Photo credit, Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun
If you like high school football on the national level, get excited for the 2024 season.
Although it wasn’t the Cory Kell Classic, it happened in Georgia, where two state and national powers collided Friday evening. Georgia, which shares similarities with California, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, has a wealth of talented players and teams.
No.1 Milton hosted No.2 Buford in an intense, nail-biting affair that fans eagerly anticipated since the matchup was confirmed over the summer. The only thing that dragged was the nearly two-hour lightning delay, which saw the contest end at 12:09 am Saturday.
However, the energy swelled between the two powers, including a packed house of screaming fans, who watched Milton defeat the Wolves 13-10 while holding off Buford’s late comeback attempt.
The Eagles led 7-0 at intermission and extended its lead 13-0 in the second half. You were right if you thought four-star Florida State commit receiver CJ Wiley would have anything to do with the victory. Wiley showed his ability by creating space to pick up additional yards, including 84 yards on seven receptions and a touchdown. Wiley grabbed a 17-yard scoring strike from quarterback Luke Nickel, which built a 13-point lead following a failed extra point attempt.
TJ Leaster scored from 21 yards out with 3:16 left in the first quarter to give Milton the early lead.
Still, the Wolves held its composure and got on the scoreboard when Bryce Perry-White tackled Lester in the end zone for a safety with 2:35 left in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 13-2.
Buford would add two more big plays to help trim the deficit to three points, 13-10 when it pinned the Eagles deep in its territory at the four-yard line. Shortly after, Chris Garland intercepted Nickel’s pass. Two plays later, tailback Ethan Ervin found paydirt, and Dayon Raiolo’s pass to AJ Benson concluded a two-point conversion.
That would cap the scoring as the Wolves came up empty on its final two drives.
The two well-coached two teams showed why they are highly regarded by kicking off the national high school football season with a bang.
Top-ranked Bishop Gorman had its way with Kahuku, 33-7, on Friday at Fertitta Field in Las Vegas. Defense led the charge. A heavy pass rush forced the Red Riders into several challenging passing situations, which led to multiple interceptions by the Gael’s secondary- Brayton Correa, Isaiah Nickels, and Jeff Washington.
Look for more exciting national high school football games this week as the ESPN High School Football Kickoff Classic continues. View the site for more information. (https://espnpressroom.com)
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