For the second time in three seasons, the Buford Wolves and Cartersville Purple Hurricanes will meet in the GHSA semifinals for a spot in the state finals. Two seasons ago, Buford was a 21-10 semifinal winner at Cartersville in route to the Wolves ninth state championship.

Buford is one of the greatest programs in the history of Georgia high school football. The Wolves have won 10 state championships; two straight, six in the last seven seasons and nine in the last 13 years. The Wolves have played in seven straight state championship games and 12 in the last 14 seasons. Prior to this historic stretch, the Wolves had played in three state finals, (1954, 1976, 1978) winning the program’s first state championship in 1978.

Buford has won 38 straight games dating back to the 2012 regular season and had it not been for two forfeits in games won by a combined 124-0, Buford’s winning streak would sit at 41. The Wolves won a state record 47 straight games between 2001-2004 under former Coach Dexter Wood.

Now in their 10th season under Wood’s successor, Jess Simpson, Buford is 136-8 since he took over in 2005. Under Simpson, the Wolves have had six state championships, three 15-0 seasons and nine undefeated regular seasons.

Now, in 2014, Buford is 13-0 after going 7-0 in Region 8-AAAA for the Wolves’ 25th region championship in the last 40 years. Buford has once again dominated in the state playoffs, defeating SE Whitfield, Mary Persons and Marist by a combined 128-20.

Under first year Head Coach Joey King, Cartersville is 12-1 on the season and the Purple Hurricanes have won 11 straight games since their 27-26 loss at North Cobb. Cartersville won its 16th region championship by going 7-0 in Region 7-AAAA. The ‘Canes routed White County 54-0 and Baldwin 41-10 in the first two rounds of the state playoffs before coming from behind to knockout perennial state power Sandy Creek 35-31 with a last minute quarter-final win.

Cartersville is 36-3 the last three seasons and has been a perennial state playoff team for the last 25 years under coaches Mike Earwood and then Frank Barden. Earwood led the ‘Canes to the program’s first state title in 1991 and three semifinal appearances in his 10 seasons. Barden guided Cartersville to the 1999 state championship and four semifinals in 15 seasons, including the aforementioned matchup with Buford in 2012.

From a recruiting standpoint, Buford is as talented as almost any team in the nation. Here are the Wolves top senior prospects: 247 Sports Composite 3-star and No. 28 DT Quay Picou, who is committed to Tennessee, as is 3-star OLB Austin Smith; 3-star and No. 21 ILB Joshua Thomas who also plays RB for Buford and whose 13 offers include Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Missouri; 3-star and No. 41 OG Nick Polino who is committed to North Carolina; 3-star Safety David Curry who is committed to Virginia; the nation’s 3rd-ranked long snapper Blake Ferguson, who is committed to LSU; RB Evyn Cooper who’s been offered by Louisville and Virginia; LB Konnor Houston whose 12 offers include Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Memphis; OL Hunter Holland whose been offered by Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion; and kicker Matt Bonadies who is committed to UAB.

The Wolves’ top junior prospects are 4-star and No. 1-ranked class of 2016 TE Issac Nauta whose 34 offers include Florida State, Georgia and South Carolina; 4-star and No. 21 DT Shug Frazier whose eight offers include Georgia, Georgia Tech and Tennessee; 3-star and No. 27 athlete Xavier Gantt who plays RB and CB for Buford and whose offers include Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Mississippi State; and RB/CB Martin Mangram who’s been offered by Wake Forest.

Cartersville’s college prospects include senior RB Kalin Heath, who is a 247 Sports Composite 3-star athlete and is committed to Kansas State; and 3-star junior pro style QB Miller Forristall, who actually plays WR for the Purple Hurricanes after Cartersville turned the starting quarterback job over to freshman Trevor Lawrence who has completed 63-percent of his passes this season for an average of 224 ypg with 26 TD and just 6 INT.

It will be another great GPB Football Friday in Georgia live from Cartersville’s Weinman Stadium. It all starts at 7:00 p.m. with our GPB All Access Pass show hosted by Mark Harmon and then join me, former Atlanta Falcons star DE Chuck Smith, Jon Nelson and Grace Olson on the game call starting at 7:30 pm. It’ll be fun. Be sure to tune in.