Fight ensues as Georgia 5-star QB commit Dylan Raiola, Buford defeat St. Frances Academy
The state of Georgia had the national spotlight in the high school football world on Friday night, as a pair of nationally-ranked matchups took place in the Peach State. One of those games featured Buford (Ga.) and Baltimore St. Frances Academy.
It was Five-Star Plus+ Georgia quarterback commit Dylan Raiola and Five-Star Plus+ Florida State safety commit KJ Bolden that helped propel Buford to an 18-0 shutout on its home field. It was what happened as the game was coming to an end that’s grabbing the headlines, however.
The chippy showdown eventually resulted in a flare of tempers by both teams as the clock winded down, as things boiled over on the St. Frances sideline. Punches were hurled as players grabbed at one-another while coaches tried to restrain their teams.
Buford entered the locker room at halftime with a 15-0 lead, thanks to a pair of touchdown passes by Raiola to Bolden and three-star North Carolina commit Tyshun White. The Wolves managed to hold four-star Oregon QB commit Michael Van Buren and a touted St. Frances program scoreless.
“Raiola has been at Buford since July. He stepped on the field on Friday night and on his first drive he was rolling hard counts, backing off and checking at the line of scrimmage in an offense he’s learned in a month,” wrote DawgsHQ’s Jeremy Johnson following the Buford victory. “That means not only does Raiola know the base packages well, he knows the offense’s backdoors and trap doors and can freelance a bit. This also means Buford’s coaching staff trusts him.”
Both teams will continue their seasons next weekend on the road. Buford travels to Charlotte Mallard Creek on Aug. 25, while St. Frances embarks on the next chapter of its rigorous 2023 schedule, traveling to Hollywood (Fla.) to take on Chaminade-Madonna and Five-Star Plus+ Ohio State WR commit Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.