Opinion: Buford adds perhaps most storied chapter yet to a burgeoning saga

ATLANTA -- The numbers alone boggle the mind:<br /> <br /> -- 11: Total state championships for Buford football <br /> <br /> -- 7: State championships in the last eight seasons<br /> <br /> -- 4: State championships won in different classifications<br /> <br /> -- 3: Three separate streaks of winning three (or more) straight state titles<br /> <br /> Take that in for a moment -- and then pick your jaw up off the floor. <br /> <br /> No the Wolves are not the winningest program in the GHSA -- Valdosta still has 24 state titles and Lincoln County 14 -- but there has not been a better football program in this state since the start of the millennium.<br /> <br /> And Buford showed on Saturday in the Georgia Dome that there is little chance of the Wolves slipping anytime soon.<br /> <br /> Buford has dominated a lot of games in this season and seasons past -- but the power on display for 40 of the 48 minutes in the Class AAAA finale should go down in Wolves lore.<br /> <br /> St. Pius X did everything right for the first eight minutes, storming to a 10-0 lead and largely shocking Buford. <br /> <br /> Turns out the Golden Lions were only poking the proverbial bear -- er, Wolf -- with a stick. And an angry pack of Wolves is something to behold indeed.<br /> <br /> Buford unleashed its fury in a three-pronged assault that saw the Wolves score on offense, defense and special teams, lighting a spark that ended in Buford's most dominant championship game appearance since a 50-0 shutout of Lovett in 2007.<br /> <br /> That 2007 team is generally considered one of the best in Buford's dominating run -- largely because of a defense that flat out stonewalled opponents. Apart from two plays on Saturday, the 2014 defense proved worthy of the 2007 mantle. The Golden Lions opened the game with a 41-yard pass play and then got a 59-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter. That's 100 yards of offense. The rest of the game St. Pius gained 82 yards -- and much of that came in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand.<br /> <br /> The 2014 squad also put up the most points the Wolves have ever scored in a title game. <br /> <br /> It was domination pure and simple -- made even more impressive by the fact that Buford had to overcome a stumbling start that included a fumble deep in its own territory and some key penalties -- not to mention a fired up and strong Pius squad.<br /> <br /> It was also a performance built on experience. Of the players that took part and played key roles for the Wolves on Saturday, 16 will be graduating, while another -- stellar junior tight end/defensive end Isaac Nauta -- will be leaving the team to move back to Florida this offseason.<br /> <br /> But as we said before, don't expect the Wolves' dominance to graduate.<br /> <br /> Players like Brett Shepherd -- who helped turn the tide with a 61-yard touchdown run to get Buford on the board -- Xavier Gantt, Martin Mangram and Shug Frazier will all be back next season, as well several other talented young athletes. (Heck, two freshmen backs played late in Saturday's title game.)<br /> <br /> Most importantly the knowledge and experience of another championship will be back right alongside, and that momentum will be hard to stop for ANY opponent.