Buford's 'Young Guns' ready to leave their mark

BUFORD -- They look somewhat unassuming as they sit on a wall together during practice, smiling and joking. Like a band of brothers. And they play the parts well on and off the field.

Yet, you wouldn't know from looking at them that they may be the high school version of the Young Guns of the Atlanta Braves in the early 1990s. Buford senior pitchers Connor Bennett, Kevin Coulter, Keyton Gibson, and Jake Higginbotham all have signed major college scholarships and are expecting themselves to lead the Wolves to their first state title since capturing the Class AA crown in 2011.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen a team with four D-I guys on a staff at one time," Buford coach Tony Wolfe said. "We're blessed. And they've all been here since middle school. I don't know how we got so lucky. I would think it'll be a while before we see anything like this again."

But all four could very well never set foot on a college campus if MLB Draft projections came to fruition. Bennett has signed with West Virginia; Coulter with Mercer; Gibson with Georgia Tech; and Higginbotham with Clemson. All have been projected first or second round picks in June.

"That's possible but you never know how those things work out," Wolfe said. "A lot has to fall into place. Right now we're just focused on helping them get better and winning some games."

But make no mistake, despite the casual attitude when they are together, a competitive streak runs deep in all four of them.

"Jake is not real big but he has a fire in him that sometimes he just gets a look. It can be intimidating for a batter," Wolfe said. "Connor will go inside on anyone. As a group I don't think they're scared of anyone when they step on the mound."

So far the group has stood up well in the early going leading Buford to a 6-1 record against some of the nation's best teams. The Wolves' only loss came to DeSoto Central out of Southhaven, Miss., which is ranked sixth nationally. They knocked off Class AAAA No. 1 Whitewater 1-0 and hammered Class AAAAAA South Gwinnett 14-1 earlier in the week.

Higginbotham took a no-decision in the DeSoto Central game and they are 6-0 as a group so far. They took a pretty big chip on their shoulder with them as they stepped on the field with Whitewater.

"They're No. 1 and we were only ranked No. 5. I felt a little insulted, really," Bennett said. "Not to take anything away from anybody but we should be up there. It's giving us some pretty good motivation right now."

That can't be good for the rest of Region 8-AAAA. The Wolves are slated to open their region schedule Thursday on the road against North Oconee. First pitch is scheduled for 5:55 p.m. in Bogart.

As a group they all said that having such a wealth of depth on the mound has been a major factor in their development.

"We're pretty competitive individually but we all pull for each other to do well," Higginbotham said. "The last couple of years you knew you had to do well if you wanted a chance to play. It's good for all of us."

"(The competition) definitely makes us better," Gibson said. "We all want to try and do better than they guy before us. I think that has been something that has helped us improve."

Another thing that has been a driving force for the seniors has been the memory of a gut-wrenching loss to Cartersville in three games in the Class AAA semifinals a year ago.

"That really left a bad taste in our mouths," Coulter said. "We really feel like we let that get away."

"We were a robbed home run away from winning it," Higginbotham said. "I think we all feel that this year it is state title or bust. No excuses if we don't win it. We feel we have the best talent in the state but we know we have to go out and earn it."

A key to the success for all four may be senior catcher Joey Bart, who also has signed with Georgia Tech. Wolfe has given the keys to his staff to his talented catcher and said he's not worried about a crash.

"Joey is one of the best I've had behind the plate since I've been here," Wolfe said. "We let Joey call the games because we want to help him develop into the best catcher he can be. He and all four of them are very smart out there and really work well together. We talk about things between innings but we let them try and win it on their own, with some guidance when needed."

Bart said he just tries to hang on for the ride every game.

"It's a lot of fun every game," Bart said. "We have a great staff and they are all a little different. Jake is just nasty and has the best curveball I've ever seen. He would be the toughest for me (to hit against).

"Connor has a big arm and probably has the best fastball. He also is the most fiery guy out there. I like that and he is just a bulldog out there. Keyton throws hard and has a great slider. But he's only been pitching for a couple of years so he's still developing which is scary. Kevin has probably improved the most the last couple of years. He keeps growing and has gotten better every year. He's tough to hit."

Bart said he has no doubts of the fuel that drives the Wolves engine.

"We'll be as good as these guys are," Bart said. "They will carry us. I think our biggest concern is the offense. We finally got going the last game but we have to give these guys some help. But I don't think we'll need many runs in any game."

Wolfe said what has impressed him more than the velocity -- Bennett, Gibson, and Higginbotham all have reached 94 this season -- or the break on a curveball has been watching them grow up.

"It's hard to imagine looking back four years ago that all of these guys would mature into what they've become," Wolfe said. "We felt they had a chance to be good as a group but you never expect something like this. They are great kids that treat each other like family and have fun at the same time. I'm hoping that they will be able to get what they are after.

"But whether they are able to achieve their ultimate goal or not really isn't what it's all about. High school sports is about so much more than winning championships. It's about teamwork and brotherhood and commitment. They have shown that to each other over their four years here and I hope that's what they take away from this when their time is done."