Panic simply isn't Buford's style, however, nor is it Sam Clay's.
So even though the senior will take the field for the first time as THE signal caller for the Wolves on Friday when Buford travels to face Blessed Trinity, Clay says he hasn't even felt the odd butterfly.
"I'm not really even trying to think about it," said Clay, who has spent the past two seasons as the main back-up to Alex Ross, who quarterbacked Buford to their third and fourth consecutive Class AA crowns in 2009 and 2010. "I've been with these guys the whole time; I've got good relations with everybody, and I feel like they trust me."
Buford's coaches certainly feel safe with Clay taking over under center, and one of the few question marks coming into a season in which the Wolves return 17 starters could well prove one of the team's strengths.
"He's got a nice command of the huddle, and the other kids listen to him," Buford coach Jess Simpson said. "Sam's had a great summer. You could always tell, even just by watching him in JV games that he has that 'it' factor."
The "it" includes both athleticism -- Clay has already signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Georgia Tech -- and a strong understanding of the Wolves offensive system.
"He's got a big-time arm; he can really hum it in there," Simpson said. "And he has a command of what we want to do."
For Buford quarterbacks that means controlling the tempo of the contest and acting as an extension of the coaching staff on the field.
"We're a huddle that team that likes to go fast," Simpson said. "Fifty percent of the time we go to the line with two plays and the quarterback has to make the call as to which one to go with in a hurry, so he's got to be able to understand coverages and read defenses. When we're going good on offense, the quarterback is in control out there. Sam's got the tools to do that."
And while the power-oriented Wolves will probably never ask Clay to line up and sling the ball all over the field, Simpson has no qualms about turning Clay loose when the opportunity arises.
"He throws the ball really well, and I think he can throw the deep ball as well as anybody," Simpson said. "He can drill it, but he can also put some great touch on it."
Clay also knows how to handle pressure, as he showed this past spring when he was a key member of the Wolves first state baseball championship team in 34 years, going 7-2 with a 2.03 ERA as a starting pitcher.
"Going through the state championship in baseball got me used to pressure," Clay said. "You just go out and do it on the field."
The experience on the diamond only added to a wealth of knowledge gained from acting as top back-up on the gridiron for much of the past two seasons.
"The past couple of years I got to see how the offense operates, and I got a chance -- playing behind Alex -- to see how he led and try to shadow that," Clay said of Ross, who passed for 1,785 yards and 17 touchdowns last season before signing to play for Coastal Carolina.
Clay got his first glimpse of starting this past weekend when the senior quarterbacked the Wolves against Clarke Central in a preseason scrimmage.
"There were things to correct at every position, including quarterback," Simpson said of the dress rehearsal. "But that's where you're supposed to be this time of year, and we've been working hard on fixing the things we saw last week."
"I learned I still need to pick up the speed of my game a little," Clay said. "But all in all it was pretty good, and I came out pretty confident."
It also helps that Clay knows he can count on a talented and experienced group of teammates -- not least of which includes an offensive line that features two Division I recruits (Vadal Alexander and Reid Ferguson, already committed to LSU) and could dominate in 2011.
"It's amazing even to watch those guys practice," Clay said. "They're so intense, and I'm lucky to have them. We also have a lot of speed, and I know it can get the ball into the hands of the guys who can make plays."
Make no mistake, however, Clay is far more than a facilitator and will hope to show so when Buford lines up in its season opener on Friday night in Roswell.
"We have a ton of leaders on both sides of the ball," Clay said. "And I'm confident in my skills. I'm just going to do whatever it takes to help this team win."
Of that, Simpson has no doubt.
"He's waited his turn; he's been in the system, and you can kind of see him saying, 'this is my chance,' " Simpson said. "It's fun watching kids realize and take that opportunity."
-- NOTE: Be sure to check Access North Georgia.com on Friday for our 2011 season preview, including 30 teams and programs from around north Georgia.
BUFORD at BLESSED TRINITY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
-- WHERE: Roswell
-- BUFORD (0-0): The Wolves went 14-1 last season winning their fourth straight state championship. Buford is ranked No. 1 in Class AA.
-- BLESSED TRINITY (0-0): The Titans went 6-4 last season.
Buford quarterback Sam Clay throws passes in practice in Buford.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/8/241187