Ashton Daniels makes it three years in a row making the state championship-winning throw
By David Friedlander | Photos by Cecil Copeland
ATLANTA — When most fans think of a sports dynasty, one often pictures a dominant program that overpowers its opponents.
But sometimes it isn't quite that simple.
Yes, Buford has won 14 Georgia High School Association state football championships in six different classifications, including 13 over the past two decades.
However, the Wolves' run of three straight — culminating with the No. 1 state-ranked Wolves' 21-20 win over third-ranked Langston Hughes in Friday night's Class 6A title game at Georgia State's Center Parc Stadium — has been anything but easy.
After needing overtime to conquer Warner Robins in the 2019 Class 5A title game and Lee County in 6A last year, Buford (14-1) didn't need the extra period in the latest title win, but it wasn't any less difficult.
It certainly wasn't easy for the Wolves' fans, or head coach Bryant Appling, who has never lost a playoff game since becoming Buford's head coach in 2019 and became the first coach in Georgia history to win a state title in each of his first three seasons.
“We didn't start very fast in the game, and we found a way to get back in it," Appling said. "We did it early in the season, and we felt like we could do it again.
“I'm just proud of our kids, proud of our coaches and proud of the way we did it.”
In Friday's case, Buford had to rally from a 14-0 deficit early in the second quarter and slow down a Langston Hughes (13-2) offense that rolled up 290 yards of total offense — 157 of which (and two TDs) came from Georgia Tech-committed running back Antonio Martin.
And the Wolves did so behind a number of heroes: running backs C.J. Clinkscales (Boston College commit) and Victor Venn (Colorado commit), who combined for 100 yards and a TD on 23 carries; four-star junior defensive end Eddrick Houston (four tackles, 1½ tackles for loss, one sack) and defensive backs Malik Spencer (Michigan State commit, four tackles, one tackle for loss) and K.J. Bolden (five tackles).
But still trailing 20-14 well into the fourth quarter, Buford turned to a familiar hero.
Reggie Jackson was Mr. October for the New York Yankees in the 1970s, and Ashton Daniels has been Mr. December for Buford of the late 2010s and into the 2020s.
For the third straight season, the Stanford-bound quarterback came up huge for Buford in a state championship game at just the right time.
Two years ago, it was a 22-yard scoring strike to Jamarius Isaac with 27 seconds left against Warner Robins.
Last year, it was a 16-yard TD toss to Isaiah Bond with 46 seconds left against Lee County, with both forcing overtime, where the Wolves ultimately prevailed.
On Friday, Daniels' heroics were capped by his 34-yard touchdown pass to Tobi Olawole with 2:55 remaining, giving Buford its first lead of the game after Alejandro Mata's extra point.
And all three winning plays came in the same north end zone in the shadow of the Atlanta skyline.
“It really is freaky,” said the 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior, who finished Friday night's game 14 of 20 with an interception for 179 yards, a 1-yard touchdown run and the one big TD through the air. “Our coaches really preach about being in the moment. I knew that we had to take every play snap-by-snap. I had confidence in my guys, and I knew that we were going to go down and make something special happen.”
Also unlike the previous two comebacks, Daniels and the Wolves left Langston Hughes a little more time to answer than they did Warner Robins and Lee County.
And the Panthers nearly made them pay, with a big 17-yard scramble by Hughes quarterback Prentiss Noland, a 21-yard completion from Noland to Jelani Thurman and two pass interference penalties gave them a chance at the Buford 18 with three seconds remaining.
It wasn't until a 35-yard field goal attempt fell short as time expired that Appling, Daniels and the Wolves could exhale and celebrate their three-peat.
But Daniels had no doubts.
“I trusted my defense,” Daniels said. “They've come up in big time situations all year, and I knew it was going to be very hard for (Hughes) to go down and score with as much pressure as there was."
Daniels knows all about coming through under pressure, something Appling admits he's going to miss very much after his Mr. December heads off to the Pac-12 next year, as well as the rest of the class of 2022.
“I wish he had a redshirt year,” joked Appling about Daniels. “I don't have him for next year, but I wish I did. He's brought us back three times in a row. Regardless of what stories many of my coaches wrote, these seniors are part of it. Ashton is on the stage (Friday) night, but all these seniors — a lot of them played as sophomores and juniors. They deserve all the credit right now.”
