Football: What will be the REAL highlight of Buford-Milton clash?

BUFORD, Ga. — It’s hard to decide which will be the headliner when Buford and Milton meet on Thursday to open the 2025 football season: the game itself or the Wolves’ brand-new Phillip Beard Stadium.

Or, in full disclosure: do we really care?

Two nationally-ranked teams. ESPN 2. More than a dozen Power 4 players. A state-of-the-art $62 million stadium that will be the envy of every high school in the country. What more could you ask for, really?

But did we mention two nationally-ranked teams that are expecting to be title contenders in 2025? Buford comes in ranked 13th nationally in MaxPreps while the Eagles are ranked 22nd.

However, both Buford coach Bryant Appling and Milton coach Ben Reaves were just as interested, if not more, about being part of the opening game at the new Phillip Beard Stadium than about national matchups and the whatnots.

“It's definitely exciting. The kids are excited. The community is excited about it. It’s going to be fun,” Appling said. “It's definitely a special situation that our kids understand. Not every football team in the nation or in the state, you know. gets to experience something like this. It's definitely a blessing and a fun thing to have in our backyard.”

Reaves expounded on that.

“It was definitely by design, you know,” he said. “It'll prepare us for any obstacles, whether it be on or off the field. If you want to play a game 15 in Mercedes Benz, which we got to do the last two years, you better be used to playing on TV. You better be used to playing in front of big crowds. You better be used to playing in big venues. So this was just the perfect match up for us.”

On the field, last year the Eagles were loaded with experience and coming off a Class 7A state title. They come into this one as the defending Class 5A champion. In 2024, the Wolves were looking to continue their climb up the ladder in the state’s largest classification and were breaking in some offensive parts.

This time around, however, the tables have turned. Milton will be replacing 17 starters, including at quarterback, receiver, and tight end on an offense that scored 660 points (44 points/game) in 2024. The Wolves have the returning experience, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

But neither coach, even after last year’s 13-10 Milton win, put much stock in a season-opening game compared to where those same teams will be come playoff time. The 2024 contest was disrupted by rain and lightning for two hours, wiping out what had been a spirited first half showdown.

“Last year, just the weather in general, I definitely think that affected the score of the game and production for both teams,” Reaves said. “It was hard to measure that game after going through something like that.”

“Early in the season, you can't really judge a win or loss, especially when you're playing really good teams like Milton,” Appling said. “I don't sit there and say our season is going to be great or awful with a win or a loss in the first game. I want to get out there and compete and see where the chips fall.”

The Wolves’ 10 points last year was a season low. The 13 for the Eagles was also a season low. Perfect weather is expected for Thursday. That should make a difference, right?

“I would like to think that there would be more points scored this Thursday than last year, if those (weather) factors don't exist,” Reaves said. “But no matter what, it's going to be a heavyweight fight.”

“You never know in games like this. Just when you think points will be scored, or not scored, it goes the other way,” Appling said. “Obviously we're going to try to win. The kids want to win, the coaches want to win, the community wants to win. We're going to do everything we need to do to give ourselves a chance.”