By Steve Carter/News Editor
FITZGERALD — With two of the top three ranked teams, you would expect a thriller.
The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes and the Buford High Wolves did not disappoint in the state Class AA football semifinals Friday night at Fitzgerald’s Jaycee Stadium.
On a late touchdown, the Wolves ended Fitzgerald’s season with a 38-28 win. The Wolves will now play for their third straight state championship Friday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Buford will face the winner of the Calhoun-Lovett game, which was not completed at press time.
Down 31-28 with 5:11, Fitzgerald’s Latravious Stewart fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Buford’s Andrew Swope on the Fitzgerald 32.
Buford took the ball over and faced a 4th-and-3 at the Fitzgerald 25.
Quarterback Alexander Ross broke loose on an 11-yard run to put the ball at the 14.
Fitzgerald almost held again, but fullback Jessel Curry went down to the Fitzgerald 1 for Buford.
Two plays later, Buford sealed the win when Curry scored on a run. The kick by David Petroni was good, and the final was 38-28.
Buford got off to a quick start. Ross was 3-for-4 for 66 yards on Buford’s first drive. The final pass was a 16-yard touchdown strike to Curry. The point after was successful and the score was 7-0 with 9:36 left in the first quarter.
Fitzgerald quickly answered.
The Purple Hurricanes drove nine plays and 68 yards on their first drive to tie the score. The touchdown came on a 1-yard plunge by Trenton Pruitt. Paul Gallegos’ point after made the score 7-7 with 6:28 left.
Stewart had the big play in the drive, an 11-yard run on a 4th-and-1 play.
Buoyed by a chop block penalty against Buford, the Hurricane defense held and forced a Buford punt.
Pruitt fair caught the ball on the Fitzgerald 44.
On the Hurricanes’ first play, Stewart broke out a 27-yard run. A personal foul penalty on Buford put the ball on the Wolve 15. Two plays later, Kaleb Nobles hit Stephon Smalls for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Smalls made a pretty, leaping catch for the touchdown.
After the point after, Fitzgerald was 14-7, with 3:56 left in the first quarter.
The Wolves drove down the field on their next possession, going 11 plays and 53 yards for the touchdown. The score came on a 1-yard run by Curry. David Petroni initially missed the point after, but Fitzgerald was called for offsides. Petroni then hit the point after, tying the score, 14-14, with 10:09 left in the half.
Seon Jones had the big play in the scoring drive for Buford. He went two yards on a 4th-and-1 play during the drive.
Fitzgerald’s offense faced its first tough test on its next possession.
Facing 3rd-and-long situations twice early in the drive, Nobles hit Pruitt and Stewart on pass plays to keep the drive alive.
However, Buford’s Ryan Dillard ended the drive when he intercepted a Nobles’ pass intended for Smalls.
Dillard returned the ball 31 yards to the Buford 32.
Three plays later, Ross hit Kurt Freitag for a 51-yard pass. Fitzgerald was called for roughing the passer, putting the ball at the Hurricane 5.
The Hurricanes held, forcing a 4th-and-goal from the 2. On the ensuing play, Ross rolled out to his right, and threw back to his left and hit a wide-open Freitag for a touchdown. The point after made the score, 21-17, with 1:24 left in the half.
Fitzgerald drove down the field after the Buford score, using throws from Nobles to Steve Hughes and Pruitt as well as a key run by Nick Williams.,
On a 3rd-and-1 from the Buford 21, Nobles was called for an illegal forward pass. That put the ball on the 26, and on a 4th-and-6 play, Gallegos’ 42-yard field goal attempt was short.
Even though Buford went into the half with a touchdown lead, it was basically an even game as evidenced by the total yardage which had both teams with 193 yards at the half.
That equality in yardage ended quickly as Fitzgerald raced down the field to begin the second half.
Taking just 34 seconds off the court, the Hurricanes drove 70 yards on three plays. The touchdown came on an 18-yard run up the middle by Williams.
Two big plays were a 30-yard pass from Nobles to R.J. Davis to begin the drive, and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on Buford.
A short kickoff by Fitzgerald gave the Wolves the ball on the Hurricane 47.
The Hurricanes appeared to have held as Buford faced a 4th-and-8 from the Fitzgerald 25. However, Ross avoided a heavy rush and hit Freitag for the touchdown with 8:04 left in the third quarter.
With the point after, Buford was back up 28-21.
Buford held Fitzgerald on the Hurricanes’ next possession and forced a punt.
That kick landed on the Buford 13.
It appeared that Fitzgerald had held, but Ross broke loose on a 45-yard run that put the ball on the Fitzgerald 35.
The run came on a 3rd-and-12 play from the Buford 20.
On the last play of the third quarter, Ross was sacked by Fitzgerald’s Khiry Gaskins for a 7-yard loss.
That gave Buford a 4th-and-10 from the 28. The Wolves went for it, but Fitzgerald’s Tevin Stewart-Gaulden knocked the ball away from intended Buford receiver.
The Buford drive did not end up with a score, but did take up a big chunk of the third quarter.
Fitzgerald took over on its 28 after the big play by Stewart-Gaulden.
The Hurricanes drove down the field on the legs of Stewart and Pruitt, as well as a 12-yard pass from Nobles to Davis.
Finally on 3rd-and-goal from the 1, Nobles went in on for the touchdown on the quarterback sneak. Gallegos’ point after made the score, 28-28, with 7:42 left in the game.
Buford quickly answered back.
On the Wolves’ second play from scrimmage following the Fitzgerald score, Ross hit wide receiver Sherman Page on a 55-yard pass play that put the ball down at the Hurricane 11. However, the Hurricanes held and forced a 27-yard field goal by Petroni with 5:23 left in the game.
See a follow-up story in Sunday's edition of The Tifton Gazette.
