BUFORD — There may never be a better opening game to a high school football series in our lifetime than when Mill Creek heads to nearby Buford on Friday.
The two schools, located just 9.5 miles apart with formerly-abutting boundary lines running for miles in Northern Gwinnett, have never met, and what better time than the present? The perennial powerhouse Wolves are ranked No. 1 in Class 7A, while the Hawks are ranked second.
Both are undefeated and opened their Region 8-7A schedules with dominating wins. Buford (6-0, 1-0 Region 8-7A) beat defending region and state champion Collins Hill, 23-3, two weeks ago. Mill Creek (6-0, 1-0 Region 8-7A) routed Central Gwinnett, 55-7, two weeks ago.
The big question is, was this all part of some elaborate scheme by both programs to give fans of both programs a game for the ages?
“It wasn’t planned this way, but it sure makes it more interesting,” Mill Creek coach Josh Lovelady said. “We’ve watched as Buford kept climbing the classifications and knew we would get here one day, which we’re very excited about getting another great rivalry started. When you’re in the largest classification, playing schools that are (Class) 3A or 4A doesn’t give you much reward overall. So, as far as trying to play them before now, it was just something that we felt was better to wait until they finally got up to 7A.”
“Definitely wasn’t planned, and we played some other 7A teams over the years but just never got this one put together,” Buford coach Bryant Appling said. “But I can’t think of a better way to begin a new series and rivalry than the way this is starting out.”
To add more fuel to the fire, Friday’s showdown at Tom Riden Stadium is expected to be the de facto Region 8-7A title game, despite a month remaining in the regular season. What more do you need?
And both teams are well-aware of what’s at stake, though Appling and Lovelady did their best to call it “just another game.”
“It really is just the next game on the schedule,” Lovelady said. “But I think it’s a game that the kids on both teams have been excited about since the regions were put together last year. The kids all know each other and have played against each other for years in the Gwinnett youth leagues. This will be a great way to get what I think is going to be a fun rivalry started, for sure.”
“We always just take things one game at a time, and this is no different,” Appling said. “But we’re definitely excited about getting another new Gwinnett rivalry going. The kids know each other, and there is a lot of respect on both sides for the other team. We didn’t plan on this one starting out with both teams at the top of the rankings, but that sure makes it a little more exciting for the fans as well.”
There will be great matchups all over the field all night. The matchup most will be paying attention to will be the Hawks’ No.1 offense (279 points, 46.5 points/game) against the Wolves' No. 2-ranked defense (47, 7.8 ppg). They are yielding just 70 yards/game on the ground.
Mill Creek is averaging over 420 yards/game on offense. Buford is giving just under 200 yards/game on defense. Something will have to give.
The Hawks' offense is led by running back Cameron Robinson, who has 716 yards and is averaging 119.3 yards/game with 9 TDs rushing. They have two more guys -- Keith Mitchell (204 yards, 3 TD) and quarterback Hayden Clark (215 yards) -- with over 200 yards as well.
Clark has been efficient with 1,139 yards and 9 TDs passing and has yet to throw an interception. Makhail Wood has been his favorite target (26 rec., 461 yards, 5 TD), but the Hawks have three others -- Caleb Downs, Brendan Jenkins, and Robinson out of the backfield -- with double-digit catches on the season.
“We really like how we’re playing right now on offense,” Lovelady said. “Buford probably has the best defense we’ve seen to this point and may be the best we’ll see all year. We can’t make mistakes against that group.”
Buford’s defense will counter with a hard-to-block front-seven led by junior defensive end Eddrick Houston and seniors Alijah Williams and Aiden Jeter. They also have a young but talented secondary led by safeties K.J. Bolden and Tyshun White. Jaylen Neal and Kobi Blackwell give them a formidable backend group.
Houston is having a monster season. The junior is second on the team in tackles (31), leads the team in TFL with 13, including 7 sacks, and has harassed quarterbacks all season with 12 QB pressures, and he’s batted down a pair of passes.
“That’s definitely a key matchup for us,” Appling said. “Mill Creek can throw a lot at you, so you have to be disciplined and know where you’re supposed to be. Our guys have played well all season. That should be a fun battle to watch.
“Eddrick is one of those players that can impact a game on every play. We need him to play well, but we need all of our guys to play well.”
But the key matchup may be the Buford offense, which has leaned heavy to the run, against the Hawks defense. Both units are in the middle of the pack in Class 7A.
Buford is 17th in offense (196, 32.6 ppg) behind running back and Alabama-commit Justice Haynes (751 yards, 11 TD), while the Hawks are 16th in defense (118, 19.6 ppg). But the Wolves are averaging just 122 yards/game passing behind rotating quarterbacks Dylan Wittke and Tristan Gabrels. They may need a little more balance to keep the Hawks offense off the field.
“That could be the key to the game,” Lovelady said. “We feel we’ve played pretty well (on defense) against a good schedule, so we have confidence in our guys. Buford has a great group on the (offensive) line, and really no one has been able to stop Haynes that much. They are more efficient in the passing game than the stats may tell you. We’d had several sleepless nights watching their film.”
Appling agreed that this could be the key matchup.
“You can only slow down a good offense like theirs so much, so we’re going to have to find a way to control the game with some long drives of our own,” Appling said. “We feel confident with both guys (Wittke and Gabrels), but we’re going to have to execute (in the passing game) when we need it. Mill Creek’s defense looks very good on film, so this should be another great matchup.”
As always, never discount special teams. And the Hawks could possess the kind of difference-maker you want late in the game. Senior Jacob Ulrich is averaging 42 yards/punt and has kicked a 56-yard field goal this season.
Buford counters with junior Mario Ventura, who replaced all-state kicker Alejandro Matta, who kicked several game-winning field goals for the Wolves in his time. Ventura has yet to be called on for a game-winner at the end.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2022/10/1138792/football-buford-mill-creek-set-to-open-new-rivalry-in-grand-fashion