Thompson

@ Huntsville W 52-21 @ Briarwood W 21-14 Hewitt-Trussville L 13-45 Thompson L 35-48 @ Gadsden City L 17-31 Bye @ Oak Mountain L 17-48 @ Hoover L 34-47 Vestavia Hills L 7-32 @ Tuscaloosa County W 35-34 @ Hueytown W 63-62

2020 STATS

Offense Total points: 294 Per game: 29.4 County rank: 4

Defense Points allowed: 382 Per game: 38.2 County rank: 10

Ethan

Gutowski

athlete as a three-sport star and will be the leader at safety. Raney said he is still hopeful for more names to emerge as the season gets underway.

SPECIAL TEAMS

All-State kicker Drake Tabor has graduated after spending three years as a starter. Braxton Sumter will be relied upon to replace him, but Raney says he has worked extremely hard both on his mechanics and in the weight room to take control of the position.

Shelbycountyreporter.com

Shelby county football

WARRIORS CLASSIFICATION AHSAA Class 7A, Region 3 2020 RECORD 14-0 (7-0) Class 7A State

It may seem difficult to top last year’s miraculous state championship Champions win, but the back-to-back Class 7A State Champion Thompson HEAD COACH Warriors are hoping this year is just as magical. Mark Freeman

Ranked fifth nationally heading into the season, Thompson is coming RECORD off a perfect 14-0 season with most of its starters back and new 59-14 (Seventh year) additions ready to help make another run at a state title. Loaded with star talent, including the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year at quarterback and three top-15 national recruits defensively, ASSISTANT COACHES Brad Costanzo, Erik Kuykendall, Conner McGavin, Trey this year’s team won’t be satisfied with anything less than another Clark, Tyler Scozzaro, Shawn perfect season. However, the Warriors compete in a region with two other nationallyDeFoor, Jake Ganus, Tyler Burgess, John Jones, Jordan Robertson, Woodrow Briggs, ranked teams, and each week, there will be somebody waiting to Mike Ramil knock off the top dogs.

They may be the most talented and the favorite, but there can’t be LAST REGION TITLE 2020 any off nights if the Warriors hope to replicate the success of the previous two seasons. LAST PLAYOFF GAME 2020

MEET THE TEAM

QUARTERBACK

Named the Class 7A Back of the Year and the Gatorade Player of the Year winner in the state last year, quarterback Conner Harrell is back for his senior season. As a junior, Harrell stepped in and passed for more than 3,400 yards and 40 touchdowns to lead the Warriors to arguably their best season in school history. A North Carolina commit, he’s gone from unknown to the best quarterback in the state. A master at extending plays, he brings to the table great feet and a strong arm that defenses will have to respect.

RUNNING BACK

Thompson will have to replace All-County running

Conner

Harrell

Jeremiah

Alexander

back Jarrett Crockett, who totaled 883 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground last year, but the backfield isn’t any less dangerous. Brandon Franklin is back and healthy following an injury early last year. The senior is primed for a breakout year with a frame of 6-foot-2, 218 pounds and has received a lot of praise heading into the season. He’ll be joined by Justin Pegues, who transferred from Spain Park where he totaled 570 rushing yards and 426 receiving yards with 13 touchdowns last year. Franklin is a strong, bruising-type back, while Pegues is speedy and shifty.

RECEIVERS

With the departure of 1,000-yard receiver J.B. Mitchell as well as Sam Reynolds and Tre Roberson, who combined for 900-plus yards, the receiver position will take a hit. However, second-leading receiver Ryan Peppins returns after totaling 978 yards and 11 touchdowns on 57 receptions last year. He is one of the fastest players on

2021 SCHEDULE

Aug. 20: @ Oxford Aug. 27: Sparkman Sept. 3: @ Tuscaloosa County* Sept. 10: Spain Park* Sept. 17: Hewitt-Trussville* Sept. 24: @ Mountain Brook Oct. 1: @ Vestavia Hills* Oct. 8: Gadsden City* Oct. 15: Oak Mountain* Oct. 22: @ Hoover* Oct. 29: Bye

*Region game

the team and should be the top target.

Adding to the depth at the position, Jaylen Ward and David Moultry will also be key additions after transferring from Spain Park. Ward totaled 876 yards and five touchdowns last year as the top target for the Jags, while Moultry is another speedy addition. Joining them will be Ahmari Bolden, who also returns snaps from last year as another fast athlete who will make a difference. Bo Jones is a sophomore the coaching

Conner Harrell, QB

The state’s best quarterback last year, Harrell totaled 3,405 yards and 40 touchdowns with 315 rushing yards and just three interceptions on 220-298 passing.

Ryan Peppins

Despite a teammate totaling 1,163 yards, Peppins busted onto the scene last year due to his speed by totaling 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns on 63 receptions.

Jeremiah Alexander, LB

A senior in his fourth year as a starter and a top-10 recruit nationally, Alexander posted 106 total tackles, 29 tackles for loss and eight sacks last year.

Tony Mitchell With 75 tackles, eight tackles for loss and seven interceptions, Mitchell was one of the most feared defenders last year and will be even more dangerous this season.

Peter Woods

Woods missed most of last season due to an injury, but he is now back as the nation’s No. 2 recruit for the class of 2023. He totaled 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks as a freshman two years ago.

Jax Van Zandt

Van Zandt goes slightly unnoticed but is considered the leader of the defense and brings back 92 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss.

J.B. Mitchell

The team’s leading receiver last year, Mitchell posted 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns.

KEY DEPARTURES

Sam Reynolds

Reynolds was one of the fastest players on the field last year and totaled 465 receiving yards, 291 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Tre Roberson

Roberson totaled 480 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year, and helped the team come back as the quarterback in the second half of the state championship game.

Jarrett Crockett

Despite missing three games, Crockett totaled 1,037 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.

Connor Howard

One of two starting offensive linemen gone, Howard’s departure leaves one of the few question marks on this year’s team.

Nate

Riddle

staff is excited about, while Kolby Hearn and Deuce Oliver are two other young receivers ready to add depth.

OFFENSIVE LINE

With all of that talent on offense, the determining factor as to how productive they will be all comes down to the progression of the offensive line. Anthony Butler, Michael Specht, Connor Howard and Anthony Kilburn are all gone, leaving big gaps to fill. Returning, however, will be starters Cole Hall and Parker Mitchell. Mitchell brings a frame of 6-foot-3, 275 pounds to the position as the biggest up front, while Hall will handle the center position with a size of 6-foot-1, 220 pounds. Behind them, Noah Watts played some last year and will be leaned on for a bigger role this season, while five to six others are battling to

EDITOR’S 2021 PREDICTION (10-0)

You would be a fool not to pick Thompson to go undefeated during the regular season this year. With almost everyone back from a team that went undefeated a season ago to win its second state championship in a row. That doesn’t mean the likes of Hoover, Hewitt-Trussville and others won’t challenge them, but the Warriors have conquered those games in recent seasons and now have the best team they have possibly ever had. The biggest obstacle for the Warriors will be themselves and not getting complacent. That, however, shouldn’t be a problem with the team still out to prove they are the best, especially knowing they’ll get everybody’s best shot. It won’t come without its challenges, but Thompson should be hoisting another state championship trophy at the end of the season.

Ryan

Peppins

fill out starting and backup positions.

DEFENSIVE LINE

With two of the country’s top players back on the defensive line this season, Thompson will pose a major threat to opposing offenses. Jeremiah Alexander, an edge rusher and hybrid linebacker, will bring back 105 total tackles and 29 tackles for loss in his fourth year as a starter, while Woods is considered the country’s top prospect for the Class of 2023. Woods missed a large portion of last year due to injury, but totaled 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks as a freshman. Those two will be the leaders, which will open up holes for others to emerge. The coaching staff is hoping for four other players to step up and help keep those two from being double teamed on opposite ends of the line.

LINEBACKERS

Alexander will also slide back to help as an outside linebacker at times as well, but the leaders of the position will be seniors Jax Van Zandt and Nate Riddle. Van Zandt brings back more than 90 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss

Oxford W 56-34 @ Sparkman W 39-7 Tuscaloosa County W 49-7 @ Spain Park W 48-35 @ Hewitt-Trussville W 35-21 Mountain Brook W 31-0 Vestavia Hills W 38-9 @ Gadsden City W 48-0 @ Oak Mountain W 49-21 Hoover W 39-23 Grissom* W 49-7 Hewitt-Trussville* W 42-16 Hoover* W 52-14 Auburn# W 29-28

*Playoff game #State Championship game

2020 STATS

Offense Total points: 604 Per game: 43.1 County rank: 1

Defense Points allowed: 222 Per game: 15.9 County rank: 2

5-YEAR WIN TREND

14

12

11 12

2020 2019 5

2018 2017 2016

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Trevor Hardy

to the position as the quarterback of the defense, while Riddle returns 89 total tackles and eight tackles for loss. In addition to Alexander’s help, several others are starting to emerge as standout players at the position, but finding the right fit with the returnees will be key.

SECONDARY

As dangerous as the front seven is, the secondary may be the scariest position. With teams needing to score points to keep up with the Warriors and forced to throw coming from behind, trying to do so against the likes of Tony Mitchell, Tre’Quon Fegans and Trevor Hardy will make that a daunting task. Mitchell, a junior, is back for his third year as a starter and is a top-15 recruit in the country for the class of 2023. He’s a hardhitting defensive back, who not only plays well in coverage, but could also play more of a nickel position because of his ability to tackle.

Fegans, a transfer from Oxford, is also a top-60 player in the country going into his senior season and will be a huge addition, while Hardy has been one of the most improved players over the last year. Throw in sophomore A’mon Lane, who has offers from schools like Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Florida state, and you’ve got one of the most solid position units in the country. Jake Ivie and Karston Haywood also add two other trustworthy players at the position.

NATIONAL ATTENTION There are very few teams being talked about nationally like the Thompson Warriors are heading into the season. Ranked as high as third in national preseason polls, the Warriors enter the season as the hottest team in Alabama and one of the hottest in the country after winning all 14 games last year and 18 in a row. Winning two straight titles already, they also return three recruits ranked inside the top 15 nationally and four in the top 50.

THREE-PEAT ON THE MIND Last year, Thompson entered the season not shy about the desire to win back-to-back state championships and handled the pressure with relative ease. They were challenged rarely and didn’t back down when they were en route to a miraculous win in the state championship game. Now, the sights are set on a three-peat. The players and coaches once again feel confident and aren’t hiding their intentions to win the title, but they know remaining focused on each week is how they get there.

ONE WEEK AT A TIME As one of the top teams in the country, it can get easy to look ahead and not take certain opponents as seriously as others. That, however, can lead to lackadaisical play and somebody sneaking up on the Warriors to pull off an upset. With two other nationally-ranked teams (Hewitt-Trussville and Hoover) on the schedule, the Warriors know they can’t afford taking a week off and looking ahead. Class 7A, Region 3 is one of the most difficult in the country, and keeping a firm grasp on the task at hand determines who makes it through successfully.

HOTBED OF TALENT The talent is everywhere, and it won’t sneak up on anyone this season. Offensively, the Warriors get quarterback Conner Harrell back, while he’ll have Brandon Franklin and Justin Pegues ready to tote the rock or catch out of the backfield as proven backs. In addition to those three, Ryan Peppins returns as one of the state’s best receivers, while Jaylen Ward and David Moultry join him as receivers who could also total 1,000 yards. Then, you look at a defense returning Jeremiah Alexander, Peter Woods, Tony Mitchell, Jax Van Zandt, Trequon Fegans and Nate Riddle, and you’ve got your hands full.

2021 Thompson Roster

NO. NAME

POSITION YEAR

1 A’Mon Lane DB 10 1 Kolby Hearn WR 10 2 Ryan Peppins WR 12 2 Karston Haywood DB 12 3 Tony Mitchell DB 11 4 Jaylen Ward WR 12 4 Casey Kimochu OLB 12 5 Justin Pegues RB 12 5 Jake Ivie LB 11 6 Tre’quon Fegans DB 12 6 Ahmari Bolden RB 12 7 Jeremiah Alexander LB 12 8 Kaleb Harris DB 10 8 Zach Sims QB 10 9 Nate Riddle LB 12 9 Jamar “Bo“ Jones WR 10 10 Jayden Davis LB 10 11 Peter Woods DE 11 11 David Moultry Jr WR 12 12 Jax Van Zandt LB 12 12 Duece Oliver WR 10 13 Caleb Ballard LB 10 13 AJ Green RB 10 14 Tyler Hicks LB 10 15 Conner Harrell QB 12 15 Kelby Taylor LB 11 16 Jaquavious Lewis DB 11 17 Tyler Reid WR 12 17 Jaquese Fegans DB 11 18 Seth Hampton LB 11 19 Trevor Hardy DB/K 12 19 John Morgan K 10 20 Kendall Franklin LB 12 21 Joey Nowak WR 11 21 Anquon Fegans DB 9 22 Vini Pires LB 9 23 Ashton Sparks LB 11 24 Lione Cook RB 12 25 Jasiah Ward DB 11 26 Malek Naija DB 12 27 Jacori Gaddiss DB 10 27 Noah Hillshea WR 11 28 Kobe Herlong LB 11 29 Caleb Austin DB 10 30 Luke Reid DB 10 31 Kendrick King DB 10 32 De’Shawn Murray RB 10 34 Brandon Franklin RB 12 35 Deisel Ivie LB 10

SPECIAL TEAMS

Hardy, who kicked the game-winning field goal in Thompson’s miraculous championship win last year as time expired, is back to handle kicking duties this season. That combined with the some of the country’s best athletes also spending time on special teams should make the unit special.

NO. NAME

POSITION YEAR

37 Caleb Fox LS/WR 10 38 Kenny Hagler DB 11 39 Trent Cheatom LB 9 40 Jackson Scott DL 12 40 Kahnor Hughes K 11 41 Jeffrey Kimochu DE 11 42 John Rogers LB 10 43 Jaiden Brown DB 10 44 Braxton Smith DB 10 44 Riley Bowen DB 10 45 Kaleb Thompson DE 12 46 Paul Evans DB 10 47 Colin Wesson LB 12 47 Daminko Tabb DB 10 48 Angel Diez DB 10 49 Elijah Whittier LB 12 50 Marcos Guardado OL 12 52 Rush Crawford LB 11 53 Hunter Holtman OL 11 54 Ryan Walker OL 11 55 Cole Hall OL 12 56 Mathew Heard DE 10 57 Vlad Valasiuk LB 11 59 Livan Rodrguiz DL 10 60 Noah Watts OL 11 61 Logan Crane OL 10 62 Zachary Felton OL 11 65 Walker Williams OL 11 68 Sam Cunningham OL 10 71 KC Walters OL 10 72 William Molan OL 10 73 Steven Lillich OL 11 76 Parker Mitchell OL 12 77 Stanton Ramil OL 11 78 Marley Cholewinski OL 10 83 Trent Marbury WR 10 84 Jadon Morris WR 10 86 Mel Caffy WR 10 87 Jack Davis WR 10 88 Travis McDaniel WR 10 90 Dylan Willis DE 11 91 Mathew Wilkerson DL 10 93 Kyle Wright NG 12 94 JaAthony (AJ) Allen NG 12 95 Trent Green DL 10 96 JC McCurry DE 11 97 Kyle Hamilton DE 12 98 Elijah Williams NG 11 99 Shafton Thomas NG 11

Photo by Keith McCoy

KEY NUMBERS

18 49

Thompson will bring an 18-game win streak into the 2021 football season, winning all 14 games last season and its last four of the 2019 season. The last loss for the Warriors came by six points (35-29) to Hewitt-Trussville the final week of the 2019 regular season. That marked the only loss of that season as well, as the Warriors have won 26 of the last 27 games they have played. The previous four seasons, Thompson has quickly turned into the state’s powerhouse team thanks to 49 wins in that span. The Warriors are 49-4 since 2017, marking a special turnaround. The two years before that, they went a combined 10-10, the year before that, they were 0-10 and between 2007 and 2014 they were a combined 18-62. Now, since 2017, Thompson has made it to the semifinals of the playoffs every season, made it to the state championship the last three seasons and won the state title the last two years.

3,405

The state’s top quarterback will suit up once again for the Warriors this season thanks to the return of Conner Harrell. A junior starting for the first time last year, Harrell totaled 3,405 yards to lead Thompson to the state championship. His jaw-dropping season led to him earning a spot on the All-State First Team, being named the Class 7A Back of the Year winner and claiming the Gatorade Player of the Year award for the top football player in Alabama. Now, as one of the best at extending plays with talented players at every position, he’ll hope for an even more special senior season.

93

Defensively, Thompson is stacked from the defensive line all the way back to the secondary. The return of Jeremiah Alexander and Peter Woods, however, give the Warriors two of the most dangerous players in the country at getting in the backfield. The two return a combined 93 career tackles for loss this season. In three seasons, Alexander has totaled 70 tackles for loss, while Woods has added 23, despite missing eight games last year. Finding a way to handle one on each end of the line may be the tallest task in high school football this season.