Buford flag football ready for improvement in second season

The inaugural season of Buford flag football had its ups and downs. It saw the glory of a couple of victories, but had to adjust to the minutiae of a rapidly-growing sport across the state of Georgia. 

Head coach Sean Gilbert, a Buford mainstay who eagerly took on leadership of the program a year ago, hopes for better skills and understanding of the game. That hope stems from a systemwide growth of the program from the youth or middle school programs. He hopes to see it continue coming to fruition on the varsity stage. 

“We lost some tremendous seniors,” Gilbert said. “But we have a great core returning.”

Much like varsity tackle football, Gilbert will feature a few two-way players, most notably Braleigh Wansley at wide receiver and defensive back. She will receive passes from quarterback Kaylee Johnson who has had a “tremendous” summer and offseason, Gilbert said. 

Along with the offensive production of Sara Duran and Reagan Dollar, Buford also has its share of defensive talent. Keiko Teague and Benny Okeleke lead the way. 

“They are going to be depended on to anchor our defense,” Gilbert said. “They will be our top two rushers.”

Freshman Mia Bouton has experience playing the sport and could be depended on to contribute immediately at a young age. 

Gilbert, a former varsity tackle football assistant turned alumni coordinator, has a coaching philosophy centered on “Who over What.” 

“Surround yourself with good people and you will find a way to make good things happen,” Gilbert said. 

His philosophy carries four pillars, and each of these are described in Gilbert’s words. 

• Players must know you care about them more than what they will ever accomplish on the field.  
• As far as the game itself, always play great defense and you’ll give yourself a chance.  
• Limit your mistakes, and keep coming back with effort and energy regardless of successes or mistakes.  
• In Flag Football, you’ve got to throw and catch and get to the football on defense and pull flags; the key is to avoid negative plays offensively and no big plays on defense.

In year two, there’s a bevy of potential that the Wolves hope to meet.