third-and-16 hole, taking a handoff and exploding around right end for an 89-yard touchdown and a 13-3 lead with 11:46 left in the half.
"Christian struggled with a high sprain since the Roswell game, but, wow, he made a few special runs tonight," Simpson said.
Buford's defense continued to pile the pressure on Carrollton, forcing a turnover on downs when an attempted punt snap proved wayward and gave the Wolves possession at the Trojans' 31. Carrollton refused to wilt, however, and the Trojans forced a turnover on downs of their own and responded with an eight-play drive that ended in another Barge field goal, this one from 26 yards to chip into Buford's lead at 13-6.
The drive emboldened the visitors and they came up with their own turnover on downs when a hot punt snap eluded Hayden Olsen and allowed the Trojans to tackle the punter at the Wolves' 16.
Carrollton quarterback Mark Wright (15 of 30 passing, 182 yards, 2 TDs) did the rest, converting a fourth-and-inches and then scoring on the very next play from a yard out to knot the score at 13-13, where it remained at the half.
Buford responded with a dominant start to the third quarter, however, forcing consecutive punts and taking a 27-13 lead on Turner's third and fourth scoring runs of the night.
"The first five minutes of the second half could not have gone any better and really set the tone for the second half," Simpson said.
The Trojans kept battling and trimmed the lead to 27-20 on a swing pass from Wright to Jaylan Thomas that receiver took 16 yards for a touchdown to close the third quarter. Yet TD Roof fired right back, rumbling 13 yards for a score on the Wolves' ensuing possession.
The Trojans refused to allow Buford to pull away, however, and Thomas Culwell caught a 17-yard touchdown pass with 7:20 remaining to keep the Wolves on their toes. But Buford was not to be denied, forcing a punt and a turnover on downs on Carrollton's final two possessions to clinch a decade's worth of semifinal appearances.
-- NOTE: Buford quarterback Mic Roof 8 of 15 passes for 106 yards.
SCORING SUMMARY
CARROLLTON....3....10.....7....7 -- 27
BUFORD.............6.....7....14....7 -- 34
First Quarter
CHS -- Barge 32 field goal, 7:57, 3-0
BHS -- Turner 73 run (kick failed), 6:58, 3-6
Second Quarter
BHS -- Turner 89 run (Burgos kick), 3-13
CHS -- Barge 26 field goal, 4:43, 6-13
CHS -- Wright 1 run (Smith-Mccrum kick) :50, 13-13
Third Quarter
BHS -- Turner 26 run (kick blocked) 8:18, 13-19
BHS -- Turner 31 yards (Simpson pass from Roof) 4:11, 13-27
CHS -- Thomas 15 yard pass from Wright (Smith-Mccrum kick) :53, 20-27
Fourth Quarter
BHS -- TD Rood 13 run (Burgos kick) 9:45, 20-34
CHS -- Thomas Culwell 17 pass from Wright (Smith-Mccrum kick) 7:20, 27-34
