Big area showdown, two teams looking to rebound feature on air

Gainesville football will feel like it was just a few plays away from opening the season 1-0, and the Red Elephants know that it will take their best effort to bounce back from last week's defeat to West Forsyth as they prepare to face Buford on Friday night at the Wolves' Tom Riden Stadium.

Buford, meanwhile, will look to move to 2-0 after showing its defense is as strong as ever in last week's 14-3 win over Elbert County in Elberton.

The showdown between the two area powers will highlight another big weekend of prep gridiron action and will air live on WDUN AM 550.

Meanwhile, the FM side of WDUN will feature a battle between two teams looking to fight back for a 1-1 start, as Chestatee heads to West Hall in a contest featured on 102.9 FM this Friday.

The War Eagles battled throughout before falling to North Hall last Friday, while West Hall has had the week off after dropping a 19-13 decision to Johnson on Aug. 24.

All four teams will be competing in non-region battles.

The Red Elephants will look to omit the mistakes that plagued them in last week's loss. Four turnovers stunted Gainesville's offensive rhythm, as West Forsyth took advantage to score 25-second quarter points -- taking a 32-15 lead that Gainesville could not eclipse.

Buford, meanwhile, allowed just 136 yards to sixth-ranked Elbert County in last week's win. The Wolves offense put up 210 yards, including an impressive performance from running back Zavior Hoxie, who had 93 yards on the ground.

Chestatee's offense rolled up 223 yards in last week's loss, including 123 yards rushing from Quan Clark. The War Eagles will face a Spartans team that showed promise both on the ground and through the air behind quarterback Zach English on Aug. 24.

There will be plenty of other key match-ups this week, including Johnson's visit to North Hall -- as the Knights are looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 2003. The Trojans, meanwhile, are looking to start 2-0 for the first time since 2007.

Flowery Branch will also look to bounce back from a season-opening loss in a trip to West Forsyth, while Lumpkin County and White County will play out one of the bigger rivalries in northeast Georgia. Dawson County will also look to move to 3-0 against Class AAAAAA's North Forsyth, while Stephens County will look to move to 2-0 at the expense of rival Habersham Central. Other local rivalries include Jackson County at Jefferson and Fannin County at Union County.

AREA PREP FOOTBALL GAMES, Sept. 7
Gainesville at Buford -- WDUN AM 550
Chestatee at West Hall -- 102.9 FM WDUN
Flowery Branch at West Forsyth
Johnson at North Hall
Lumpkin County at White County
North Forsyth at Dawson County
Habersham Central at Stephens County
Banks County at Athens Christian
Fannin County at Union County
Commerce at East Jackson
Jackson County at Jefferson
Rabun County at Hayesville, N.C.
Lakeview Academy at Hebron Christian
Whitefield Academy at Riverside Military
Towns County at Fellowship Christian
Winder-Barrow at Monroe Area
Greater Atlanta Christian at Apalachee
Mill Creek at Brookwood