Class 6A

Who: No. 2 Buford (14-0) vs. No. 3 Carrollton (14-0)

When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.

Game insight: The game could determine a national championship. Buford is ranked No. 1 in the nation by ESPN and USA Today and No. 6 by MaxPreps. Carrollton is ranked No. 1 by MaxPreps, No. 2 by USA Today and No. 5 by ESPN.  

About Buford: The Wolves have won 14 state championships but have come up empty for the last three years – an eternity in Buford time. The Wolves bring a balanced attack with an underrated, deep running game led by NC State signee Dylan McCoy (950 yards, nine TDs). Quarterback Dayton Raiola has thrown for 2,064 yards and 26 touchdowns and run for 134 and five touchdowns, with Torre Costin catching 35 passes for an 18.3-yard average and nine TDs. The line is led by Georgia signee Graham Houston, Noah Nixon and tight end Dream Rashad (North Carolina signee). The Swiss-army knife tool is Tyriq Green, the Region 8 Player of the Year and UGA signee, who stars at running back (526 yards, 11 TDs), defensive back (48 tackles, one interception) and a return man (18.6 yards on punt returns). The stingy defense – which has allowed only 137 points -- features all-region linemen Bryce Perry-Wright (Texas A&M signee) and Andre Quinn (Ohio State), linebacker Deion Miller (Army) and defensive backs Silas Nuckles and Jax Pope. 

About Carrollton: The Trojans will try to atone for falling short against Grayson in the championship game. They will be making their third championship appearance in five seasons under coach Joey King, who won two state titles at Cartersville and has never had a team win fewer than 11 games in a season. Carrollton is an offensive power, having produced 666 points behind the balanced attack led by freshman quarterback C.J. Cypher (2,178 yards, 26 TDs) and running back Cam Wood (1,473 yards, 33 TDs), the Region 2 Offensive Player of the Year who has signed with Liberty. UNLV signee Peyton Zachary (83 catches, 1,064 yards, 12 TDs) and Georgia signee Ryan Mosley (51 catches, 901 yards, eight TDs) lead a deep corps of receivers. The Region 2 Player of the Year was Zykie Helton, a Georgia signee who stars on both sides of the line. The defense is led by DL Kadan Spratling (Memphis), LB C.J. Gamble (Georgia Tech), DB Tyler Boyd and DB Dorian Barney (Ole Miss). 

Series: Buford leads the series 3-1, but Carrollton won the most recent meeting, a 30-17 victory in the 2024 semifinals