Andy's Take: Could the mythical national high school football champion come out of Georgia?

As the high school football playoffs take place around the country and begin to wind down, state championship games will be the culmination of everyone’s season, for the most part anyways. Down in the Southeast for the state of Georgia, an interesting scenario has begun to take shape as the ‘Road to Atlanta’ rolls on.

Could it be the Peach State that produces the all mythical national high school football champion?

This sports reporter wasn’t exactly on board with that, but the more and more you think about it, in the potential case of a GHSA Class AAAAAA state championship between Grayson–Buford, why not?

Both the Rams and Wolves sit currently in the No. 3-4 spots in the latest Rivals National High School Football Composite Rankings, with the two teams ahead of them, IMG Academy and St. Frances Academy, no longer slated to play each other. If Buford and Grayson do what many around the state of Georgia believes they’ll do, the pair will be meeting in downtown Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a potential de facto national championship game.

What kind of atmosphere would that be, huh? I mean, we were only banging that proverbial drum when it came to the national powers of IMG Academy-St. Frances so hard, but both teams have seemingly seen their seasons end. Armed with no more ammunition currently to state their case to the country why they should lay claim to a national crown, leave it to Georgia to figure it out at the end.

In 2024, according to a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the GHSA state championships for the second straight year witnessed record-setting numbers, with 56,051 attendees (51,588 paid fans) flocking to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. The attendance was up from the 50,622 paid onlookers from the 2023 GHSA high school football state championships.

Needless to say, the environment would be ripe for a potential de facto national title game.

For those, like myself, you wondered if the regular season path to prosperity was tough enough for either program in order to be crowned the best. What the regular season may have left a lot to be desired, the path Buford and Grayson have to get through in order to meet each other in Atlanta will be as tough as any in the country.

On Grayson’s end of the bracket, the Rams face an always difficult Colquitt County program, winners of three state championships, this Friday night. A second round meeting with undefeated Carrollton, the nation’s No. 23 ranked team, looks bound to happen before a potential matchup with Lowndes in the state semifinals could be right before the title game.

Flipping over to the Buford end, the Wolves have no easy path to Atlanta themselves, as they could see a very good Douglas County, predicted by some to make a run to the 6A title game. In the 6A state semis, by the early looks of it, America’s most winningest high school football program in the Valdosta Wildcats could be laying in wait before booking a trip to the Benz.

Ask anyone that knows Georgia high school football, that’s as arduous of a path as any when trying to reach a GHSA state championship game. Both the Rams and Wolves will have faced a road well traveled on their way to meeting each other.

Talent wise, both teams would combine for well over 30-plus players with Division I offers and it’s honestly the defenses that stand out just a tad bit more than the always celebrated offenses.

Grayson has a very talented defensive unit, led by Texas commit Tyler Atkinson and Ole Miss pledge Anthony Davis at linebackers. Throw in that the defensive line has plenty of stalwarts to throw at opponents, like 2028 four-star Elijah Tillman and 2027 T.K. Cunningham coming off the edges, this is a scary front seven.

On the back end in the secondary, Arizona commit Hannibal Navies and Florida International pledge Eric Johnson patrol the secondary at safeties. This Rams’ defense is really as talented and good as they come.

Then looking at Buford’s, the Wolves have possibly the best 1-2 combo at EDGEs with Texas A&M commit Bryce Perry-Wright and Ohio State pledge Dre Quinn harassing your backfield. That’s not even mentioning that the Wolves have their own safety tandem of Tyriq Green (Georgia commit) and Nascar McCoy (Ole Miss commit) making sure nothing gets behind the defense.

This would be a defensive slugfest if there ever was one for a mythical national championship game.

We didn’t even get into the coaching matchup of Grayson’s Santavious Bryant versus Buford’s Bryant Appling, whom both have plenty of experience of taking their respective programs on deep playoff runs.

In a game for all the marbles, this would honestly have it all. From the venue, to the thousands of fans to the elite talent on the field to some of the best high school football coaching in the country.

All we need is for this hypothetical matchup to actually happen and we could be seeing the best team in the country come straight out of Georgia when it’s all said and done.

Massey Prediction: Buford 34, Grayson 27

How to Follow Georgia High School Football

For Georgia high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Peach State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across the state of Georgia.