Buford Opens With A Win In Their Fancy New Den

( photo– RamblinSports)

Two conclusions from last Thursday night's actual "first- real- game" opening of Buford High School's much- anticipated new football stadium (named Phillip Beard Stadium):

1) There will come a time when $62 million will not seem an exorbitant sum for a high school football stadium.

2) It won't be soon.

The formal opening of this magnificent facility did generally overshadow a pretty good football game between two very strong teams. For the record, Buford whipped Milton 20-13. Milton is the reigning 7A state champion, and though both teams are loaded with talent, Milton is having to "reload" for 2025.

Buford, on the other hand, has key people returning in many positions. The Wolves have 9 or 10 players who already hold scholarships from Division 1 Power 4 conference members.

In most programs, having two or tbree of those elite players on the roster in a given year is a reason to pause and admire the bountiful talent. At Buford, having multiple Division 1 signees has become the norm.

Front and center among those college- bound Buford players is Dayton Raiola, their lefty quarterback. He plans to attend Nebraska, joining his brother Dylan who finished at Buford in 2023-4. The Raiola family came to Buford from Phoenix a couple years ago with the express purpose of developing the family football talent to prepare for the next level . Dylan Raiola had initially committed to Georgia, but later switched to Nebraska, where his uncle coaches and where his father played. Dylan started for the Cornhuskers in 2024 and had a good year, with a total QB rating of 63.8, built on a completion percentage of 67 %, producing 13 touchdowns while giving up 11 interceptions.

All that movement might seem extreme to some. In a sense, though, the Raiola family simply represents the bigger picture in what seems to be a never-ending escalation of big -time football. These are talented people making a full -on pursuit of an opportunity to do well with gifts they hold- gifts that are quite valuable in modern day America.

That zealous pursuit speaks as well to facilities like Buford's new stadium, named after Phillip Beard, planned and paid for by the reigning civic powers in Buford– including Phillip Beard himself, as Chairman on the City Board of Commissioners and Chairman of the School Board.

(Photo- Ramblin'Sports)

Does the rainbow have an end? If so, it's not in sight. There are not many facilities in the US on par with Buford's new playground– a few in Texas, one more in Ohio– though several of those serve more than one school. And in fairness, the staff, students and families who belong to this school system will quickly tell you that Buford pursues every endeavor with similar zeal and similar results– it's just that football is more easily visible to the casual onlookers. So theatre and the arts, and plain old academics are all strongly supported- and I've personally had parents of Buford students vouch for the accuracy of those assertions.

Now, for the review of the Phillip Beard Stadium experience as of August 14, 2025:

The Facility-

The stadium is largely built of rich red brick, artistically pleasing, but appropriately muscular in look and feel. The home team's side is bigger and taller, giving rise to a set of suites that we were not privy to prior to kickoff. Atop the stands on the visitors' side is the press box, or so we were told. Access denied, even briefly for a photo, without a wrist band.

The south end of the stadium holds an elegant looking brick edifice that houses locker rooms and a large meeting space.

(Photo Ramblin'Sports)

On the other end is a delightful touch, a miniature field encouraging younger kids to come down and mix it up with some ragtag football – just like you'll see at most high-school stadia, only this one had beautiful turf and official looking field markings.

( photo Ramblin'Sports)

The Access--

When I arrived about an hour before kickoff, there was still plenty of parking , free and close by. We entered with only a brief hiccup on the GoFan electronic ticketing process, which our ticket- checker dismissed in the name of expediency.

( photo Ramblin'Sports)

About 45 minutes later, though, there was a huge back- up to enter the stadium, with fans reporting long delays from phone and computer screen access issues, on top of issues with the security lanes that were step one of the entry process. It seems likely that these issues will get ironed out as a few more games are played.

The Scoreboard-

On the north endzone sits the uber- impressive video board. By report it measures 80x42 feet, but somehow it seemed even bigger.

There are displays on either side of the board, so fans in the parking area can get messages and even see some olays before entering.

The pictures were sharp, but I thought the board would be used more often to show replays or even just stats , or photos of players and coaches. Most of the time when I glanced up there was a general depiction of either team's logo.

(Photo Ramblin'Sports)

Also, there seemed to be a persistent issue with the PA system, such that the announcements were interrupted with a popping sound. Again, these minor issues will likely vanish with a bit more use.

The Food--

The goodies we tried were high quality and reasonably priced. The cheeseburger in particular was better than decent at $5.

(photo Ramblin'Sports)

There was definitely a concession access issue on tbe home side, where the food lines lasted 15- 20 minutes. On the visitors' side, I got prompt service.

The Staff--

The stadium staff were largely attentive , polite and helpful, with one brief exception. Among the several with whom we spoke, there seemed to be a little pervasive uncertainty, understanable as this was only the second event held here. One attendant offered to allow us brief access to the suite level to take a panoramic picture, but he was found out and thenquickly overruled by a more senior ( and less courteous) colleague.

The Overall--

Phillip Beard Stadium provides a top -flight experience for the high school football fan. The facility may spawn a few imitators out there, especially in settings like Buford where a city- based school system supports a single high school and holds a significant population of people who value highly the galvanizing effect a successful high school program can bring to a town. Possible examples in Georgia might include Gainesville, Carrollton, Valdosta, Calhoun , Cartersville and the like.

For those who care about football success, building a spectacular place to play can act as a magnet for serious young players who want to maximize their chances to play beyond high school and maybe beyond college. Again, the Raiola family serves as an example.

Such a system that allows ( promotes?) the ability of the more resource-rich schools to amplify those advantages will not create a broadly competitive environment. But it does give an outlet to those students talented and ambitious enough to avail themselves of it.

Patrick Conarro

RamblinSports