Preview: Buford amped for another title showdown on Saturday against Pius <b>(VIDEO)</b>

BUFORD -- Buford football will make a state record eighth straight championship game appearance on Saturday when it runs out onto the Georgia Dome turf.<br /> <br /> Far from dulling the experience, however, that familiarity with the GHSA's premier event has only sharpened the Wolves hunger for more.<br /> <br /> "Every year keeps getting better and better," said Buford senior fullback/defensive end Jordan Perlotte, who will be making his third straight appearance in a title game when the Wolves battle St. Pius X at 4:30 p.m. "It's deafening out there. Even though it's not all the way filled, the sound goes straight to the field. And when you step out on to the Dome field it's kind of surreal. It's like 'wow, I'm really here.' We're prepared for a big atmosphere. We love it."<br /> <br /> In fact Buford head coach Jess Simpson -- who has led the Wolves (14-0) to six of their 10 state crowns since 2007 -- says his biggest job this weekend could lie in keeping his players from getting too caught up in the emotion of the moment.<br /> <br /> <b>(NOTE: To watch a video preview of Saturday's title game, click "play" in the box to the right.)</b><br /> <br /> "They've worked a long time and put in a lot of sweat and blood and tears to get to this point, and this time of year for us is probably amped a little bit anyway, and I probably have to worry more about them getting ready to play too soon, too early," Simpson said. "We have to be a little more low-key as coaches just because they have so much energy and they are so excited about this opportunity."<br /> <br /> Buford, which has won 39 consecutive games -- it would be 42 bar two forfeits for fielding an ineligible player late in two blowout wins in 2012 -- will be gunning for its 11th overall state title and 10th since 2001 when it faces the Golden Lions (12-2) in the Class AAAA finale, the team the Wolves edged out for the 2012 Class AAA crown.<br /> <br /> Memories of that four-quarter battle are still fresh in a number of Buford players' minds.<br /> <br /> "St. Pius is a great team. They've got a really good defensive coordinator, and they gave us problems two years ago -- we only scored 10 points," said Buford senior fullback/defensive end Tyler Shipman, who will be making his fourth Georgia Dome appearance on Saturday. <br /> <br /> To that end, the Wolves offense is gearing for another slugfest.<br /> <br /> "They're a very well coached, very sound football team, great on defense, great in the kicking game and make you do some really different things with their offense," Simpson said of Pius. "When you combine all that and say it's going to be for a state championship in the Georgia Dome it's a lot to take in in a week."<br /> <br /> The Golden Lions' defense has produced alternately stingy and giving performances this season, yielding 19.5 points per game -- including holding Class AAAA quarterfinalist Marist to just nine points in 10-9 win during the regular season.<br /> <br /> That play, combined with St. Pius' ball-control, triple-option offense has the Wolves' full attention.<br /> <br /> "We know we'll be limited with our possessions on the offensive side, so we have to make sure those count," Perlotte said.<br /> <br /> Pius' rushing attack is averaging just under 292 yards per game and is split evenly between between running backs Joey Connors (779 yards rushing, 10 TDs), Dalton Wilson (856 yards, 15 TDs) and Ransom Klinger (545 yards, 8 TDs). And just because Buford shut down Marist's version of the triple option doesn't mean that the Wolves already have the exact blueprint for what's to come on Saturday.<br /> <br /> "They are very different from Marist," Simpson said. "They look the same schematically, but they add some wing-T into their triple option, which makes it very different with keys and reads."<br /> <br /> It seems as though Buford's defense has been reading opposing offenses playbooks all season. The Wolves have been downright miserly in 2014, allowing just 5.4 points and 118.9 yards per game -- not to mention just 1.5 yards per rush.<br /> <br /> "I think this year's defense, what's different from every other one, I think all the guys on it are tough," Buford senior linebacker Konnor Houston (65 tackles) said. "We're a little undersized. We don't have some big, five-star recruit -- other than Isaac (Nauta, a junior that is actually ranked the No. 1 tight end in his class). I think we just all want to play with each other, and we're just hungry."<br /> <br /> It's shown throughout the season, and Buford's offense has not been far behind, chewing up opponents on the ground with their own grinding rushing attack that is averaging 256 yards per game.<br /> <br /> A powerful offensive line has helped pave the way for a talented stable of running backs, including Joshua Thomas (team-high 97 carries, 763 yards, 19 TDs), Xavier Gantt (671 yards, 10 TDs) and Evyn Cooper (556 yards, 2 TDs) -- though Gantt has missed a number of postseason contests after suffering a leg injury.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Wolves quarterback Luke Humphrey also has the arm to torch defenses that creep too close to the line of scrimmage, averaging 15.7 yards per completion -- Nauta (17 receptions, 345 yards, 7 TDs) often acting as his big target.<br /> <br /> "I feel like everything's been clicking," Shipman said. "It's said around here that when it gets cold the Wolves like to run, and I feel like we're clicking on all cylinders."<br /> <br /> That said, Buford understands that all of its good work in 2014 could come to a screeching halt if it cannot maintain its standards on Saturday.<br /> <br /> "We're playing well as a group, but we're going to be judged on our last performance, fair or unfair," Simpson said. "When you're playing or coaching that's what the deal is."<br /> <br /> To that end, Buford is doing what it does every week: focusing on fundamentals and details. There is no added talk of playing its best for a championship or being perfect.<br /> <br /> "I think that's a mistake a lot of coaches make, you convince yourself and your kids that, 'hey, we've got to play the best we've ever played to win this game.' It's more about playing well, not beating yourself and not making foolish mistakes -- whether it's penalties or turnovers -- it's capitalizing on opportunities when you do get them," Simpson said. "It's more about that than thinking, 'hey we've got to play perfect.' Anytime as a coach, if you get into that thinking of, 'we've got to play better or perfect,' it can be a recipe for a disaster sometimes."<br /> <br /> Whatever recipe the Wolves have been using, it obviously works. And Buford is eager to try it again on Saturday.<br /> <br /> <b>BUFORD vs. ST. PIUS X</b><br /> -- WHAT: Class AAAA football championship game<br /> -- WHEN: 4:30 p.m. Saturday<br /> -- WHERE: Georgia Dome, Atlanta<br /> -- RADIO: WDUN AM 550<br /> -- BUFORD (14-0): Defeated Cartersville 27-3 in the semifinals<br /> -- ST. PIUS (12-2): Defeated Woodward Academy 28-21 in semifinals<br /> -- HISTORY: Buford won the only recent meeting, 10-3 in the 2012 Class AAA title game. The two teams split contests in 1984-85.