Defense, special teams lead Wolves into AA semifinals

BUFORD -- There's good and then there is ridiculous.

The Buford defense was both on Friday night in the Wolves' 21-14 win over Cook in the quarterfinals of the Class AA playoffs.

The Wolves held the Hornets to just under half of their scoring average (the good) and to a measly 12 yards of total offense (the ridiculous) in the second half. Even the hard-to-impress Jess Simpson ran out of adjectives to describe his group's latest effort.

"They were amazing all night," said the Buford coach, "but they were outstanding in the second half. They rose to the occasion every time we needed them to. I can't say enough about how proud I am of them. They've gotten better with each game the last month."

While the defense was taking control of the game, the Wolves won the special teams battle -- which was key to the victory -- especially in the second half. Short punts by Cook (12-1) led to all three Buford scores, while Buford punter David Petroni consistently pinned the Hornets deep in their own territory.

The Wolves broke a scoreless tie in the first quarter on its only solid drive of the half. They began at the Cook 47 following a short punt and Alex Ross capped a quick drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Kurt Freitag with just over three minutes left in the quarter.

Buford took a 14-7 lead early in the third quarter after a 15-yard punt by the Hornets that put the Wolves on the Cook 34. They needed just five plays, capped by a nifty 6-yard run by Eric Barr. Buford extended its lead to 21-7 following a 17-yard punt to the Hornets' 45 when Dominique Swope scored from 8-yards with 11:55 left in the game.

"That was a huge part of the game," Simpson said. "We were able to get some short drives that made it a little easier and we did a good job of keeping them on their end (of the field). The only breakdown was on that long (kickoff) return."

A penalty at the end of Swopes TD run pushed the Wolves back on the kickoff and Cook's Shannon Brown returned it the Buford 35. A pass interference call against Buford on fourth down kept the drive alive and Trey Register capped the possession with a 1-yard scoring run to make it 21-14 with 8:30 left.

Cook, however, would touch the ball just once more. Buford held the Hornets to just three incomplete passes, with one nearly connecting for a 96-yard touchdown that was overthrown by one yard. Buford would then run out the final 2:37, courtesy of a gutsy fourth-down call.

Faced with the prospect of giving the ball back to the dangerous Cook offense, Simpson elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 at the Cook 38. He admitted he was scared of what failure meant.

"Well, we felt good about the way the defense was playing so we didn't hesitate much (about going for it)," he said. "We thought about punting and pinning them deep, but the coaches and the kids wanted to do it and I liked having the ball so we went for it. I would have been scared to death if we had missed it."

Andre' Johnson's 3-yard dive, however, eased Simpson's mind and also sealed the Wolves' fourth consecutive trip to the state semifinals.

"This means we get to play one more week," he told his team after the game. "And, we get one more game in Buford."

The Wolves will get a familiar foe in fellow Region 6-AA contender Lovett, which knocked off Brooks County 35-18 Friday night. Buford beat the Lions 37-14 earlier in the year.

"We have a lot of respect for them and we know it will be a tough game," Simpson said. "They know us as well as we know ourselves so I expect it to be a typical battle."

It was a typical game for the Buford offense with several players carrying the load. Swope finished with 68 yards rushing to lead the Wolves while Seon Jones added 65 yards rushing. Ross finished 10-of-19 passing for 97 yards and one touchdown.

Register finished with just 42 yards to lead Cook in rushing. Zach Folsom was 14-for-28 passing for 110 yards and no touchdowns.

The offensive fireworks expected by many did not materialize in the first half. The two offenses combined for seven punts, three turnovers, and 12 penalties as both defenses dominated the action.

The Hornets showed some flashes of brilliance driving into Buford territory three times but came away empty each time as the Wolves defense stiffened. Buford's only foray into Cook territory came on its second drive on Ross's TD pass to Freitag.

It stayed that way until late in the second quarter when Cook's Brown intercepted a Ross pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.