Buford and Commerce survived the quarterfinal round last week and advanced to Friday's semifinals in the GHSA football playoffs.<br />
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For Buford, it's nothing new. The Wolves are making their eighth consecutive trip to the semifinals. They will take on a tough Cartersville team in the Class AAAA semifinals on the road looking for their eighth straight trip to the championship game spanning three different classifications.<br />
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Commerce, however, has not advanced this far since 2006. The Tigers, who travel to Ocilla to play the Class A Public No. 2 seed Irwin County, are looking for their first trip to the championship game since beating Buford in 2000 for the Class A title.<br />
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It should figure to tough road tests for both squads <br />
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For a look at all of the night's contests involving area teams, simply scroll down. And be sure to check back with Access North Georgia and our <a href="http://www.accessnorthga.com/s15-football-central.php"><b>Friday Game Night</b></a> page throughout the night for score updates and game stories and video highlights. You can also check for scores and highlights on our Twitter feed <a href="https://twitter.com/"><b>@FridayGameNight</a></b><br />
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<b>HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE FOR Dec. 5</b><br />
<b>CLASS AAAA</b><br />
The only classification with four region champions in the semifinals -- Buford, Cartersville, St. Pius, and Woodward Academy. ... All four teams left are in the top four in offense, with Buford and Cartersville sitting Nos. 1 and 2. ... Buford and Cartersville also are the top 2 defensive teams in AAAA with only St. Pius at 35th (19.4 ppg) not in the top 10. Woodward is ninth in defense. ... St. Pius is looking for its second trip to the title game in three years. The Golden Lions lost to Buford in the Class AAA 2012 championship game. ... Woodward in looking for its first trip to the finals since beating Marist in the Class AAA title game in 1980.<br />
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<b>BUFORD at CARTERSVILLE</b><br />
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. <br />
-- WHERE: Weinman Stadium, Cartersville<br />
-- RADIO: 550 AM<br />
-- BUFORD (13-0): No. 1 seed from Region 8-AAAA, beat Marist 30-6 last week in the quarterfinals<br />
-- CARTERSVILLE (12-1): No. 1 seed from Region 7-AAAA, beat Sandy Creek 35-31 last week<br />
-- NOTABLE: Buford leads series 3-0. The Wolves won the last meeting 21-10 in the semifinal round of the 2012 playoffs. ... The two programs are no strangers to each other of late with all three meetings coming since 2006. The juniors and seniors on both squads are sure to remember the 2012 showdown, which also took place at Weinman Stadium. ... It should be a titanic battle on both sides of the ball. Buford comes in as the top offensive (45.3 ppg) and defensive (5.5 ppg) team while the Purple Hurricanes come in as the No. 2 team in both offense (41.5 ppg) and defense (9.6 ppg) in Class AAAA. ... The 31 points by Sandy Creek was the most scored by an opponent on the 'Canes this season and was nearly as many as they had given up in their previous eight games. The 35 points scored by Cartersville was the most allowed by Sandy Creek all season ... The Wolves defense was flat nasty last week holding Marist, the then No. 3 offensive team in AAAA, to just a pair of field goals and less than 200 yards of offense. ... Buford is looking for its eighth straight trip to the finals spanning three different classifications. Cartersville is looking for its first trip to the finals since winning the Class AA title in 1999.<br />
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<b>CLASS A</b><br />
Three of the top four seeds in the classification are still alive, with only Commerce, the sixth seed, breaking the trend. ... The Tigers, however, have been the stingiest defensive team in the playoffs allowing just seven total points in their two wins. ... Top-seed Marion County, which came in as the top offensive team in Class A Public coming into the playoffs, has turned it up a notch. The Eagles have scored 105 points (52.5 ppg) in their two wins and has allowed just 20 points. ... There is plenty of late playoff tradition for all four teams left ... It is the first semifinal appearance for Irwin County since 1997. It is the first semifinal appearance for Hawkinsville since 2004, when the Red Devils tied for the Class A title with Clinch County. They won the Class A title in 2003. It is the second consecutive semifinal appearance for Marion County, which is the defending Class A Public champion. Commerce won its only Class A title in 2000.<br />
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<b>COMMERCE at IRWIN COUNTY</b><br />
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m. <br />
-- WHERE: Indian Field, Ocilla<br />
-- COMMERCE (10-2): The No. 6 seed in the playoffs, beat Calhoun County 10-0 last week in the quarterfinals<br />
-- IRWIN COUNTY (10-1-1): The No. 2 seed in the playoffs, beat Dooly County 40-29 last week in the quarterfinals<br />
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two schools. ... Commerce comes into the game on a roll defensively allowing just seven points in its two playoff wins and just 35 points over its last five games with three shutouts. ... The Indians allowed their second-most points of the season last week but have pitched three shutouts over their past six games. ... Irwin County is averaging 34 ppg in the playoffs, second only to high-flying Marion County (52.5 ppg). Commerce is averaging 23.5 ppg in two playoff wins. ... The key will be the ground attack by the Tigers, led by Caleb Brooks, Will Thomas, and Cole Chancey. The trio had just 156 yards last week in a defensive battle. Thomas had 162 yards and Chancey 87 yards in their first round win. ... A Commerce win would put the Tigers into the title game for the first time since they won the 2000 championship. ... Irwin County is looking for its first trip to the title game since 1997, when the Indians lost Class A title game to Manchester.
