Buford head coach Bryant Appling joined the show to talk about his team's matchup with Wheeler in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs.
To listen to the full interview, click play.
1st ROUND PLAYOFFS
CLASS 7A
WHEELER at BUFORD
Records: Wildcats (7-3, No. 3 seed Region 5-7A); Wolves (9-1, No. 2 seed Region 8-7A)
Last week: Wheeler lost 42-16 to Walton; Buford beat Central Gwinnett, 67-0
Where: Tom Riden Stadium, Buford
Radio: WDUN AM 550
Time: 7:30 p.m.
The Statisticals: First-ever meeting between the two teams. The Wolves are looking to extend their streak of 1st round wins to 25. The last time they failed to get out of the first round in the playoffs was 1997. They did not make the playoffs in 1998. Wheeler has lost 7 straight 1st round games. The last time they advanced to the 2nd round was in 1997. The Wheeler offense is averaging 34.4 ppg behind Jr. RB Josiah Allen (1,046 yards, 14 TD), who is 3rd in 7A in rushing. The Buford defense is No. 1 in Class 7A, allowing just 69 points (6.9 ppg) on the season.
What to watch for: The Buford offense vs. the Wheeler defense. Buford is 7th in 7A in scoring (385, 38.5 ppg) behind Sr. QB Dylan Raiola, who is 8th in passing with 1,879 yards. He has 22 TDs with no interceptions (0) on the season. Wheeler is just 23rd in 7A in defense, allowing 23.0 ppg, and in their three losses -- all to playoff teams -- the Wildcats gave up 135 points (45.0 ppg). But Wheeler has 52 TFL, 33 sacks, and 11 INTs as a unit in 2023. Jr. LB Kobe McInnis and Sr. LB/DE Greg Blanks have combined for 16 sacks for Wheeler. Jesse Santos and Justin Wilson have combined for 6 INTs on the season.
