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Georgia powerhouses Milton, Buford set to face off in nationally televised showdown

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by: Keegan Pope05/29/25bykeeganpope
2026 Nebraska QB commit Dayton Raiola
2026 Nebraska QB commit Dayton Raiola

One of the top games in Georgia high school football next fall could be one of its first.

State — and national — powerhouses Buford and Milton will face off on August 14, a date which had been previously announced. However, the big news that came out Thursday is that the game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Kickoff for the contest set for 7 p.m. ET.

The two teams also opened last season against one another, with Milton pulling off the 13-10 upset. The Eagles went on to finish the season 15-0 and defeated Langston Hughes 56-35 in the 5A state title.

Buford, meanwhile, lost only one other game all season — a 30-17 defeat to eventual state runner-up Carrollton in the 6A state semifinals. The Wolves will be out for a bit of revenge this year, and will be led by returning starting quarterback Dayton Raiola.

The younger brother of Nebraska sophomore Dylan Raiola, Dayton is committed to the Huskers and coming off a season where he threw for 1,953 yards and 19 touchdowns. Alongside him, Buford returns multiple blue-chip prospects in the 2026 class, including elite EDGE Bryce Perry-Wright, four-star safety Tyriq Green, Georgia four-star offensive line commit Graham Houston and four-star safety Nascar McCoy.

Milton looking to repeat in 2025 after undefeated run

Milton will be replacing a bevy of talent from their title-winning team, including quarterback Luke Nickel, who signed with Miami. The Eagles had seven other Power 4 signees on last year’s roster, but will be captained by another talented signal-caller in St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) transfer Derrick Baker.

Across his freshman and sophomore seasons at Aquinas, the rising Class of 2027 standout completed 40 of 58 pass attempts for 542 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s also ran for four scores across his two seasons with the Raiders. He appeared in just five games for the standout Florida program in 2024.

Despite somewhat limited action, he already holds more than a dozen Power Four offers already. The likes of Miami, Indiana, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Ohio State and Illinois are on that list.

The game will also be the first at Buford’s new $62 million stadium, which has been under construction for nearly a year. It features not only new facilities, but also an 81×44′ double-sided Jumbotron scoreboard and 10 stadium suites that seat 12 people apiece.