Thompson High School State Championship by Shelby County Newsmedia, Inc.

THOMPSON 40, CENTRAL-PHENIX CITY 14

7A STATE

CHAMPS

THOMPSON WARRIORS 2019 STATE CHAMPIONS

DECEMBER 18, 2019

Hometown heroes

Thompson wins 2nd state title in school history By ALEC ETHEREDGE

THOMPSON CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NUMBERS

Sports Editor AUBURN – When Sawyer Pate and Mike Pettway met for a tear-filled hug under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019, it was a different meeting than the one they shared in a tearfilled locker room following a 52-7 loss to Central-Phenix City the year before. Standing near the 25-yard line, the two seniors found each other in a frenzy of teammates and coaches jumping around in celebration and immediately embraced in a long emotional hug after what they had just accomplished. Setting out from the second they left the stadium last year to get back and prove they could win a state championship during their senior year, the two were able to hold true to that and propel Thompson to its first state championship since 1982 and second in school history with a 40-14 victory over the Red Devils to complete their path to redemption. “That loss carried me and my receivers into the offseason with a lot of motivation to get back where we were and redeem what we did,” Pate said. “We’ve shown the state that Thompson is a team to beat now and we’re one of the best teams in the state. “It feels amazing,” Pettway said. “Nobody really knows all the hard work we and the coaches put in. It feels amazing to come from losing seasons to slowly progress and get better each and every year.” Pate ended the game 14-for22 with 239 yards through the air and two passing touchdowns, while he also added two rushing touchdowns to earn the MVP of the championship game. Pettway finished with two catches for 48 yards — both of which were big. “For me and Sawyer, it’s our senior year so we wanted to leave a legacy,” Pettway said. “That was our goal coming into the season, and we accomplished it.” Those two, however, weren’t the only ones that played a major role in the win. Thompson also dominated defensively allowing just one third down conversion in eight attempts, forcing three fumbles and picking up nine tackles for loss and three sacks. Sophomore Jeremiah Alexander led the way with one forced fumble, eight tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack. “Entering the playoffs, coach (Shawn) Defoor, the DC, pushed us to play the old Warrior style of defense, which was to get shutouts,” Alexander said. It paid off, as the Warriors put together their best defensive performance since the first four games of the season to pick up the state championship win and make school history. “If the people in this world knew what went on since we left here last year, they’d see how much this group of kids has grown,” Freeman said. “We have been so blessed. God has done some amazing work through these kids and that’s the great thing about the moment.”

Running backs JoJo Gaiters (83 yards) and Jarrett Crockett (50 yards) combined for 133 rushing yards in the game.

133

Thompson receiver J.B. Mitchell caught two first-half touchdowns in the left corner of the end zone to help the Warriors jump out to an early lead.

Thompson had nine tackles for loss in the win, including 3.5 from sophomore Jeremiah Alexander.

Thompson was penalized just four times for 40 yards in the game, while Central was penalized 12 times for 85 yards.

Sawyer Pate threw for two touchdowns and ran for another two for the Warriors to total four in the game and earn the Class 7A State Championship game MVP.

The Warriors’ defense held Central-Phenix City to 1-of-8 on third down attempts, marking Thompson’s best defensive effort of the season.

The nerves of the state championship clearly got to the two teams early, as they combined for three fumbles in the first five minutes. Thompson’s first fumble came after Pettway set the Warriors up with great field position thanks to a kick return to the 10-yard line. But on the first play of the drive, JoJo Gaiters coughed up the ball into the end zone where Central recovered. The Red Devils, however, went on to fumble on their first offensive play of the game as well, which gave the ball right back to the Warriors at the Central 17-yard line. But back-to-back sacks eventually led to a wide-left field goal attempt from Evan McGuire. Even with the great field position, though, Central gave the ball right back on a second fumble in as many drives. This time, Thompson capitalized. A long drive highlighted by several strong runs from Jarrett Crockett, a third-andfive catch for 9 yards from Tre Roberson, an offside on Central on third-and-3 and a 19-yard catch by Roberson on third-and-14 set up first-andgoal from the 1-yard line. That’s when Pate called his own number for a quarterback sneak and the touchdown. A missed extra point made it 6-0 with 2:11 left in the first quarter. The Warriors went on to play two strong defensive possessions in a row, and answered each with touchdowns offensively. Both touchdowns were passes from Pate to J.B. Mitchell in the left corner of the end zone. The first was a perfect 14-yard fade pass that saw Mitchell go up and rip the ball down for a touchdown to

Sam Reynolds, Gavin Shipman and Jax Van Zandt all totaled seven tackles in the win.

In addition to 3.5 tackles for loss, Jeremiah Alexander totaled eight tackles to lead the team, while also forcing a fumble and picking up a sack.

Evan McGuire made two field goals for the Warriors in the game, including one from 38 yards. Thompson forced a total of three fumbles, all of which the Warriors were able to recover in the win.

The Warriors scored 33 more points in this year’s state championship than last year’s after being shut down 52-7.

put Thompson on top 13-0 with 7:15 left in the second quarter. The next was an almost identical play, but this time from 19 yards out to put the Warriors in front 20-0 with 4:05 left in the half. Central answered thanks to an explosive play on the ensuing drive. Faced with 2nd-and-20 from their own 25, the Red Devils hit a 50-yard pass up the right sideline to pick up their largest play of the game. After a couple more plays, Central was able to punch in a 1-yard touchdown run of its own to make it 20-7 with 1:42 until the half. But Thompson had scored on three consecutive drives and still had plenty of time for another score. The Warriors marched right down the field behind more great plays, including another 19-yard pass from Pate to Mitchell. With two seconds left in the half, McGuire nailed a 38-yard field goal to put Thompson in front 23-7 at the break in a rematch of a game the Warriors trailed 21-0 at the half last year. Going into the locker room, Thompson had scored on four consecutive drives, and coming out of the locker room, the Warriors quickly made it five in a row. After forcing a three-andout by the Central-Phenix offense, the Warriors went to work, and eventually got it down to the Red Devils’ 4-yard line, but ultimately settled for a 21-yard field goal from Evan McGuire. Nonetheless, it was another drive with points to put Thompson on top 26-7 early in the second half. After two defensive stands from each team, Centralphenix put together its best and quickest drive to start the final quarter. A 39-yard pass

and an 11-yard touchdown run from Dexter Wright put the Red Devils in the end zone in just two plays to cut the deficit to 12 points with 11:32 to play. But then came the drive of the game. Thompson put together a strong, time-consuming drive of a little more than four minutes. The drive was highlighted by a 36-yard pass from Pate to Andrew Barbour to set the Warriors up at the CentralPhenix 11-yard line. Two plays later, Gaiters toted the ball all 11 yards into the end zone for an easy touchdown that put Thompson up 33-14 with 7:15 to play. On the ensuing drive, Thompson’s Ja’Vone Williams, who has made several big plays late in games this season on defense, stepped up and recovered the third fumble of the night to give the Warriors the ball back with 5:55 left to play. Thompson went on to use up 4:42 of clock before Pate punched in his fourth and final touchdown of the night to put the cherry on top of an already special performance. After Thompson made one more defensive stop, Pate got to take the final snap of the championship—a kneel down in victory formation to complete his journey. “The gratification of winning a state championship is tremendous,” head coach Mark Freeman said. “That’s what we come out and play for. In the flesh, you’re trying to get the Blue Map. But the thing I’m going to get joy from riding home tonight is that I’ve got a hundred grown guys, that are going to understand that if they put their mind to something and have faith, it will go far beyond this room tonight.”

Thompson’s offense was 9-of-12 on third down, converting on 75 percent of its opportunities.

THOMPSON 2019 RECORD (12-1) Davidson Foley Hoover @ Oak Mountain Tuscaloosa County

40-14 42-13 48-30 51-14 63-18

W W W W W

@ Spain Park @Vestavia Hills Mountain Brook @Hewitt-Trussville

47-23 35-21 33-21 29-35

W W W L

Championship game: Thompson 40, Central-Phenix City 14

CHAMPIONSHIP BOX SCORE

PLAYOFFS Austin Florence Hoover

54-2 38-31 35-21

W W W

Thompson Central-Phenix City

1Q 6 0

2Q 17 7

3Q 3 0

4Q 14 7

SCORING PLAYS THS Sawyer Pate runs for a 1-yard touchdown. PAT missed .............................................................................................................................................................................6-0 THS Sawyer Pate throws to J.B. Mitchell for a 14-yard touchdown ....................................................................................................................................................13-0 THS Sawyer Pate throws to J.B. Mitchell for a 19-yard touchdown ...................................................................................................................................................20-0 CPC Trevion Miles runs for a 1-yard touchdown ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................20-7 THS Evan McGuire makes a 38-yard field goal ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................23-7 THS Evan McGuire makes a 22-yard field goal ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................26-7 CPC Antonio Atkins runs for an 11-yard touchdown....................................................................................................................................................................................................26-14 THS JoJo Gaiters runs for a 9-yard touchdown.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................33-14 THS Sawyer Pate runs for a 7-yard touchdown....................................................................................................................................................................................................................40-14

THOMPSON WARRIORS 2019 STATE CHAMPIONS

DECEMBER 18, 2019

Keeping their promise Pate and Pettway put Thompson back on the map By ALEC ETHEREDGE Sports Editor Quarterbacking the red team was Michael Pettway and quarterbacking the black team was Sawyer Pate, the two pitted against one another as opponents hoping to take the other down in Alabaster’s city football league. Now, nine years later, the two joined forces and instead of looking across the sideline at one another as opponents, Pate took the snaps as Thompson’s starting quarterback where his favorite receiver was Pettway. The two seniors have grown up in Alabaster, and set sail on a special senior season that saw them follow through on a promise to lead Thompson back to glory with its first state championship in 37 years. Pettway returned as the team’s leading receiver, and helped Pate come along in his first full year as a starter replacing All-State quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who is now at the Univeristy of Alabama. They had big shoes to fill if they wanted to help Thompson maintain the success it had seen the last two seasons with appearances in the semifinals each year and a berth in the Class 7A State Championship game last year for the first time since 1982. But wearing the passion of an entire city on their sleeves, Pate and Pettway were determined to make this season the most special season in school history, and they did. “We want to prove to people that we aren’t the old Thompson, and that just because we lost all of these big players we are still just as good as we have been the last few years,” Pettway said before the season. QUARTERBACK TO QUARTERBACK The connection between the two playmakers goes back much further than what they were able to do during their senior seasons. Both started playing the sport around the kindergarten-first grade time frame after their parents signed them up, but it was third grade where they really got their first glimpse at each other. “Third grade through basically middle school, we both played quarterback,” Pettway recalled. “He was the Red team’s quarterback and I was the Black team’s quarterback.” The two didn’t play against each other very often, but the competition was there regardless. “We are really big competitors and like to compete,” Pate said. “I think that’s healthy. He’s a great guy and we’ve taught each other things and have built on each of the lessons. That’s what’s helped us be great.” Eventually the competition came to a head in middle school when one would have to eventually emerge as the starting quarterback. During seventh and eighth grade, the competition con-

Receiver Mike Pettway, left, and quarterback Sawyer Pate led Thompson to a state title.

tinued with each playing a season as the quarterback, but eventually the decision was made for Pate to be the guy moving forward, while Pettway moved to receiver. “It’s crazy. Even when we were battling for the job, we were always like brothers,” Pettway said. “Now that I’m at receiver, we still have that close connection.” There was some hesitation from Pettway, however, who thought seriously about quitting football altogether after his eighth grade year so he could focus on basketball. “Coach (Mark) Freeman persuaded me to give football another try,” Pettway said. “That’s when I fell in love with playing football.” Pettway went on to get great playing time during his sophomore year, before eventually becoming a full-time starter during his junior season where he went on to become the second leading receiver in Thompson football history. “Growing up I loved basketball and had dreams of going to the NBA,” Pettway said. “It may sound crazy, but that was bigger than football and the NFL to me. Somehow God just turned it around.” Pettway has now admitted to liking the receiver position more than the quarterback position, and during his senior season, he’ll have the opportunity to help Pate make a name for himself. TAKING THE REINS While Pate eventually won the starting quarterback job going into high school, a star playmaker by the name of Taulia Tagovailoa shook things up with his move from Hawaii after his brother enrolled at the University of Alabama. Tagovailoa immediately became a starter in his first year as a junior and went on to set school and state records at the position each of the last two years; and while many might have felt sorry for a guy like Pate, having to wait even longer for his opportunity, he’s the first to tell you that was the best thing that could have happened. “He took me under his wing,” Pate said. “He brought me everywhere and taught me a ton about the game and how to be a better leader.” When Tagovailoa first arrived, Pate didn’t really know what to expect, but it

quickly made him realize it was time to up his game. “I was expecting some big 6-3 guy, but he was just a little chubby kid when he first got here,” Pate said through laughter. “Then I saw him play and was like ‘wow.’ He could really throw it. That and his football IQ is out the door. He knows so much about the game. “It was at that time that I realized this dude is that much better and I really have to work my butt off to try and come close to his ability. Ever since he got there, I’ve worked harder and harder to try and get better and be better than him. We’re different quarterbacks, but I’ve tried to use what he did to help improve my game.” After two years of waiting behind the star player, Pate was ready to step in and take Thompson’s program one step further. “He’s going to shock a lot of people this year,” Pettway said before the season. “A lot of people try to compare him to Lia. Sawyer is Sawyer and Lia is Lia. I’m rooting for him to shock a lot of people, because I have complete faith in him to prove doubters wrong this year. Nobody has seen how hard he works and what he is capable of.” FINDING INSPIRATION Last year, the team experienced historic accomplishments by making it to their first state championship game since 1982, but they didn’t win, nor did they bring their best effort, which in turn inspired Pate and Pettway to both help bring that feeling back for the 2019 season. “We expect to be back in the state championship,” Pettway said ahead of the season. “We just have to take it one game at a time and not get ahead of ourselves.” That 52-7 thumping to Central-Phenix City in last year’s title game didn’t match the talent Thompson had, nor the historic season it had brought the city, but it did have some hidden elements of positivity. For one, with Tagovailoa uncertain for the game due to injury, Pate got a lot of the first-team reps in practice that week and played for the majority of the game, gaining valuable experience in one of the team’s biggest games. “I went to school and then practice and then watched film and more film and film,”

Pate said of his routine that week before the game. “I learned their defense and the plays we were going to scheme. It was stressful because we wanted to have answers for them, but had a couple of our key guys hurt. I think we came in a little too relaxed. We were tight and nervous. It’s a game I can’t really explain. It just wasn’t our time. We weren’t due that day.” The other blessing in disguise aside from Pate being thrown into the fire against the best team in the state was the desire to keep that from happening again. “I think that game made me and my teammates hungry,” Pate said before the season. “We want to prove that we are a state championship team.” REDEMPTION COMPLETE Since their days of playing quarterback for the Red and Black teams, Pate and Pettway have represented the city of Alabaster bleeding the Thompson red and black. All they cared about going into this season was putting Thompson back on the map. They didn’t just want to lead the Warriors to another noteworthy winning season like the previous two, they wanted to bring the city of Alabaster a championship as hometown guys. After fighting through an 8-1 regular season and three playoff wins by a combined 55 points, the Warriors earned a rematch with Central-Phenix City in the 2019 Class 7A State Championship game. This time, we would find out if those two seniors could handle the pressure or whether the preseason motivation would once again fall by the wayside. But every second of this year’s build up to the game seemed different. A team that had a one track mentality of proving everybody wrong, seemed to be in business mode. There was slight excitement before the game, but from the opening kick until the end, Pate, Pettway and the entire Thompson team went to work. Pate posted three first-half touchdowns, as the Warriors took a 23-7 lead and never looked back. With a dominant defensive effort and another 17 points after the break, Thompson went on to pick up a 40-14 win to get redemption. “We’ve shown the state that Thompson is a team to beat now,” Pate said. “It feels amazing,” Pettway said. “Nobody really knows all the hard work we and the coaches put in. It feels amazing to come from losing seasons to slowly progress and get better each and every year.” Pate finished the season with more than 3,000 yards passing and more than 40 total touchdowns. Pettway finished the season with close to 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns. “For me and Sawyer, it’s our senior year so we wanted to leave a legacy,” Pettway said. “That was our goal coming into the season, and we accomplished it.”

THOMPSON WARRIORS 2019 STATE CHAMPIONS

DECEMBER 18, 2019

TITLE TOWN

ALABASTER CELEBRATES A CHAMPIONSHIP

REPORTER PHOTOS/KEITH MCCOY

Thompson fans celebrate the Warriors winning their first state championship in 37 years after taking down the Central-Phenix City Red Devils 40-14 in the Class 7A title game on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Photos available at Shelbycountyphotos.com.

THOMPSON WARRIORS 2019 STATE CHAMPIONS

DECEMBER 18, 2019

2019 THOMPSON WARRIORS 1 SAM REYNOLDS

8 SAWYER PATE

2 JA’VONE WILLIAMS

9 DAMION UGBO

RYAN PEPPINS

MIKE PETTWAY

GAVIN SHIPMAN

TRE ROBERSON

TYGER FAAVI

AHMARI BOLDEN

JEREMIAH ALEXANDER

EMMANUEL EDWARDS

TRISTON WOODY

CARSON ROCKETT

JAX VAN ZANDT

J.B. MITCHELL

CONNER HARRELL

DEANTHONY SANDERFER

RUSTON CONN

BRYANT SPEARMAN

SHIKEIM RICHARD

TREVOR HARDY

BRANDON HOLIFIELD

DE DAVIS

GAGE MCDANIEL

JOJO GAITERS

SEAN BUSTAMANTE

NEHEMIAH STREETER

JAQUARIAN MOSS

JARRETT CROCKETT

ASHTON MUGLACH

KARSTON HAYWOOD

KENDALL FRANKLIN

BRYSON TURNER

NATHAN RIDDLE

KURTIS BROWN

BRANDON FRANKLIN

OWEN MAY

NOAH HILL-SHEA

JAMAL PETERSON

EVAN MCGUIRE

SASHA DAVIDSON

BENJAMIN HARRIS

BRENT LOWDEN

CHRISTOPHER LEE

D.J. LEWIS

DALTON LUCAS

MALEK NAIJA

JORDAN SMITH

JACKSON SCOTT

LANDON SAMPLE

COLIN WESSON

MONTAJ COOK

JONATHAN YOUNG

PRESTON JOHNSON

PETER WOODS

KOLE MATTHEWS

JEFFERY TUBBS

MICHAEL SPECHT

DEVIN HAYNES

MIKEY BUBEL

LOGAN PILKERTON

ETHAN MORTON

COLE HALL

MARCOS GUARDADO

KALEB THOMPSON

KYLE WRIGHT

ANTHONY BUTLER

CONNOR HOWARD

DYLAN WALKER

NYL LOUIS AZIAYA

ANDERSON LEE

NOAH TANNER

JOSEPH PRECISE

ZACHARIAS JOHNSON

KASEY KIMOCHU

ZACH STEWART

TYLER REID

JORDAN OWENS

EVAN KOLODZIEJ

DELANDUS JONES

ELIJAH WHITTIER

JACOLBI JONES

LAMONT GREEN

JACOB KNIGHT

MARKEESE MCNEAL

K’MARION HAMBRIGHT

PARKER MITHCELL

HEAD COACH MARK FREEMAN

COACH BRAD COSTANZO

COACH BRAD EASLEY

COACH BRETT BURNETT

COACH CONNOR MCGAVIN

COACH JAKE GANUS

COACH JAKE HELVESTON

COACH JOHN JONES

COACH JORDAN ROBERTSON

COACH MARK REAVES

COACH SHAWN DEFOOR

COACH WOODROW BRIGGS

** HEADSHOTS REFLECT TEAM AS OF SUMMER 2019. FOR COMPLETE ROSTER OF 2019 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM SEE NEXT PAGE.

THOMPSON WARRIORS 2019 STATE CHAMPIONS

DECEMBER 18, 2019

2019 CHAMPIONS

2019 THOMPSON CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM ROSTER NO. NAME

YEAR POS.

NO. NAME

YEAR POS.

NO. NAME

YEAR POS.

Samuel Reynolds

Kendall Franklin

Mason Bentley

Ryan Peppins

Bryson Turner

Michael Bubel

OL OL

Ja’Vone Williams

Jacoby Shade

Logan Pilkerton

Toni Mitchell

Nathan Riddle

Ethan Morton

Michael Pettway

Kurtis Brown

Colton Hall

Gavin Shipman

Brandon Franklin

James Joseph Willis

Tyger Faavi

Owen May

Marcos Guardado

Tre Roberson

Noah Hill-Shea

Kaleb Thompson

Ahmari Bolden

Jamal Peterson

Kyle Wright

Jeremiah Alexander

Evan McGuire

Anthony Butler

Emmanuel Edwards

Sasha Davison

Connor Howard

Sawyer Pate

Taylor Campbell

Dylan Walker

Andrew Barbour

Ryan Walker

Nyl Louis Aziaya

Damion Ugbo

Jeremiah Coney

Anthony Kilburn

Korbyn Williams

ATH

Benjamin Harris

Anderson Lee

Triston Woody

Christopher Le

Noah Tanner

Carson Rockett

Brent Lowden

Joseph Precise

Jax Van Zandt

LaShavis Jackson

Zacharias Johnson

J.B. Mitchell

Damion Lewis

Jeffrey Kimochu

Conner Harrell

Dalton Lucas

Casey Kimochu

DeAnthony Sanderfer 12

Malek Naija

Zachary Stewart

Ruston Conn

Jordan Smith

Tyler Reid

Kobe Stewart

Jackson Scott

Jordan Owens

Shikeim Richard

Landon Sample

Evan Kolodziej

Bryant Spearman

Colin Wesson

Delandus Jones

Trevor Hardy

Montaj Cook

Elijah Whittier

Brandon Holifield

Jonathon Young

Jacolbi Jones

DeMarcus Davis

Joshua Ledbetter

Lamont Green

Gage McDaniel

Preston Johnson

Jacob Knight

JoJo Gaiters

Larryn Woods

Markeese McNeal

Sean Bustamante

Kole Matthews

Kobe Herlong

Nehemiah Streeter

Hunter Holtzman

SethHampton

Ja’Quarian Moss

Jeffery Tubbs

K’Marion Hambright

Jarrett Crockett

Noah Watts

Gregory Hamilton

Dorian Jones

Michael Specht

JaCary McCurry

Ashton Muglach

Zachary Felton

Gabriel Stevens

Karston Haywood

Devin Haynes

Parker Mitchell

2019 MARCHING SOUTHERN SOUNDS

ALABASTER ARTS COUNCIL congratulates the

Thompson Warriors!

join us for

June 6, 2020 @ Thompson High School

DECEMBER 18, 2019

THOMPSON WARRIORS 2019 STATE CHAMPIONS

DOWN MEMORY LANE A LOOK AT EVERY THOMPSON GAME FROM THE 2019 SEASON

GAME 1

GAME 2

GAME 3

DAVIDSON

FOLEY

HOOVER

W, 40-14

W, 42-13

W, 48-30

In Thompson’s opener of the 2019 season on Saturday, Aug. 24, inside Warrior Stadium, the Warriors got 30 first-quarter points on their way to a 40-14 win over visiting Davidson in the inaugural Go Gold Bowl to benefit Childhood Cancer Awareness.

Thompson’s football team raced past its second opponent to start the 2019 season, this time 42-13 over visiting Foley, and now things get interesting.

Flash back three seasons ago, and the Thompson Warriors entered the season never having beaten the Hoover Buccaneers. Now fast forward to 2019, and the Warriors have beaten the Bucs three times in the last five games after overcoming a 17-0 deficit to down the No. 1 team in the state 48-30 in front of the home crowd on Friday, Sept. 6.

GAME 4

GAME 5

GAME 6

OAK MOUNTAIN

TUSCALOOSA COUNTY

SPAIN PARK

W, 51-14

W, 63-18

W, 47-23

Coming off an upset of the No. 1 Hoover Buccaneers, there was no letdown for the new No. 1 Thompson Warriors, who hit the road for the first time this season on Friday, Sept. 13, for a region matchup with Oak Mountain and walked away with a 51-14 victory to improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in region play.

The Thompson Warriors emerged from homecoming week as one of only two unbeatens left in 7A Region 3 as they easily dispatched Tuscaloosa County despite a gutsy effort early on. A 63-18 win over the visiting Wildcats moved the No. 1 ranked Warriors to 5-0 (3-0) and into a first-place tie with Mountain Brook.

The Jaguars gave their best effort, but Thompson scored four consecutive touchdowns between the third and fourth quarters to seal the game and leave no doubt, 47-23.

GAME 7

GAME 8

GAME 9

VESTAVIA HILLS

MOUNTAIN BROOK

HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE

W, 35-21

W, 33-21

L, 29-35

The No. 1 ranked Thompson Warriors faced a tough road test in the ninth-ranked Vestavia Hills on Friday, Oct. 11, but emerged victorious using a big third quarter to pull away from the scrappy Rebels, 35-21.

After struggling all night at getting off the field on third downs, the Thompson Warriors put that behind them and after taking a 27-21 lead on No. 5 Mountain Brook, they came back the next drive on fourth-and-6 from the Thompson 39-yard line and got a pick-six from Ja’Vone Williams to cement a 33-21 victory and their second region title in three years on Friday, Oct. 18.

Perfection fell short Friday night, Oct. 25, as Thompson High School was handed its first defeat of the season, 35-29, on the road at Hewitt-Trussville.

FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS

QUARTERFINAL ROUND OF PLAYOFFS

AUSTIN

FLORENCE

W, 54-20

W, 38-31

Two weeks after taking their first loss of the season at Hewitt-Trussville, the Warriors answered their critics and overwhelmed the Austin Black Bears with a huge first half on the way to a resounding 54-20 win in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs in front of the home crowd on Friday, Nov. 8.

For the third consecutive year, the Thompson Warriors are headed to the semifinals of the Class 7A playoffs after taking down Florence 38-31 in the second round in front of the home crowd inside Warriors Stadium on Friday, Nov. 15.

SEMIFINAL ROUND OF PLAYOFFS

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

HOOVER

CENTRAL-PHENIX CITY

W, 35-21

W, 40-14

Since summer workouts started, the Thompson Warriors had one thought on their minds—redemption. Now, after a 35-21 victory over No. 5 Hoover in the semifinals of the Class 7A playoffs, the Warriors clinched a spot in their second straight state championship for a chance to redeem last year’s loss to Central-Phenix City.

Thompson got redemption for last year’s 52-7 loss to Central-Phenix City by finishing the season with a 40-14 thumping of the Red Devils to claim the 2019 Class 7A State Championship, marking the Warriors’ second title in school history.

THOMPSON WARRIORS 2019 STATE CHAMPIONS

DECEMBER 18, 2019

CROWNING THE CHAMPS THOMPSON PLAYERS AND COACHES CELEBRATE HISTORY

REPORTER PHOTOS/KEITH MCCOY

Thompson players celebrate after beating Central-Phenix CIty 40-14 in the Class 7A state championship game to claim their second title in school history and first since the 1982 season. Photos available at Shelbycountyphotos.com.