THOMPSON 38, CENTRAL-PHENIX CITY 22
DYNASTY Thompson wins third title in a row
THOMPSON WARRIORS 2021 STATE CHAMPIONS
DECEMBER 5, 2021
Three straight Thompson wins third consecutive state championship By ALEC ETHEREDGE
THOMPSON CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NUMBERS
Managing Editor
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Thompson Warriors!
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June 4, 2022 @ Thompson High School
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12/2/21
BIRMINGHAM – On the field inside Protective Stadium before the state championship game, Thompson wide receiver Ryan Peppins looked up in the crowd alongside teammate Jeremiah Alexander and said, “We can’t let the city down.” Four hours later, the two senior stars held true to their word, leading the Warriors to their third state championship in a row behind a 38-22 win against CentralPhenix City with Peppins earning the Most Valuable Player award. “Before every game, I always take a peak up to the crowd,” Peppins said. “We just looked at each other and we said, ‘We can’t let the city down.’ From then on, it was game time.” And game time it was. The Warriors took a 24-0 lead into the halftime break and never looked back, eventually going up 38-8 before the Red Devils scored two touchdowns in the final minute. With the win, the Warriors became the first team in Class 7A to threepeat as state champions, and they did so in their backyard. “It was personal to get here and be the Birmingham team the first year,” head coach Mark Freeman said after the game. “Once we got there, we didn’t want to stop there. We wanted to win the championship in Birmingham.” In order to accomplish that goal, Freeman made sure his team was focused on desperation going into the game rather than being complacent after two consecutive titles. “There has to be part of you, like I told them tonight before the game, that you’re desperate to win,” Freeman said. “Last year didn’t matter, the year before didn’t matter. Tonight will stand on its own in history, and you’ve got to be desperate to win it and they showed us 11:28 AM that.” And early in the game, they looked like a team that had never tasted the success of a state championship game in the first half. The Warriors took the field and were relentless on both sides of the ball in the opening two quarters, even with backup quarterback Zach Sims forced back into action early in the game. On the opening drive, Thompson’s defense forced a quick punt after allowing one first down. The Warriors quickly capitalized, going 84 yards in four plays. Conner Harrell had passes of 28 yards, 12 yards and 17 yards to set up first-and-10 from the Central 42-yard line. On the last of those passes, however, he went down with a leg injury. After gingerly walking to the locker room, backup Zach Sims stepped in ready to go after gaining experience late in the season for an injured Harrell. “You didn’t want to see it early. Conner out there laying on the field,” Freeman
3
Thompson became the first team in Class 7A to win three consecutive state championships.
204
Ryan Peppins totaled 204 receiving yards and two touchdowns to earn the game’s MVP honor.
90
Justin Pegues had 90 allpurpose yards in the game with 54 rushing and 36 receiving, while he caught one touchdown pass.
7
Tre’Quon Fegans had seven tackles to lead the Warriors in the win, while he also added one interception and two pass breakups.
271 9 Conner Harrell finished with 271 yards passing and two touchdowns after battling through an early leg injury. championship win to lead the defense.
said. “I go back to this, and I’m not beating a dead horse, but I told the guys all week that God prepared us for a battle. I didn’t know what it would be, but we found out quick.” Sims, however, had the experience after starting two playoff games earlier in the postseason and playing the second half against Hoover. That experience became key. On his first pass, Sims hit Deuce Oliver for a 24-yard touchdown pass to give the Warriors a 7-0 advantage with 5:28 to play in the quarter. And from there, Thompson was off and rolling. Following a three-andout from the defense, Thompson’s offense came right back on the field and went on a six-play, 49-yard scoring drive. Sims hit passes of 20 yards and 7 yards, with a 10-yard run added in from Justin Pegues, before Sims then hit Pegues for a 26-yard touchdown pass to put the Warriors on top 14-0 late in the opening quarter. “We look back at when Conner got hurt in the Hoover game, and Zach came in and played a whole half and a game and a half after that. That experience tonight, he came in here and gave us a 14-point lead,” Freeman said. “When we put him in right there, we were totally confident. He’s a 10th grader playing a state championship game against a really good football team. That kid is so loveable that you’re happy for him.” The next three possessions came and went with three combined turnovers—an interception from Thompson’s defense, a fumble by the Warriors and then a fumble by the Red Devils. Thompson capitalized on the final of those turnovers with Harrell returning to the game and leading a nine-play drive that eventually put the Warriors in field goal range.
Mark Freeman now has nine state championships between Thompson, Spanish Fort and Bessemer Academy, placing him in a tie for second for the most in state history.
Trevor Hardy, the hero of last year’s championship game, came up big again with a 37-yard field goal to make it 17-0 with 5:17 left in the half. “It was definitely tough last year, getting hurt and not being able to finish the game,” Harrell said. “I felt like I was letting my team down because it was a helpless feeling. Anything I could do this game to get back in and help my team win, I was going to do.” Central eventually faced third-and-15 on the ensuing drive looking to make a big play and start a comeback late in the half. Instead, Jeremiah Alexander came up with an 18-yard sack that forced another punt from the Red Devils. And the offense continued to benefit from the success of the defense. This time around, the Warriors didn’t waste any time. On the first play, Harrell hit Peppins for 47 yards to set up the Warriors on the Central 13-yard line. Two plays later, he found Peppins again for a 6-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-0 going into the half. Out of the half, however, it was a different story in the third quarter. Thompson went threeand-out on all three of its third-quarter drives, while the Red Devils found the end zone for the first time. After the first threeand-out from the Warriors, Central put together a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a 9-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Nix to leading receiver Karmello English. He then hit Caleb Johnson for a 2-point conversion to make it 24-8, which held up going to the final quarter. At that point, the Warriors got back to their bread and butter. “We weren’t able to run the ball really well,” Freeman said. “You want
4
Thompson’s defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions and one fumble recovery.
61
Thompson now has a combined record of 61-5 over the last five seasons, while head coach Mark Freeman is 71-15 in his time at Thompson.
6
Thompson totaled six tackles for loss in the game with Peter Woods and Jeremiah Alexander both picking up sacks as well.
to be smart and have football sense, but at the end of the day, that’s not who we really are. And when it wasn’t working, that gave me a really good excuse to get us back in dime personnel, empty sets, and do what I felt like we could find some matchups with. We fell back on that and took advantage of it.” The first touchdown came with 10:41 left in the final quarter after Harrell hit Jaylen Ward and Bo Jones for gains of 38 and 32 yards. One play later, Harrell toted the ball in for a 3-yard rushing touchdown. One drive after that short four-play drive, Harrell hit Peppins for a 73-yard touchdown on the second play to make it 38-8 with 6:28 to play. The Red Devils added two more late scores, but it was too little too late at that point. “I just thank God. What a journey that he’s had me and my family on,” Freeman said. “When we came up here, a lot of my friends didn’t think it was a wise move, but it was a wise move. It’s what God wanted. The state championships, I’d be lying if I said they didn’t mean nothing, because one day, we’ll look back and say, ‘My gosh, we won a state championship.’” Harrell finished the game 10-16 for 272 yards and two touchdowns, while Sims was 3-5 for 70 yards and two scores. Peppins totaled 204 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. Pegues added two catches for 32 yards with a touchdown and 15 rushes for 54 yards. Defensively, Tre’Quon Fegans led the way with seven tackles, an interception and two pass breakups. Peter Woods added six tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss, while Anquon Fegans also had an interception. And Harrell did just that by leading the Warriors to the title.
THOMPSON 2021 RECORD (13-1) @ Oxford Sparkman @ Tuscaloosa County Spain Park Hewitt-Trussville
W W W W W
W W W
@ Mountain Brook @ Vestavia Hills Gadsden City Oak Mountain @ Hoover
W W W W L
51-0 49-7 41-7 48-0 21-24
CHAMPIONSHIP BOX SCORE
PLAYOFFS Florence Oak Mountain @ Hoover
55-0 55-0 58-0 49-3 42-9
49-10 45-7 35-10
Thompson Central-Phenix City
1Q 14 0
2Q 10 0
3Q 0 8
Championship game: Thompson 38, Central-Phenix City 22
4Q 14 14
W
SCORING PLAYS THS Zach Sims passes to Deuce Oliver for 24 yards, Trevor Hardy PAT good .................................................................. 7-0 THS Zach Sims passes to Justin Pegues for 26 yards, Trevor Hardy PAT good ..............................................................14-0 THS Trevor Hardy 37-yard field goal is good ......................................................................................................................................17-0 THS Conner Harrell passes to Ryan Peppins for 6 yards, Trevor Hardy PAT good....................................................... 24-0 CENT Caleb Nix passes to Karmello English for 9 yards, 2-point attempt good ........................................................... 24-8 THS Conner Harrell runs for 3 yards, Trevor Hardy PAT good .................................................................................................31-8 THS Conner Harrell passes to Ryan Peppins for 73 yards, Trevor Hardy PAT good ....................................................38-8 CENT Caleb Nix rushes for 6 yards, Charles Paul PAT good ................................................................................................. 38-15 CENT Caleb Nix passes to Tommy Griffin for 15 yards, PAT good .......................................................................................38-22
DECEMBER 5, 2021
THOMPSON WARRIORS 2021 STATE CHAMPIONS
A defense’s worst nightmare Conner Harrell set sights on championship before 2021 season began BY ALEC ETHEREDGE Managing Editor With the weight of replacing two of the best quarterbacks in school history squarely on his shoulders, anticipation quickly turned to nerves on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. Nonetheless, Conner Harrell pulled his shoulder pads over his head, put on his Thompson Warriors jersey, laced up his cleats and walked out of the locker room and onto the field under the Friday night lights at Warrior Stadium. “My mindset was solely on focusing on all of the responsibility I had,” Harrell said, reminiscing on his first start as a junior quarterback. But after slipping the shoulder pads on, suddenly the pressure of replacing back-to-back Class 7A Backs of the Year went away, and it just became about playing the game he loved. OUT OF NOWHERE Replacing quarterbacks Sawyer Pate and Taulia Tagovailoa, who had thrown for more than 3,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, Harrell had immense pressure to perform and do it in a hurry in his first year as a starter. Not only was he looking to replace that production, but the Warriors had been to two consecutive state championship games, winning in 2019 with the quarterback play being a key reason. “I had been around the team since I was in seventh grade, so I was confident in my ability to handle the pres-
sure,” Harrell said. “I worked crazy hard for the opportunity, and I was ready to show it.” And in his first start, with nothing known about his potential, Harrell blossomed out of nowhere into the state’s best quarterback. In a battle of defending state champions, Harrell totaled 269 yards and three touchdowns passing and 35 rushing yards with two additional touchdowns on the ground to lead the Warriors to a 56-34 win against Oxford to open the season. “I was a little nervous going into that game. I was just ready for the first pass. I remember the first drive, our running back (Jarrett Crockett) carried us, and I had just one pass,” he said. “We got good field position, and that eased me into it. I was ready from there. It definitely wasn’t a surprise; I knew it was in me. I just needed to show it on the field.” That seemed to ease Harrell’s mind as the starting quarterback for the rest of the season, as he went on to lead Thompson to a 14-0 season for the second time in school history featuring a second region and state championship in a row. “When you know you’re at that level to be able to start at this level, it definitely gives you some confidence,” Harrell said. “It gives you something extra when you know you’re the guy and a leader of the team.” He finished the season throwing for more than 3,400 yards and 40 touchdowns in his first year as the starter, eventually becoming the fourth consecutive Class 7A
win. “It was next guy up, and even with their backs against the wall and faith lost, they stepped up when it mattered most to make plays,” Harrell said. However, with that finish, he is hoping to make it through the season this year without giving himself, the team and the fans a heart attack en route to a third state title. SOAKING IT UP
Back of the Year winner from Thompson. “There was so much unknown for him going into the season because of COVID cancelling the spring and a lot of the summer,” head coach Mark Freeman said. “That hurt his time to prepare, but he handled it well and stepped up.” A CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER Late in the first half of the state championship game, Harrell walked off the field in pain and headed straight toward the tent on the sideline. After taking several hits late in the second quarter, this time, he know something was off. “It was tough. I kind of knew once I went under the tent for the first time and took my shoulder pads off, I tried to lift my arm, and I couldn’t do it. At that point, I knew I wouldn’t be able to throw,” Harrell recalled. He then came out in the second half with a sling on his arm and was forced to turn the reins over to teammate
Tre Roberson, who was one of the team’s top receivers. Thompson trailed 14-13 at the start of the second half, and the hole quickly got deeper with the Tigers scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 28-13 lead. “I think about that moment all the time, what it was like not to finish last year. Having a helpless feeling when your team is down and trailing,” Harrell said. “I just wanted to be out there helping them. I don’t want to have that feeling again, and I know I can’t control that, but I want to try everything I can.” Harrell, however, did say it helped seeing others step up in his absence, adding that he wants to make sure he is doing his job in preparing the rest of the team to be successful even without him. And last year, that thought process became big in the second half of the state championship game. Thanks to a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, the Warriors drew within nine points, before the miracle of 10 points in the final 30 seconds lifted them to a jaw-dropping
The nerves of going into last season have quickly dissipated going into the 2021 season, as Harrell looks to lead the Warriors to a third consecutive state championship. “Going into this season, it’s all about building chemistry with my receivers and running backs, while also staying focused and not getting a big head thinking we are the best,” Harrell said. “We know anybody can beat us on any night.” Ranked as high as third in national preseason polls, Harrell and the Warriors have been heralded as one of the top teams in the country and are expected to win the state championship, which brings a new load of pressure. The team, however, is confident in their ability because of the trust they have in one another with some of the biggest stars in high school football back for another season. “It’s huge to have people I can trust all around me. We’ve worked really hard this offseason to get chemistry,” Harrell said. “We’ve come a long way since everybody got here. It’s really important to know your man can win a
one-on-one matchup and you can trust them to run the right route and be reliable.” Going into the season, Freeman feels confident in what his quarterback can do this year, not only because of the talent around him, but the ability of Harrell to demand more from the team with a better understanding of the offense. “Last year, we tried to ease him into the season rather than put everything on him all at once due to less preparation,” Freeman said. “He can demand more this year though. He is experienced and confident and is doing a great job leading our guys.” Harrell has worked hard at being a leader by example this offseason, going as hard and as fast as he can during everything the team does together to help prepare them for the gauntlet ahead. He said if he can get everybody to follow his lead in that aspect, the team can blame anything on lack of effort this season. Just like everybody else on the team, Harrell hopes to lead Thompson to a three-peat this season, but he doesn’t want to lose sight of what is most important, which is enjoying the ride and leaving his mark on the program so future players will try to live up to the same standard. “I’m going to just soak everything in this year. I’ve watched three years of seniors play their last games and going out there on senior night,” Harrell said. A lot of us this year have been together since little league. It’s going to mean a lot playing with them one last time looking to add to our legacy.”
THOMPSON WARRIORS 2021 STATE CHAMPIONS
DECEMBER 5, 2021
REPORTER PHOTOS/KEITH MCCOY
ANOTHER CELEBRATION
THOMPSON FANS AND PLAYERS ENJOY A THIRD TITLE IN A ROW
THOMPSON WARRIORS 2021 STATE CHAMPIONS
DECEMBER 5, 2021
2021 THOMPSON WARRIORS 1 A’MON LANE
6 TRE’QUON FEGANS
12 JAX VAN ZANDT
21 ANQUON FEGANS
29 CALEB AUSTIN
43 JAIDEN BROWN
55 COLE HALL
72 WILLIAM MOLAN
91 MATTHEW WILKERSON
1 KOLBY HEARN
7 JEREMIAH ALEXANDER
13 CALEB BALLARD
21 JOEY NOWAK
30 LUKE REID
44 RILEY BOWEN
56 MATTHEW HEARD
73 STEVEN LILLICH
93 KYLE WRIGHT
2
2
KARSTON HAYWOOD
8
RYAN PEPPINS
8
KALEB HARRIS
14
ZACH SIMS
15
TYLER HICKS
CONNER HARRELL
22
23
VINI PIRES
ASHTON SPARKS
31
32
KENDRICK KING
45
DE’SHAWN MURRAY
47
KALEB THOMPSON
57
COLIN WESSON
59
VLAD VALASIUK
76
LIVAN RODRIGUEZ
77
PARKER MITCHELL
94
STANTON RAMIL
96
JAANOTHY AJ ALLEN
JC MCCURRY
3 TONY MITCHELL
9 JAMAR BO JONES
16 JAQUAVIOUS LEWIS
24 LIONE COOK
34 BRANDON FRANKLIN
47 DAMINKO TABB
60 NOAH WATTS
78 MARLEY CHOLEWINSKI
97 KYLE HAMILTON
4 CASEY KIMOCHU
9 NATE RIDDLE
17 TYLER REID
25 JASIAH WARD
35 DEISEL IVIE
49 ELIJAH WHITTIER
61 LOGAN CRANE
83 TRENT MARBURY
98
4 JAYLEN WARD
10 JAYDEN DAVIS
17 JAQUESE FEGANS
26 MALEK NAIJA
37 CALEB FOX
50 MARCUS GUARDADO
62 ZACHARY FELTON
86 MEL CAFFEY
5
5
JAKE IVIE
JUSTIN PEGUES
11
11
DAVID MOULTRY JR.
18
PETER WOODS
19
SETH HAMPTON
27
TREVOR HARDY
27
JACORI GADDISS
40
NOAH HILLSHEA
40
JACKSON SCOTT
52
KAHNOR HUGHES
53
RUSH CRAWFORD
65
HUNTER HOLTZMAN
68
WALKER WILLIAMS
87
SAM CUNNINGHAM
88
JACK DAVIS
TRAVIS MCDANIEL
6 AHMARI BOLDEN
12 DEUCE OLIVER
20 KENDALL FRANKLIN
28 KOBE HERLONG
41 JEFFREY KIMOCHU
54 RYAN WALKER
71 KC WALTERS
90 DYLAN WILLIS
PLAYERS NOT PICTURED: AJ GREEN, KELBY TAYLOR, KENNY HAGLER, TRENT CHEATOM, JOHN ROGERS, BRAXTON SMITH, PAUL EVANS. ANGEL DIEZ, JADON MORRIS, TRENT GREEN
99
SHAFTON THOMAS
ELIJAH WILLIAMS
HEAD COACH MARK FREEMAN
COACH BRAD COSTANZO
COACH CONNER MCGAVIN
COACH DAVORIS THOMAS
COACH ERIK KUYKENDALL
COACH SHAWN DEFOOR
COACH TAYLOR BURGESS
COACH TREY CLARK
COACH TYLER SCOZZARO
COACH WOODROW BRIGGS
2021 COACHES
COACH JAKE GANUS
COACH JIMMY TRAN
COACH JOHN JONES
COACH JORDAN ROBERTSON
COACH MIKE RAMIL
** HEADSHOTS REFLECT TEAM AS OF SUMMER 2021. FOR COMPLETE ROSTER OF 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM SEE NEXT PAGE.
THOMPSON WARRIORS 2021 STATE CHAMPIONS
DECEMBER 5, 2021
2021 THOMPSON CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM ROSTER NO. NAME
POS. YEAR
NO. NAME
1
A’Mon Lane
DB
10
21
1
Kolby Hearn
WR
10
2
Ryan Peppins
WR
12
2
Karston Haywood
DB
3
Tony Mitchell
4
Jaylen Ward
4
Casey Kimochu
5
Justin Pegues
5
POS. YEAR
Joey Nowak
WR
21
Anquon Fegans
22
Vini Pires
12
23
Ashton Sparks
DB
11
24
WR
12
25
OLB
12
26
Malek Naija
RB
12
27
Jacori Gaddiss
Jake Ivie
LB
11
27
Noah Hillshea
6
Tre’quon Fegans
DB
12
28
Kobe Herlong
6
Ahmari Bolden
RB
12
29
Caleb Austin
7
Jeremiah Alexander LB
12
30
Luke Reid
DB
8
Kaleb Harris
DB
10
31
Kendrick King
8
Zach Sims
QB
10
32
De’Shawn Murray
9
Nate Riddle
LB
12
34
Brandon Franklin
9
Jamar “ Bo “ Jones
WR
10
35
Deisel Ivie
10
Jayden Davis
LB
10
37
Caleb Fox
11
Peter Woods
DE
11
38
11
David Moultry Jr.
WR
12
39
12
Jax Van Zandt
LB
12
40
Jackson Scott
12
Deuce Oliver
WR
10
40
Kahnor Hughes
13
Caleb Ballard
LB
10
41
Jeffrey Kimochu
13
AJ Green
RB
10
42
14
Tyler Hicks
LB
10
43
15
Conner Harrell
QB
12
44
NO. NAME
11
52
DB
9
LB
9
LB
Lione Cook Jasiah Ward
POS. YEAR
Rush Crawford
LB
11
53
Hunter Holtman
OL
11
54
Ryan Walker
OL
11
11
55
Cole Hall
OL
12
RB
12
56
Mathew Heard
DE
10
DB
11
57
Vlad Valasiuk
LB
11
DB
12
59
Livan Rodrguiz
DL
10
DB
10
60
Noah Watts
OL
11
WR
11
61
Logan Crane
OL
10
LB
11
62
Zachary Felton
OL
11
DB
10
65
Walker Williams
OL
11
10
68
Sam Cunningham
OL
10
DB
10
71
KC Walters
OL
10
RB
10
72
William Molan
OL
10
RB
12
73
Steven Lillich
OL
11
LB
10
76
Parker Mitchell
OL
12
LS/WR
10
77
Stanton Ramil
OL
11
Kenny Hagler
DB
11
78
Marley Cholewinski OL
10
Trent Cheatom
LB
9
83
Trent Marbury
WR
10
DL
12
84
Jadon Morris
WR
10
K
11
86
Mel Caffey
WR
10
DE
11
87
Jack Davis
WR
10
John Rogers
LB
10
88
Travis McDaniel
WR
10
Jaiden Brown
DB
10
90
Dylan Willis
DE
11
Braxton Smith
DB
10
91
Mathew Wilkerson
DL
10
15
Kelby Taylor
LB
11
44
Riley Bowen
DB
10
93
Kyle Wright
NG
12
16
Jaquavious Lewis
DB
11
45
Kaleb Thompson
DE
12
94
JaAthony (AJ) Allen
NG
12
17
Tyler Reid
WR
12
46
Paul Evans
DB
10
95
Trent Green
DL
10
17
Jaquese Fegans
DB
11
47
Colin Wesson
LB
12
96
JC McCurry
DE
11
18
Seth Hampton
LB
11
47
Daminko Tabb
DB
10
97
Kyle Hamilton
DE
12
19
Trevor Hardy
DB/K
12
48
Angel Diez
DB
10
98
Elijah Williams
NG
11
19
John Morgan
K
10
49
Elijah Whittier
LB
12
99
Shafton Thomas
NG
11
20
Kendall Franklin
LB
12
50
Marcos Guardado
OL
12
2021 MARCHING SOUTHERN SOUNDS
2021 THOMPSON CHEERLEADERS
DECEMBER 5, 2021
THOMPSON WARRIORS 2021 STATE CHAMPIONS
A MEMORABLE SEASON A QUICK LOOK BACK AT EVERY THOMPSON GAME FROM 2021
GAME 1
GAME 2
GAME 3
OXFORD
SPARKMAN
TUSCALOOSA COUNTY
W, 55-0
W, 55-0
W, 58-0
Thompson opened the season against Oxford for the second year in a row, picking up a dominant shutout to start the year. The Warriors scored 34 in the first half and added three more touchdowns in the second half. Quarterback Conner Harrell opened the season with four total touchdowns in the win.
With a shutout against Sparkman, the Warriors pulled off back-to-back shutouts for the first time in more than 40 years in another dominant performance. Harrell’s five first-half touchdown passes were more than enough for the offense to pull away.
Not only did Thompson’s defense post its third shutout in a row to start the season in a win against Tuscaloosa County, but they held the Wildcats to zero total yards. The offense scored 51 points in the first half to help the team coast to victory.
GAME 4
GAME 5
GAME 6
SPAIN PARK
HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE
MOUNTAIN BROOK
W, 49-3
W, 42-9
W, 51-0
Thompson gave up its first points of the season against Spain Park, but the Warriors held the Jags to just a field goal in another easy win to improve to 4-0. Brandon Franklin ran for 100-plus, Jaylen Ward had more than 100 receiving and Justin Pegues had a rushing touchdown and kickoff return for a touchdown.
In another impressive outhing, the Warriors downed Hewitt-Trussville, limiting their fifth consecutive opponent to single digits. Harrell totaled 200-plus yards and four touchdowns, while Pegues finished with 114 on the ground and both Jaylen Ward and Ryan Peppins totaled 90-plus receiving with two scores each.
Taking on a top-five Mountain Brook team from the 6A classification, and a former Class 7A Region 3 foe, Thompson outgained Mountain Brook 505-66 to pull off the team’s fourth of the season and fourth game with 51 or more points.
GAME 7
GAME 8
GAME 9
VESTAVIA HILLS
GADSDEN CITY
OAK MOUNTAIN
W, 49-7
W, 41-7
W, 48-0
Taking on Vestavia Hills, the Thompson Warriors had a special night on Oct. 1 thanks to a dominant effort giving them their 25th consecutive win. Harrell and Peppins had special nights with the quarterback totaling 323 yards and four touchdowns and the receiver posting 232 yards.
Thompson continued to roll against Gadsden City in another balanced attack from both sides of the football. Harrell had three touchdowns and ran for a new career high of 113 yards, while the defense totaled 13 tackles for loss.
Thompson jumped out to a 41-0 halftime lead against Oak Mountain in the second to last region game, which was all that was needed for the Warriors to post their fifth shutout of the season.
GAME 10
FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS
QUARTERFINAL ROUND OF PLAYOFFS
HOOVER
FLORENCE
OAK MOUNTAIN
L, 21-24
W, 49-10
W, 45-7
Up 21-10 at the half, Thompson saw its lead slip away in the second half against rival Hoover with Harrell out of the game due to a hand injury. With the win, the Bucs took the region title, but the two were set for a rematch a few weeks later.
In the opening round of the playoffs, backup quarterback Zach Sims handled the pressure well. He finished 9-10 for 176 yards and two touchdowns, while Pegues totaled 153 all-purpose yards to help lead Thompson to another dominant effort.
For the second time this season, the Warriors faced Oak Mountain. This time, however, a spot in the semifinals was on the line. Thompson outgained the Eagles 536-177 with Pegues totaling 127 yards on the ground and Ward posting 153 yards on four receptions.
SEMIFINAL ROUND OF PLAYOFFS
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
HOOVER
CENTRAL-PHENIX CITY
W, 35-10
W, 38-22
Getting their shot at redemption, the Warriors took advantage against Hoover in the Class 7A semifinals. Thompson took a 21-3 lead into the half, and this time, didn’t back down. They grabbed a 35-10 win that saw Harrell throw four touchdown passes, while Peppins finished with 121 yards and three scores on six receptions.
Thompson jumped out to a 24-0 first-half lead and never looked back against CentralPhenix City to three-peat as Class 7A State Champions. Quarterbacks Conner Harrell and Zach Sims each had two touchdown passes, while the defense capped off an impressive season by forcing four turnovers.
THOMPSON WARRIORS 2021 STATE CHAMPIONS
DECEMBER 5, 2021
REPORTER PHOTOS/KEITH MCCOY
DETERMINED TO WIN
THOMPSON PLAYERS LEAVE IT ALL ON THE FIELD IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME