Thompson High School Special Section

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

ALABASTER ARTS COUNCIL congratulates the

Thompson Warriors!

join us for

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