The Buford Wolves and the Lowndes Vikings have combined to win 19 state championships, but they have never played each other. That will change tonight when these two state powerhouses meet in the second round of the GHSA 6A playoffs.

With a combined 142 years of high school football history between these two programs you might be asking, “How could this possibly be?” That’s because this is just the third season Buford and Lowndes have played in the same classification.

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The Wolves have won 14 state championships with all but one of those coming in this century. However, it’s approaching three years since Buford won the most recent of their three straight in 2021 and for Wolves fans that seems like forever.

The Vikings have won five state titles, the last of which came in 2007 which at the time was Lowndes’ third GHSA crown in a four-year span. The Vikings got close in 2019 reaching the state finals in the final season of Coach Randy McPherson’s legendary career.

So this one should be a lot of fun. Our GPB Sports Football Fridays in Georgia coverage kicks off from Tom Riden Stadium in Buford at 7:30 p.m. on statewide GPB-TV Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The Teams

The Buford Wolves are 10-1 and have won 10 straight since their 13-10 season-opening loss at 5A No. 1 Milton on GPB. The Eagles are currently ranked No. 2 in the country by Max Preps. The next week the Wolves were nearly upset by 4A power Benedictine, getting a late TD and two-point conversion to beat the Cadets 29-28. Since those first two games decided by a total of 4 points, Buford has outscored their next nine opponents by a combined 402-75. The Wolves rolled to their 33rd region championship and fourth under Head Coach Bryant Appling who is 73-7 in his six seasons and started his head coaching career as the first-ever coach in Georgia to win state championships in his first three seasons.

It’s been an extraordinary turnaround season for the Lowndes Vikings and their second-year Head Coach Adam Carter. The Vikings are a last-minute field goal from being undefeated and region champions. Lowndes only loss was a 38-35 setback at Colquitt County in early October after a three-week layoff caused by Hurricane Helene. The Vikings have won five straight since and finished tied for first with the Packers in Region 1-6A but lost out on the No. 1 seed on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Carter deserves a ton of the credit. When he was hired right after the 2022 season he became the program’s third head coach since the retirement of McPherson after the 2019 state final and even though Jamey DuBose experienced success in his two seasons, that coaching instability had consequences. That being back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the early 1990s and missing the playoffs altogether in Coach Carter’s first season last year.

But Carter has once again proven he’s one the best young coaches in the state (having just turned 40 in September). He’s 75-23 in his eight seasons as a head coach and won the 2020 state championship at Grayson.

The winner of this game will play the winner of the North Gwinnett vs. Newton game in the state quarterfinals next Friday night.

Dayton Raiola, Buford

Buford quarterback Dayton Raiola is a junior who has committed to Nebraska.

Credit: 247 Sports

The Match-Up

Buford Offense – Led by junior 3-Star QB Dayton Raiola who is the younger brother of former 5-star Dylan Raiola, who is now the starting quarterback as a freshman at Nebraska. Like his brother and father Dominic (who was a Rimington Trophy-winning center for the Cornhuskers before 14 NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions), Dayton is also committed to Nebraska. In his first season as a starting QB Dayton has only gotten better completing 59.5 percent of his passes for 1,558 yards, 17 TD and just 3 INT.

But it is no secret the Wolves win by running the ball. As a team Buford is averaging 231 rushing YPG and have maybe the deepest RB room in the program’s great rushing history. The Wolves have four legitimate college football starting RB in Justin Baker, Ethan Ervin, Dylan McCoy and Ty Green. Baker is a 3-star senior committed to Tennessee with 784 rushing yards and 8 TD. Ervin is a 3-star senior committed to Florida Atlantic with 613 rushing yards and 6 TD. McCoy is a 3-star junior rated as high as the No. 3 all-purpose back in the country with six offers including Mississippi State and has rushed for 351 yards and 3 TD. Green is a 4-Star junior rated as high as the No. 8 athlete in the county with 35 offers including Georgia. He also starts at safety. I know. It boggles the mind.

The Wolves top WR is senior 3-Star Jordan Allen who is committed to Louisville with 30 catches for 680 yards and 4 TD. Buford’s top-rated offensive lineman is junior 4-Star Graham Houston who has 15-plus power conference offers including Georgia.

Buford Defense – Led by 4-Star DE Bryce Perry-Wright who is rated as high as the No. 3 junior DL in the country. He is also the cousin of Atlanta Falcons star DL Grady Jarrett and has 41 total tackles with 11 TFL and 7 QB Sacks. Perry-Wright has 30 offers including Auburn. The linebacking corps is led by 3-Star senior A.J. Holloway who is committed to South Carolina and rated as high as the No. 25 LB in 2025. The secondary is led by the aforementioned Green who has 4 INT and 3-Star CB Chris Garland who is committed to Stanford with 3 picks this season, two of which he’s returned for TD.

Jayce Johnson, Lowndes

Jayce Johnson, Lowndes

Credit: 247 Sports

Lowndes Offense – This will be fun to watch as the Vikings will employ two different quarterbacks. The starter will be sophomore Jayce Johnson who already has 10 offers including Tennessee, Mississippi State and Florida State. Johnson has completed nearly 68 percent of his passes for 1,676 yards, 16 TD and just 2 INT. He has also rushed for 308 yards and 3 TD. Johnson will share QB duties with last year’s starter Marvis Parrish who will line up all over the place on offense and even return kicks. Parrish is a senior who just flipped his commitment from Navy to Western Kentucky this week where he’s been told he’ll play RB. He has rushed for a team-leading 906 yards and 20 TD either as wildcat QB or lining up as a RB. Parrish is officially listed as a starting WR and has caught 29 passes for 395 yards and 4 more TD.

The Vikings top WR is senior 3-star Jaylin Carter who is committed to Marshall and has 42 receptions for 754 yards and 7 TD. Senior RB Aalim Brown who is committed to West Georgia will also have a big role in the offense with 783 rushing yards for 8 TD. Lowndes has two future power-conference offensive tackles in junior 3-Star Ben Corhei who has 16 offers including Florida State and Miami plus sophomore Abram Eisenhower with 7 offers including FAU and UCF.

Lowndes Defense – Led by senior DE Montel Hundley who leads the team with 13 TFL and 6 QB Sacks. He’s been offered by Reinhardt and Point University. Linebacker Landon Wright who’s got a couple of offers including Marshall and leads the team with 80 total tackles and has 12 TFL. Mike LB Lorenzo Muneton is one of the best stories of the year. He was thrust into a starting role when star LB Coleman Willis opted not to play football his senior season and focus on baseball. Willis is a power-hitting outfielder for the Vikings two-time state championship baseball team and committed to Georgia Tech. That was a big blow to the Lowndes defense before the season started. But Muneton, who was a back-up last season, has stepped up and leads the team with 50 solo tackles with 73 TT and 6 TFL. CB Ethan Jackson leads the secondary with 33 TT, 2 INT and 2 blocked FGA. He has 5 offers including Point University.

Recruiting Game Guide

Buford Prospects – Nine 4-Stars, 12 3-Stars and 36 total players with college offers.

Seniors

Jadon Perlotte, Buford

Jadon Perlotte, Buford

Credit: 247 Sports

#5 Jadon Perlotte – 6-4, 215, Senior – Flipped from Georgia to Southern Cal July 30th over 33 other offers including Florida State – Highest Rating: Rivals 4-Star and #17 LB 2025

#21 Devin Williams – 5-9, 160, Senior – Committed to Auburn February 26th over 34 offers including Alabama and Tennessee – Highest Rating: ESPN 4-Star and #17 CB 2025 – Injured: Has not played this season

#8 Mantrez Walker – 6-1, 225, Senior – Committed to Colorado April 27th over 24 other offers – Highest Rating: Rivals 4-Star and #19 LB in the country

#2 Justin Baker – 5-11, 205, Senior – Committed to Tennessee October 2023 over 18 other offers including Michigan – Consensus 3-Star RB

#4 Jordan Allen – 5-8, 185, Senior – Committed to Louisville April 14th over 18 other offers including Georgia – Consensus 3-Star WR 2025

#80 Hayden Bradley – 6-4, 220, Senior – Committed to Ole Miss April 27th over 36 other offers – Consensus 3-Star and rated as high as Rivals #32 TE in the country

#44 A.J. Holloway – 6-3, 225, Senior – Committed to South Carolina June 14th over 17 other offers – Consensus 3-Star – Highest Rating: ESPN No. 25 LB 2025

#0 Kenyon Rivera – 6-3, 215, Senior – Committed to Kansas June 16th over 20 other offers including Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Middle Tennessee – Consensus 3-Star LB

#23 Chris Garland – 6-0, 185, Senior – Committed to Stanford April 25th over 13 other offers including Duke and Boston College – Rated as high as 247 Sports 3-Star CB

#58 Nicco Maggio – 6-2, 280, Senior – Committed to Wake Forest January 31st over 8 other offers including Duke and West Virginia – Consensus 3-Star and ESPN No. 33 DL 2025

#1 Ethan Ervin – 6-0, 185, Senior – Committed to Florida Atlantic over 3 other offers – Rated as high as ESPN 3-Star RB

#59 Marcus Major – 6-1, 310, Senior OL – Committed to Air Force

#11 Cooper Berry – 6-1, 205, Senior TE – Committed to Mercer over 8 other offers including Jacksonville State and UAB

#15 Jayvin Bennett – 6-2, 230, Senior H-Back/DE – Offers include Wofford and The Citadel

#9 Sam Harkness – 5-10, 175, Senior WR/DB – Offered by Dartmouth

Juniors

#3 Bryce Perry-Wright – 6-2, 255, Junior – 30 offers including Auburn, Alabama, and Clemson – Consensus 4-Star – Highest Rating: Rivals No. 3 DL in the country 2026

#13 Tyriq Green – 6-1, 195, Junior – 35 offers including Georgia – Highest Rating: ESPN 4-Star and #8 ATH in the country 2026

#75 Graham Houston – 6-4, 300, Junior – 15+ power conference offers including Georgia, Texas, and Texas A&M – Highest Rating: ESPN 4-Star IOL (Interior Offensive Lineman)

#24 Nassir McCoy – 6-2, 185, Junior – 20 offers including Georgia – Rated as high as Rivals 4-Star and #8 Safety in the country 2026

#41 C.J. Sibley – 6-1, 192, Junior – 16 offers including Auburn - Rated as high as Rivals 4-Star and #13 LB in the country 2026

#34 James Morrow – 6-4, 240, Junior – 23 offers including Auburn, Georgia, and Alabama – Rated as high as Rivals 4-Star and #9 DL in the country 2026

#7 Dylan McCoy – 5-11, 215, Junior – Six offers including Mississippi State, Ole Miss and NC State – Rated as high as Rivals 3-Star and #3 All-Purpose Back in the country 2026

#10 Dayton Raiola – 6-3, 205, Junior – Committed to Nebraska September 22nd over two other offers – Rated as high as Rivals 3-Star and #32 QB in the country 2026

#65 Ben Mubenga – 6-5, 255, Junior – Nine offers including Auburn, West Virginia, and LSU – Rated as high as Rivals 3-Star DL

#14 Jax Pope – 6-0, 190, Junior – Five offers including Florida Atlantic, Indiana and Wake Forest - Rated as high as On3 Recruits 3-Star Safety 2026

#96 Cameron Simmons – 6-3, 230, Junior Edge – Offered by Wake Forest and Troy

#18 Hannibal Navies – 6-2, 185, Junior WR – Offered by Colorado, FAU, and Indiana

#17 Deion Miller – 6-0, 205, Junior LB – Offered by Duke

Sophomores

#25 Ethan Hauser – 6-2, 175, Sophomore ATH – Nine offers including Georgia Tech

#43 Joshua Echols – 5-10, 175, Sophomore LB – Three offers including Ole Miss

#28 Jameer Cantrell – 5-10, 175, Sophomore ATH – Offered by Arkansas, Maryland, and Duke

#35 Brayden “Tank” Watson – 6-3, 190, Sophomore ATH – Offered by Southern Cal

#39 Ryan Tharpe – 6-0, 180, Sophomore LB – Offered by Florida Atlantic

Freshmen

#90 Christian Webb-Scott – 6-5, 222, Freshman Edge – 12 offers including Georgia State, Tennessee, and South Carolina

#89 Luke Nabors – 6-4, 190, Freshman DL – Six offers including Florida State

#84 Kevin Hughes – 6-0, 180, Freshman WR – Offered by Georgia State

Lowndes Prospects – Two 3-Stars and 13 total players with college offers.

Seniors

Ben Corhei, Lowndes

Ben Corhei, Lowndes

Credit: 247 Sports

#14 Jaylin Carter – 5-10, 180, Senior – Committed to Marshall over 5 other offers including Georgia Southern and UAB – Highest Ranking: On3 Recruiting 3-Star WR

#5 Marvis Parrish – 5-10, 184, Senior ATH (Starting WR) – Flipped commitment from Navy to Western Kentucky this week

#2 Aalim Brown – 5-10, 169, Senior RB – Committed to West Georgia over 3 other offers

#11 Aidan Sefa – 6-5, 205, Senior TE – Committed to West Georgia

#6 Landen Wright – 5-10, 184, Senior SAF – Two offers including Marshall

#9 Tre Thomas – 5-11, 170, Senior SAF – Offered by Morehouse and Cumberlands

#13 Ethan Jackson – 5-10, 150, Senior CB – Five offers including Point University

#95 Montel Hundley – 5-10, 209, Senior DE – Offered by Reinhardt and Point University

#42 Kaleb Barron – 6-0, 243, Senior NT – Offered by Point University

#38 Hunter Wills – 5-7, 180, Senior LS – Offered by Shorter and Minnesota West CC

Juniors

#73 Ben Corhei – 6-4, 265, Junior – 16 offers including Florida State, Miami, and USF – Highest Ranking: Rivals 3-Star and No. 21 OT in 2026

Sophomores

#7 Jayce Johnson– 6-4, 210, Sophomore QB – 10 offers including Tennessee, Mississippi State and Florida State

#74 Abram Eisenhower – 6-4, 260, Sophomore OT – 7 offers including Florida Atlantic and UCF

So, join Wayne Gandy, Niki Noto Palmer, Jon Nelson, Hannah Goodin and me for our Emmy Award-winning Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week as the Lowndes Vikings play at the Buford Wolves in the second round of the GHSA 6A Playoffs.

Remember, you can watch Football Fridays in Georgia in so many ways. You have traditional TV (GPB), online at GPB.org, GPB Sports app, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Twitch.

Now if you miss the game live or just want to watch it again, don’t worry, we replay the entire Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week at 11:15 p.m. or you can watch it on demand anytime at GPB.org. 

Enjoy your November 22, 2024, Football Friday in Georgia and Happy Thanksgiving!