McEachern ended Buford’s 42-game winning streak on Friday after an impressive 37-14 victory over the Lions.
Who stood out? Find out below.
1) UGA WR target is as fast as advertised
McEachern High School receiver Tyler Simmons has been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.41 seconds, and that speed showed on Friday night.
Simmons took it to the house for a 60-plus yard touchdown. Buford’s defender tried to jump Simmons’ route, but he missed and the speedy receiver outran the secondary for the score.
When he crossed the endzone, he even leaned his head forward as if he just finished running a 100-meter sprint.
One thing is certain: he definitely has track speed.
2) 2017 UGA target leaves game on crutches
Tyler Smith told the AJC that UGA is in his top three after the game, but the main concern is how his knee is.
Smith, a 4-star 2017 WR from McEachern, left the game with an apparent knee injury. He had a big wrap of ice around his knee after the game and needed crutches.
On the first offensive play of the game for McEachern, Hockman threw a beautiful deep ball on a busted coverage play to Smith for a touchdown.
Let’s hope that Smith’s injury is nothing serious.
3) Georgia Tech commit shines in second half
Xavier Gantt, a 3-star running back from Buford, put on a display in the second half when he took a handoff to the weak-side, broke a would-be tackle and reversed the field for a big chunk of yards.
It was one of the more impressive plays of the evening, and it certainly was one of the few for Buford.
4) Observing UGA QB commit
Bailey Hockman, a 4-star quarterback from McEachern, finished the evening 10 of 24 for 239 yards and three touchdowns, including strikes of 70, 64 and 30 yards.
As impressive as those numbers are, the UGA commit struggled at times, often overthrowing or under throwing receivers.
It wasn’t Hockman’s best night, as his statistics indicate. However, Bailey, the son of a coach, will certainly look to remedy his mistakes in time for McEachern’s next contest.
5) Georgia Southern commit impresses
Sam Jackson, a 3-star running back, may be committed to Georgia Southern, but it would be wise to keep an eye on his recruitment.
On Friday, Jackson proved why.
Against a stout Buford defense, he reeled off touchdown runs of 22 and 27 yards, and he did it effortlessly. He was explosive on each carry and flashed a great jump-cut that sprung him into the second level on more than one occasion.