Thompson

Pierson Cole

Cole was the team’s leader at receiver a season ago with 430 yards and three touchdowns in a run-first offense.

Ethan Gutowski

A trustworthy starter at linebacker, Gutowski finished last season with more than 40 tackles for the defense.

Tucker Stead

A safety for the Jags in 2021, Stead was a leader in the secondary with more than 50 tackles and three pass breakups.

Braxton Sumpter

The starting kicker for Spain Park, Sumpter was one of the best in the county and will be a big miss in a region where every point matters.

5-YEAR WIN TREND

2

2021 4 4 4

2020 2019 2018 5

2017

2021 RESULTS

Huntsville W 37-13 Briarwood L 8-42 @ Hewitt-Trussville L 17-38 @ Thompson L 3-49 Gadsden City L 27-29 Bye Oak mountain L 7-35 Hoover L 10-52 @ Vestavia Hill L 6-37 Tuscaloosa County W 35-7 Hueytown L 21-58

2021 STATS

Offense Total points: 171 Per game: 17.1 County rank: 11

Defense Points allowed: 360 Per game: 36 County rank: 11

Caldwell Bussey

Smith. Both have a lot of potential with Alston holding a size of 6-foot-2, 250 pounds and Smith at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds. Both are expected to be difference makers as the season goes along. Depth will also help with several others expected to be in the mix at the position.

LINEBACKERS

A theme on defense, the linebackers will also bring an impressive group of players to that side of the ball. Seniors Jackson Mitchell and Jack Kendrick both started at times last year and will be leaders at linebacker this season. Kendrick is moving up from safety where he was one of the team’s top tacklers with more than 50. Mitchell is also very experienced and athletic, while junior Landon Huey will step in with multiple games of playing experience on his resume as well. SECONDARY

Possibly the scariest part of this year’s defense will be the secondary that backs up that talented front seven. Senior Alex Smith and junior Jamari Mosely are both returning this season as productive leaders at the position. Those two combined for four interceptions and close to 10 pass breakups last season. Joining them will be Kelby Roberson, a junior safety who has the coaching staff excited as well. Vakakes said it is a unit that can win them games if depth surrounds those three and that they won’t give up big plays.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The special teams unit looks locked up heading into the season with Alex Lloyd back to handle all facets of the kicking game. Evan Bishop will handle long snapping, while Josh Tullos may also help in the kicking game.

WARRIORS CLASSIFICATION AHSAA Class 7A, Region 3 2021 RECORD 13-1 (6-1) Class 7A State

For three years, the Thompson Warriors have reigned supreme in Champions Alabama high school football. HEAD COACH

Coming off their third consecutive state championship and fourth Mark Freeman consecutive championship game appearance in Class 7A, the Warriors RECORD are in the midst of a dynasty with a chance at a historic four titles in a 72-15 (Eighth year) row going into the 2022 season. But it’s a new year, and this year, there will be obstacles to overcome to remain the top dog in the state. ASSISTANT COACHES Shawn DeFoor, Brad Costanzo, Trey Clark, Tyler

A young offense will be looking to replace just about every skill Scozzaro, Conner McGavin, position, including Mr. Football winner Ryan Peppins, quarterback Conner Harrell, running backs Justin Pegues and Brandon Franklin and Dustin Goodwin, Durrell Fuqua, Jordan Robertson, Woodrow Briggs, Taylor several others. Burgess, Mike Ramil, Caleb

Defensively, they lose Jeremiah Alexander, now at Alabama, Jax Van Hullet, Ross Newton, ThomZandt, Nate Riddle and others, who were leaders of a defense that as Johnston gave up 10 or less in all but two games with five shutouts. LAST REGION TITLE

The expectation, however, hasn’t changed. 2020 This team has the makeup to be every bit as good as the last three. It just comes down to whether they are complacent or whether they LAST PLAYOFF GAME 2021 want it as bad as the others.

MEET THE TEAM

QUARTERBACK

It’s tough to replace any two-year starter, but especially one who threw for more than 6,000 yards and close to 100 touchdowns in that span. That’s what the Warriors will have to replace with Conner Harrell’s departure. The Class 7A Back of the Year two years ago, he threw for 3,126 yards and 47 touchdowns last year with an additional 405 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. But, as we’ve learned in Mark Freeman’s offense, don’t expect too much of a drop off. Three

Zach Sims

Anquon Fegans

quarterbacks in a row have been named the Back of the Year, and now, Zach Sims hopes to become the fourth heading into his junior season. Sims will be young, but he got thrown into the fire last year, coming in as a backup against Hoover, starting a couple of important games in the playoffs and then leading the team early in the state championship game to a 14-0 lead with Harrell injured for a brief period of time. Now, he knows he is the guy and the expectation that comes along with it. A similar quarterback to Harrell, he has a big arm, but is very aware of the pocket and can also use his legs. He should be primed to be the next big star, assuming the rest of the offense fills in big roles as well.

RUNNING BACK

The Warriors will be replacing several key running backs this season, including Justin Pegues and Brandon Franklin. That two-headed monster gave Thompson a speedy athlete and a power back between the tackles. Pegues stepped into a starting role last year and did a little bit of everything with 664 receiving yards and 571 rushing yards with six combined touchdowns. Now, AJ Green and Michael Dujon will have big shoes to fill. Green is a player the coaches were talking about last year as a future leader, while Dujon is a young sophomore who is expected to be in the same position. Both will have a learning curve as the twoheaded monster this year with another

2022 SCHEDULE

Aug. 19: Buford (Georgia) Aug. 26: Lipscomb Academy (Tennessee) Sept. 2: @ Vestavia Hills* Sept. 9: Spain Park* Sept. 16: @ Chelsea* Sept. 23: Clay-Chalkville Sept. 30: Hewitt-Trussville* Oct. 7: Oak Mountain* Oct. 14: @ Tuscaloosa County* Oct. 21: Hoover* Oct. 28: Bye

*Region game

Zach Sims, QB

Sims will look to become the fourth consecutive quarterback to win the Back of the Year award in Class 7A for the Warriors. He showed potential in place of Conner Harrell last year, and looks poised for a big season.

AJ Green, RB

Likely the lead back this season, Green will take on a big role in replacing Justin Pegues and several others in the backfield this season.

Deuce Oliver, WR

Oliver showcased his potential in the state championship game last year with a touchdown catch and several other receptions, but now, he will be expected to be the leader at a productive position for the Warriors.

Peter Woods, DL

The Clemson commit totaled 28 tackles for loss last year and close to 100 total tackles. Now, he’s the leader up front and one of the best linemen in the country as a four-year starter.

Seth Hampton, LB

With Jeremiah Alexander, Jax Van Zandt and Nate Riddle gone, Hampton will have huge shoes to fill at linebacker. That said, he has accepted the challenge and has the potential for a breakout year.

Tony Mitchell, DB

One of the top defensive backs in the country, the Alabama commit is strong in coverage, forcing teams to stay away from him, but he is also great in the open field and looks to be physical on every play.

Anquon Fegans, DB

Just a sophomore, Fegans is the next big name at Thompson. He has several Division I offers and should be a leader in the secondary alongside Mitchell after starting as a freshman last year.

Jake Ivie

speedy and strong duo, but the coaches see a lot of potential at the position, especially with a strong offensive line returning.

RECEIVERS

With the loss of Mr. Football Ryan Peppins, as well as Jaylen Ward and Justin Pegues, Thompson will have to replace more than 3,000 receiving yards on offense. That makes this the most key position on the offense heading into the season with several new players needing to step up. Whether they do or not will likely determine the success of this year’s offense and how well Sims handles the starting job. One with high expectations entering the season is Deuce Oliver after a big early showing in the state championship. He played some as a sophomore and was the go-to target for

EDITOR’S 2022 PREDICTION (9-1)

Thompson may face the most difficult schedule in the state this season with two out-of-state defending champions to start the season, a non-region battle with Class 6A State Champion Clay-Chalkville and the usual gauntlet of Class 7A, Region 3, which Hoover actually won a year ago. Thompson could very easily lose a game or even a couple of games during the regular season this season, but the season that matters starts in November. The toughest regular-season games are Buford, ClayChalkville and Hoover, but they should still be in the driver’s seat for the region title this season, and by the time they get to the postseason, they will again be the favorite to win the state championship. Defensively, they’ll replace some big names, but I’ve heard about the depth of this year’s defense for the last two years and don’t expect much drop off. The offense is where the bigger concern will come, but still expect them to be around 40 points per game. This team is too well coached to think the Warriors will do anything but compete for a fourth state championship in a row.

@ Oxford W 55-0 Sparkman W 55-0 @ Tuscaloosa County W 58-0 Spain Park W 49-3 Hewitt-Trussville W 42-9 @ Mountain Brook W 51-0 @ Vestavia Hills W 49-7 Gadsden City W 41-7 Oak Mountain W 48-0 @ Hoover L 21-24 Bye Florence* W 49-10 Oak Mountain* W 45-7 @ Hoover* W 35-10 Central-Phenix# W 38-22

*Playoff game #State Championship game

2021 STATS

Offense Total points: 636 Per game: 45.4 County rank: 1

Defense Points allowed: 99 Per game: 7.1 County rank: 1

5-YEAR WIN TREND

13 14

12

11 12

Seth

Hampton

2021 2020 2019 2018 2017

Sims during his time in the game, including one touchdown connection between the two. In addition to him, Kolby Hearn, Noah Hill Shea, Korbyn Williams and Roman Mothershed will all be key players. Williams and Mothershed will be the only two seniors in that group, meaning it will be a young position unit with high expectations. OFFENSIVE LINE

The benefit for a young offense replacing a lot of talent will be the newcomers getting to play behind one of the state’s best offensive lines. Stanton Ramil returns as a leader in the trenches this season with several Division I offers. Ramil, a 6-foot-7, 310-pound lineman, started last year and played some as a sophomore as well. Beyond him, three other seniors will be in the starting lineup, including two returning starters. Noah Watts and Ryan Walker both played last year and return alongside Ramil to lead this year’s unit. Watts stands at 6-foot-1, 270 pounds, while Walker is around 6-foot-3, 235 pounds. The fourth senior will be Steven Lillitch, who is projected to be the starting center this season. Depth beyond those guys is still building heading into fall

Conner Harrell

The Back of the Year winner following the 2020 season, Harrell came back and totaled 3,126 yards and 47 touchdowns passing last year in addition to 405 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Ryan Peppins

Last year’s Mr. Football winner, Peppins finished the season with 1,564 yards and 23 touchdowns to lead the Warriors.

Justin Pegues

An all-around athlete, Pegues totaled 664 receiving yards and 571 rushing yards with six combined touchdowns a season ago.

Jeremiah Alexander

A four-year starter at linebacker or up front, Alexander is now at Alabama after totaling 28 tackles for loss and close to 15 sacks a year ago.

Jax Van Zandt

Another player who saw the field for four years, Van Zandt started the last three in a row and totaled 15 tackles for loss and 60 tackles last season.

Tre’Quon Fegans

With three interceptions and 10 pass breakups, Fegans handled the test of facing some of the state’s best offenses well last year.

KEY NUMBERS

6,531 1,564

It’s tough to replace any two-year starter, but especially one who threw for more than 6,000 yards and close to 100 touchdowns in that span. That’s what the Warriors will have to replace with Conner Harrell’s departure. The Class 7A Back of the Year two years ago, he threw for 3,126 yards and 47 touchdowns last year with an additional 405 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. In his two years as a starter, he finished with 6,531 passing yards for the Warriors and had command of the offense. Last season, Ryan Peppins totaled 1,564 yards and 23 touchdowns on 80 receptions during a remarkable senior season to earn the first-ever Mr. Football award for Thompson. Going into a semifinal rematch against Hoover, he had 1,239 receiving yards. But he had yet to show his best, coming out and taking over games at the position the next two weeks when it mattered most to lead Thompson to the state championship. His departure is a big blow for the Warriors this season, but he set the tone for what is expected from those stepping into a new role.

7.1

Last year’s defense was one of the best in school history and one of the best in state history, considering the talent Thompson matched up against. The Warriors gave up an average of 7.1 points per game despite one of the state’s most challenging schedules. In their 14-game run to the title, they totaled five shutouts, gave up 10 or less in all but two games, gave up seven or less in 10 of 14 and never gave up more than 24 points. The question becomes, can Thompson match that this season? The short answer is, yes. With leaders back up front and in the secondary and more depth, it wouldn’t be surprising. That said, there are some new faces that will have to fill important roles and the schedule is even more challenging.

Jayden Davis

1,795

Thompson’s offense has been remarkable during its three state championship wins. The Warriors have combined to total 1,795 yards the last three years with an average of 43.7 per game. It’s a dynamic offense that will replace the most talent it has in a while, but it shouldn’t take too much of a hit because of the job the coaches do to put the players in the best situation possible. You don’t have three consecutive first-year starting quarterbacks win a Back of the Year award without that.

Peter Woods

practice, while the other guard position is still up in the air and will be key as well.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Defensively, it will be tough to match last year’s unit giving up 7.1 points per game, but with two 5-star players back on this year’s defense and more depth than in previous years, don’t be surprised if they’re near that same pace. The first of those two 5-star athletes will be up front on the defensive line with the return of Peter Woods for his fourth year as a starter and fifth year as a player. With close to 90 tackles a season ago, he totaled 28.5 for loss and more than 10 sacks. Not only is he 6-foot-3, 270 pounds, but he runs a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, which allows the coaches to move him around in the front seven depending on how offenses plan for him. They will lose edge rusher Jeremiah Alexander, but Elijah Williams is expected to come in and fill an important role as the nose guard this season. There are still several players battling for the other starting positions up front, but the coaches feel confident in the depth that will come.

LINEBACKERS

With the losses of Alexander, Van Zandt, Riddle and others, the linebacking unit will take the biggest hit defensively this season. Those three alone accounted for close to 200

FIGHT LIKE WARRIORS Every team will be gunning for them. With three titles in a row, others across the state want to see Thompson’s fall from grace similar to any other team that has sustained success. It’s up to the Warriors to either fight and hold their grasp on the state or become complacent and watch it fall. The coaches instill in the players every day that somebody is working harder to beat them, so they need to work harder than them to be prepared for that. Ultimately, even if they are the best, somebody will compete with them at some point throughout the season, and the Warriors will have to be ready to fight like they’ve never fought before to keep their spot on top.

LIVING UP TO THE STANDARD It should be pretty easy to keep this team from getting complacent. One, there are several players entering the starting lineup who haven’t been the leaders of the three previous titles who should have something to prove, while they can also look back a short seven years ago to where this team was at then. Heading into that 2015 season, the Warriors were fresh off a 0-10 season with Mark Freeman stepping in to take the reins for the first time. Back-toback 5-5 seasons transpired before Thompson eventually turned into a state championship contender the next five seasons. A short trip down memory lane should be motivation enough for this team to fight to live up to the standard set the last several years, which is state championship or bust. That said, they have to take it week-by-week to be successful.

FREEMAN’S TOUCH The magic touch has been there since Mark Freeman stepped foot at Thompson High School. The Warriors have quickly become one of the best offenses in the state the last several years and have had a Back of the Year winner for the last five years in a row with four different players winning the award, including Taulia Tagovailoa, Sawyer Pate, Conner Harrell and Ryan Peppins. Defenses have struggled to find a way to stop the dynamic passing attack, while the Warriors do a good job of finding a mix of running backs who can stretch the field as well. Freeman has created a new expectation for the offense, and even with new players this year, that expectation remains.

2022 Thompson Roster

NO. NAME POSITION YEAR

1 Anquon Fegans DB 10 1 AJ Green RB 11 2 Vini Pires LB 10 2 Deuce Oliver WR 11 3 Tony Mitchell DB 12 4 Roman Mothershed WR 12 4 Josiah Ward DB 12 5 Jake Ivie LB 12 5 Michael Dujon RB 10 6 Korbyn Williams WR 12 6 Caleb Ballard LB 11 7 Jayden Davis LB 11 7 Kolby Hearn WR 11 8 Zach Sims QB 11 8 Kaleb Harris DB 11 9 Elijah Williams NG 12 9 Hayden Garrison QB 12 10 Jaden Brown DB 11 11 Peter Woods DE 12 11 Jaden Kelly-Camobell WR 10 12 Trent Seaborn QB 9 12 Dakota Murphy LB 10 13 Dylan Campbell DL 12 13 Omari Thomas WR 12 14 Joey Nowak WR 12 15 Kelby Taylor LB 12 15 Cooper Dorough QB 10 16 Quendarious McCall OLB 11 17 Noah Hill Shea WR 12 17 Jaquese Fegans DB 12 18 Seth Hampton LB 12 18 Kayden Washington DB 10 19 Dylan Willis DE 11 19 Caleb Fox W/LS 11 20 Peyton Lewis DB 10 21 Jacoby Shade DB 12 21 Travis McDaniel WR 11 22 Angel Jones WR 10 23 Zamiere Wirt DB 10 25 Kenny Hagler DB 12 26 Kendrick King DB 11 27 Jacori Gaddis DB 11 27 Pryce Lewis WR 9 28 Kobe Herlong LB 12 29 Jalon McElderry DB 10 30 Khalid Boykins DB 10 31 Kaleb Gildersleeve DB 10 32 DeShawn Murray RB 11 33 Dylan Johnson RB 10 34 Vickor Kyatt K 10 35 Diesel Ivie LB 11 37 John McGuire K/LB 10 38 Bennett Morrison DB 10 39 Trent Cheatom LB 10 40 Gabe Binion LB 10

NO. NAME POSITION YEAR

40 Kahnor Hughes K 12 41 Jeff Kimochu HB 12 42 Balin Daniels LB 10 43 Cohen Scott DB 10 44 Riley Bowen K 11 44 Taurus Rose DB 12 45 Vlad Valasiuk LB 12 46 Marcus Bermudez RB 10 47 Domiko Tabb DB 11 48 Angel Diaz DB 11 49 Justin Sankey DB 11 50 Mason Garrett LB 10 51 Ryan Walker OL 12 52 Rush Crawford LB 12 53 Hunter Holtzman OL 12 54 Jacori Gilbert DL 10 55 Bryton Brown LB 10 56 Mathew Heard DE 11 57 Cooper Mills LB 10 58 Dylan Marquess OL 10 59 Livan Rodriquez DL 11 60 Noah Watts OL 12 61 Logan Crain OL 11 62 Zac Felton OL 12 63 Jamaron Campbell OL 11 67 Allan Acosta OL 10 68 Sam Cunningham OL 11 71 KC Walters OL 11 72 William Molan OL 11 73 Steven Lillich OL 12 74 Kendrick Moore OL 10 75 Willie Murphy OL 10 76 Evan Moore OL 10 77 Stanton Ramil OL 12 78 Marley Cholewinski OL 11 80 Anderson Harris WR 10 81 Dalton Willis WR 10 82 Dante Hunt WR 12 83 Ethan Yeager WR 10 84 Brooks Byars WR 10 85 Zhavion Beverly DB 10 86 Stone Smith WR 10 87 Jack Davis WR 11 88 Jayvion Beverly DB 10 89 Trakel Howard WR 11 90 Jacob Bonilla DL 10 91 Matthew Wilkerson DL 10 92 Braydon Saylor DL 10 93 Tavares Gordon DL 12 94 Hayden McDonald DL 10 95 Trent Green DL 11 96 JC McCurry DL 12 98 Zach Spa DL 10 99 Shefton Thomas DL 11

Photo by Keith McCoy

tackles and more than 50 tackles for loss last year and were multi-year starters. Seth Hampton and Jake Ivie, however, are ready for big roles. Hampton started last year, while Ivie is a similar player to Van Zandt as a leader at the unit. Those two will anchor the position, while the Warriors have several others who rotated in and out last season. The rest of the starters weren’t determined going into fall practice, but it could be the deepest unit on the team when the dust settles at the start of the season.

SECONDARY

The other 5-star recruit on the defense is in the secondary, and he’s one of many defensive backs who can make big plays. Like Woods, Tony Mitchell will be in his fourth year as starter at Thompson this season and has been one of the best defensive backs in the state the last three years. Not only can he cover, but he tackles well in space and is physical with his hits. That allows the coaches to move him around as well, but defenses stayed far away from him last year. The Warriors do lose Alabama’s Trequon Fegans, but brother Anquon Fegans is also being highly recruited and returns for his sophomore season as a key player. Beyond those two, Kaleb Harris will be a physical starter at safety that the coaching staff is excited about, while Jaquese Fegans and several others could step up as well. Similar to linebacker, the unit will have some new faces looking to make an impact, but there are an awful lot of them who can make this position as deep as any on the team.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Thompson will have to replace kicker Trevor Hardy, who made the gamewinning kick as time expired in the state championship two years ago, but the Warriors have several on the team who could take the role, including John McGuire, who is the younger brother of former kicker and current Auburn kicker Evan McGuire.