JEFFERSON -- Buford football coach Jess Simpson tried to warn anyone who would listen this week that Jefferson was primed for a big game in the two teams' second round Class AA playoff match-up.
On Friday night, everyone at the Dragons' Memorial Stadium saw just why Simpson was so concerned.
Despite falling behind early, Jefferson pushed Buford until the final whistle before the two-time defending state champ held on for a 35-21 win.
The Wolves (11-1) recovered a Dragons (11-1) fumble on their own 29-yard line late in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
Buford moves on and will play host to fourth-seeded Cook (which upset Appling County) in the state quarterfinals.
Jefferson's season is now complete -- but not without plenty of memories in coach T McFerrin's first season with the Dragons.
"I certainly was proud of our team tonight," McFerrin said. "We played against a great team in tough conditions, and our guys weren't intimidated."
The Wolves pushed their way to a 10-0 advantage early in the second quarter, taking advantage of their size on the line to manufacture two scoring drives.
"They've got a huge offensive line and are extremely well-coached, and they just mashed on us," McFerrin said.
David Petroni drilled a 37-yard field goal with 3:11 left in the first quarter, while Alex Ross connected with Jessel Curry on a 54-yard touchdown pass with 11:46 left in the second quarter.
Both Ross and Curry enjoyed strong games, as Ross completed 11 of 15 passes for 188 yards -- Sherman Page was his top target with seven catches for 76 yards. Curry, an Auburn commit, caught two of the passes for 66 yards and rushed 13 times for 62 yards. Seon Jones paced all Wolves ball carriers with 12 rushes for 109 yards.
Yet Jefferson fired right back, as senior quarterback Darius Minor paced the Dragons offense. Jefferson scored its first touchdown of the night but missed the point after attempt to pull within 10-6.
The Wolves pushed their lead back to 17-6 on a five-yard run from Eric Barr with 2:28 left in the half, but again Jefferson responded, scoring with just four seconds left and tacking on a 2-point conversion to trail 17-14 at the interval.
Buford put its size advantage to good use in the third quarter, going on a 17-play, 9:01 drive to score on a one-yard run from Curry for a 23-14 advantage.
"We just couldn't get the ball away from them," McFerrin said.
The Wolves looked set the put the game away when Darrian Smith scored from six yards out with 7:17 left in the game for a 30-14 advantage.
Minor refused to let the Dragons fade, however, lofting a 51-yard touchdown pass with just over four minutes left. Another two-point conversion pulled Jefferson within 30-22 and set up a storming finish that saw the Dragons recover an onside kick and march all the way to the Buford 29.
But Jefferson couldn't convert, fumbling a ball exchange that Smith recovered for Buford with just over two minutes left. By the time Jefferson got the ball back on a Wolves punt, only seven seconds remained.
"We made some great plays tonight," McFerrin said. "I'm really proud of our kids."
Friday
February 7th, 2025
1:24AM
