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Class 6A: Buford 21, Hughes 20
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Ashton Hughes threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Tobi Olawole with 2:55 remaining to give No. 1 Buford a 21-20 win over No. 3 Hughes in the Class 6A final and give the Wolves their third straight championship.
Hughes drove to the Buford 18 with three seconds remaining and had a chance to win the game, but Alan Gonzalez – who was trying his first field goal of the season -- was short on a 35-yarder and Buford had won its 14th state championship.
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Buford’s Bryant Appling became the first coach to win a state championship in each of his first three seasons as a head coach.
Daniels, a Stanford commit, completed 14 of 20 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown for Buford (14-1). Isaiah Bond, an Alabama commit, caught five passes for 33 yards. C.J. Clinkscales led the Wolves on the ground with 50 yards and Victor Venn rushed for 46.
Hughes (13-2) got a 174-yard rushing performance from Antonio Martin, who carried 24 times and scored two touchdowns. Hughes was hampered in the fourth quarter by a sprained ankle. Noland completed 8 of 13 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown, but was sacked three times.
Hughes stunned the Wolves by taking a 14-0 lead. Amani Tookes caught a 33-yard pass from Prentiss Noland and Martin scored on a 5-yard run.
The Wolves got on the board as time expired in the first half when C.J. Clinkscales ran it in from the 3 to cut the lead to 14-7.
Buford tied it midway in the third quarter on Daniels’ 1-yard run, but Hughes regained the lead on Antonio Martin’s 30-yard run. The Panthers missed the extra point and had a 20-14 lead.