Grayson takes down Buford in Georgia 7A state football playoffs

LOGANVILLE, GEORGIA – On a night full of upsets in the state of Georgia, the Grayson Rams added their name to the list after they took down nationally-ranked Buford 19-14 Friday night in the Class 7A quarterfinals.

The Rams defense turned in a masterful performance against five-star Georgia signee Dylan Raiola and the Wolves, holding them to just 114 yards of total offense. Raiola was sacked seven times in the game and as a team, the Wolves lost three fumbles.

Buford’s defense made its fair share of great defensive plays, including a plethora of sacks against Rams quarterback JD Davis. But it wasn’t quite enough to fully stop the Rams, who got touchdowns from Alex Sanchez and Amari Alston.

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The Wolves scored just one touchdown on offense. Their other came on a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown by fellow five-star athlete KJ Bolden early in the first quarter.

Buford led Grayson 7-3 at the end of the first, but two fumbles in the second quarter led to 10 points by the Rams.

Davis tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Sanchez midway through the second quarter to put the Rams in front 10-7, and they later tacked on a short field goal to take a 13-7 lead into the half.

Buford regained the lead midway through the third quarter 14-13 on a 5-yard touchdown run from Kobi Blackwell after the Wolves got into the red zone for the first time in the game.

And while momentum had shifted in favor of the Wolves at that point after forcing three straight three-and-outs on defense and scoring a go-ahead touchdown, everything fell apart from there.

Raiola and the Wolves’ offense went ice cold again, and the Rams found just enough offense late in the fourth quarter to regain the lead for good.

Their touchdown drive took a fourth-and-8 conversion, and a great run at the goal line by Alston, who was originally blown up at the line of scrimmage before bouncing outside and finding a crease into the end zone with under four minutes remaining.

Needing a touchdown, Raiola was sacked two more times and they turned the ball over on downs to the Rams, who were able to run out the final seconds on the clock.

Raiola, who was under duress all night, was held to just 143 yards passing on 12 completions and failed to throw a touchdown pass. As a team, the Wolves converted just four first downs on the night.

Three Takeaways from Grayson - Buford

The Grayson defense shined on the big stage

Grayson head coach Santavious Bryant couldn’t have asked for a better performance out of his defense Friday night agianst Buford.

They held the Wolves to a season-low 114 yards of offense (59 in the first half and 55 in the second half) and never let Dylan Raiola and company find a rhythm.

Sophomore pass rusher Tyler Atkinson, who is ranked as one of the best pass rushers in the Class of 2026, was responsible for at least two sacks on the night, and helped force a fumble in the win.

“The gameplan was to put pressure on Raiola,” Atkinson said. “It was amazing. That’s what we’ve been practicing all week, so for us to come through, it was great. We wanted it more. The defense wanted it more. We just came out and dominated.”

If the Rams defense plays like this next Friday night at home against Milton in the Class 7A semifinals, there’s a really good chance they will be playing for a state championship the following week.

Home-field advantage played a big role in Grayson’s win Friday night

It’s always great to play at home, especially in the playoffs.

That was definitely true for the Rams, who played in front of a near sell-out crowd in Loganville. In what was easily their biggest crowed of the season, and maybe ever considering the magnitude of the game, and the match-up against Buford, the crowd was into it from the opening whistle and gave the Rams the extra juice it needed.

Grayson is playing its best football of the season at the right time

It’s safe to say that Grayson is peaking at the right time.

And what a turnaround it has been for a Rams team that was embarrassed by Walton in Week 1 of the season, a game it lost to the Raiders 49-27 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Rams lost again to open region play against Newton, but since then, they have ripped off seven wins in a row to reach the Class 7A semifinals.

They will now face off against Milton in what will be a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals. The Eagles beat the Rams, 35-12, in the that contest last year, but will now have to make the trek to Loganville this year for the semifinals.

The Rams will be favored to win, and a victory against the Eagles could set up a rematch with Walton in the Class 7A finals. After getting blown out by Milton in Week 1, the Rams would be hungry to prove that they are a much different team than what they were in mid-August.