The Wolves rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to beat Carver, Columbus 28-13 on Friday night in the Class AA semifinals in their first road game of the 2011 playoffs.
Buford (14-0) moves into next week's finals at the Georgia Dome for the fifth straight season. The four-time defending Class AA champion Wolves will go for an unprecedented fifth straight title against familiar foe Calhoun at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
The two teams have met in the finals the past three seasons. No team in Georgia in any classification has ever won five consecutive titles.
Buford beat Carver in typical fashion with a punishing ground game and tough defensive play. But the Wolves weren't without some key mistakes, especially in the first half.
Carver took a 13-7 lead into halftime, making the most of three Buford fumbles in the first 24 minutes. Buford saw a promising opening drive end with a fumble but rebounded on the ensuing possession to take a 7-0 lead on an 18-yard touchdown run by Dontravious Wilson.
The Tigers, however, tied the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter and then grabbed the lead, capping a short drive after Buford's second fumble on a scoring run by Noah Hickey for a 13-7 lead.
The Wolves looked ready to retake the advantage in the final moments of the first half but fumbled at the Carver 12 with 30 seconds left.
But the Wolves took control of the game in third quarter, scoring on both of their drives, the first coming on a 5-yard touchdown run from Nathan Staub and then a nifty 26-yard run from quarterback Sam Clay for a 21-13 scoreline. Rick LeGrant would seal the victory with a touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
The Buford defense once again showed why it has been one of the most dominant units in the state. The Wolves held Carver highly-touted running back Marquez Holloway -- who rushed for 248 yards on 38 carries in last week's 34-21 quarterfinal win over Fitzgerald -- to just 30 yards Friday night. They held the Tigers (12-2) to just 17 total yards in the second half and 117 overall.
Buford finished with 385 total yards -- 325 of that on the ground -- and overcame four turnovers in the game. The Wolves also racked 20 first downs to Carver's 6
Andre' Johnson did the heavy lifting for the Wolves backfield, rushing for a game-high 127 yards on 17 carries. Staub added 69 yards on 13 carries.
Clay threw just nine passes but completed six of them for 60 yards.
Now the Wolves will prepare for the high-powered offense of Calhoun, which defeated Appling County 51-14 in the other Class AA semifinal on Friday. Buford and Calhoun battled into overtime in the 2010 state championship game, with the Wolves prevailing 31-24.
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