Gwinnett Daily Post

The luck was with two Gwinnett high school football teams on Saturday as Buford and Grayson won coin flips for the right to host state quarterfinal games on Friday.

A third team, Wesleyan, wasn't as fortunate. The Wolves lost the coin toss, forcing a 4-hour plus road trip this week to Miller County (11-1) for the Elite Eight.

"I went with tails," said Wesleyan head coach Franklin Pridgen, whose 10-2 team has won a school-record nine straight games. "I was advised that tails never fails. Don't listen to that."

The coin tosses went much better for Grayson, which avoided a trip to Lowndes, and for Buford, which escaped going to Dublin. The flips were necessary because the teams involved are all No. 1 seeds.

Grayson now gets to host powerful Lowndes in a matchup of 12-0 teams. The Rams have never advanced past the state quarterfinals, while Lowndes has won three of the previous four Class AAAAA state championships, including one last season.

Gwinnett teams haven't fared well in the postseason against Lowndes in recent seasons, losing four straight playoff games - three of those state title games.

Top-ranked Buford (12-0) also gets to host on Friday against No. 2 Dublin (11-1). The defending state champion Wolves carry a 27-game winning streak into the matchup.

"We're glad to be at home," said Buford head coach Jess Simpson, a veteran of coin tosses.

Simpson has faced two coin flips with Charlton County previously in the playoffs, winning one and losing one.

Gwinnett's two other playoff teams - Peachtree Ridge and North Gwinnett - already knew their quarterfinal destination without a coin toss.

Peachtree Ridge (10-2) will host Coffee (9-3) based on higher seeding, but North (10-2) will face a quarterfinal road game against Newnan (12-0) for the second straight season. The Bulldogs defeated Newnan in a 38-35 thriller last year on the way to a state runner-up finish.

SideBar: Playoffs

State Quarterfinals

Friday's Games

Class AAAAA

· Coffee at Peachtree Ridge

· Lowndes at Grayson

· North Gwinnett at Newnan

Class AA

· Dublin at Buford

Class A

· Wesleyan at Miller County