We've said it before and we'll say it again: the finals showdown between Buford and Lee County for the Class 6A title in the Georgia High School Association state playoffs may be the single-best matchup of the two-day event.
Kickoff is slated for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Georgia State Stadium. You can hear the game live on WDUN AM 550 (Click to listen live) beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the pregame.
The game is considered a toss-up as the Wolves (12-1) and Lee County (12-1) have been ranked Nos. 1 and 2 the entire season. Buford is into the championship game for the 17th time since 2001 spanning six classifications, including winning the Class 5A title in 2019. Lee County has been the top dog in Class 6A advancing to the 6A finals for the third time in four seasons.
Be sure to check back with AccessWDUN's Friday Game Night throughout the days for score updates, game stories, and video highlights of Tuesday's action. You can also check for scores and highlights on our Twitter feed: @FridayGameNight
CLASS 6A NOTEBOOK
Buford and Lee County came in ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the classification, and along with Class 4A, will be one of two finals with the top two ranked teams advancing to play for the championship. ... Buford is looking for a state title in its 6th classification, which would add to the Wolves state record. ... After having never made it past the 2nd round in its first 47 seasons, Lee County (the 2017 and 2018 6A champions) is into the finals for the third time in four years. The Trojans are now 3-0 in semifinal games in their history. They are 2-0 all-time in the finals. ... The cream definitely rose to the top in this classification. Buford is 2nd in scoring (41.2 ppg) and No. 1 in defense (8.15 ppg) in Class 6A. Lee County is 3rd in scoring (38.7 ppg) and 3rd in defense (13.6 ppg) among teams that played 12 or more games. ... This could be one of the quickest games of the three days as both teams look to run first and are averaging over 250 yards/game on the ground.
LEE COUNTY vs. BUFORD
-- WHEN: 7 p.m.
-- WHERE: Georgia State Stadium, Atlanta
-- RADIO: WDUN AM 550
-- LEE COUNTY (12-1): Ranked No. 1 in Class 6A; No. 1 seed from Region 1; defeated Region 4 champion Westlake 35-14 in the semifinals
-- BUFORD (12-1): Ranked No. 2 in Class 6A; No. 1 seed from Region 8; defeated Valdosta 45-26 in the semifinals
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two programs. ... This is the second straight team from Region 1 the Wolves will face and the 10th team in 2020 they are facing for the first time. ... The Trojans have been the winningest team in the classification the last four years (52-5) with now their third finals appearance in 4 seasons. They won the 2017 and 2018 titles. ... Buford has been the winningest team in the state, all classifications, since 2000 (282-23) with 11 state titles in that span. ... Buford is 10-5 in championship games since 2000, including last year’s thrilling 17-14 OT win over Warner Robins to win the 5A crown. But the Wolves are just 4-3 in their last 7 finals since 2011. They are 11-7 all-time in the finals. ... The Wolves also are working on another streak. They are 10-0 in their last 10 games vs. ranked teams regardless of classification. Their last loss to a ranked team came in 2018 in a 48-24 loss to Archer. ... Lee County is 20-3 in the last 23 games against ranked teams since 2017. The Trojans are 5-1 (Lowndes County 38-13) vs. ranked teams in 2020. ... The Trojans’ Caleb McDowell (157-1,258, 8 ypc, 26 TD; 96.7 pyg avg; South Carolina-signee) has been nearly unstoppable in the playoffs. Against Westlake he had 143 yards rushing and scored 3 TDs and caught a TD pass. He now has scored 16 total TDs in the 2020 playoffs. ... Lee County Sr. RB Preston Simmons (155-994, 11 TD) is just shy of breaking the 1,000-yards. McDowell and Simmons with 1 combined fumble in 312 attempts in 2020. ... The Trojans defense is led by Jr. LB Juwan Bailey, who has 62 tkls, 15 sacks, and 12 more TFL on the season. Sr. DB AJ Patrick has 7 INTs.
