THOMSON — Nine straight state semifinals.
Were it any other team the number alone would seem absurd, but Buford football could care less about numbers at this time of year -- at least any number but "one."
As in one more game and one more win. And for a team that finishes the season as No. 1 so often it's an approach that obviously works.
The Wolves' focus on the next "one" yielded their ninth straight semifinal appearance on Friday, as Buford swatted Thomson 49-7 in Thomson.
The win yielded a showdown next week with Woodward Academy -- site to be determined via coin flip -- and Buford should enter the contest with plenty of momentum after allowing just 110 total yards and rolling up 448 of their own in Friday's quarterfinal win.
"I just told them (before the game) let's not look any further ahead. We've got one week, we're guaranteed 48 more minutes, you know go through our routine and our process and try to do it as good as we can do it, and let's see what happens Friday night," Wolves coach Jess Simpson said. "This time of year i don't ever know what to expect. You kind of hope you're prepared, then you hope you can respond, and hope the kids can make adjustments on sideline and all that kind of good stuff. The thing just got going our way and snowballed and we feel real fortunate tonight"
Certainly Buford (12-1) made its presence known early and often on Friday, sprinting to a 35-0 halftime lead while allowing 38 total yards.
Meanwhile, the Wolves' rushing attack hit top gear early, as Xavier Gantt and Martin Mangram each scored two touchdowns apiece in the first half. Gantt finished the game with 79 yards rushing on 8 carries -- a 9.9 yards per carry clip -- though it was Christian Turner that really wowed, rushing for 177 yards while averaging 19.7 yards per carry.
Quarterback Mic Roof (6 of 9 for 104 yards) and Brandon Marsh helped complete the first half domination, as the duo hooked up for a 17-yard scoring pass with 1:00 left in the second quarter.
"To come into The Brickyard playing a great team in a place with this kind of tradition, to play the way we played I couldn't be more proud of our kids, the way they competed," Simpson said. "I thought we were really prepared and thought our kids played really physical, and played really fast. And in the first half we did a lot of good things so I'm pleased with the effort"
Thomson finally scored in the third quarter off a blocked punt, but it was far too late to stem the tide against a Buford defense that allowed just two third down conversions -- out of 11 attempts -- for Thomson.
