Published On: 12.03.20 | 

By: Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Thompson Warriors make SportsCenter with wild championship finish

Thompson's Piorre Carpenter (58) and Thompson's Cole Hall celebrate after the victory over Auburn in the AHSAA Super 7 Class 7A championship. (Mark Almond)

For one morning news cycle, Alabaster’s Thompson High School football team was nearly on par with the Pittsburgh Steelers and kicker Trevor Hardy was just a notch or two below LeBron James.

That’s what happens when a made-for-the-movies finish nets the Warriors an improbable, come-from-behind victory in the Class 7A championship game of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Super 7.

Alabaster awoke Thursday with the eyes of the nation looking its way. With a “Fantastic Finishes” graphic, ESPN featured the Thompson gridiron squad on its morning SportsCenter broadcast after the Warriors scored 10 points in the final 18 seconds to edge Auburn High School 29-28 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

One ESPN anchor said the end of the game was “like a movie.” Before Wednesday, the story was probably too unbelievable to make it to the screen.

Thompson Coach Mark Freeman called the game’s final seconds an “unbelievable life lesson to Jesus Christ for the whole season. (I’m) basically speechless at the way things turned at the end.”

The Warriors, ranked No. 1 in the final Alabama Sports Writers Association ranking, lost starting quarterback Conner Harrell, a candidate for Alabama’s Mr. Football, to an injury on the last series of the first half. In his absence, No. 6 Auburn dominated and led 28-13 entering the final frame.

Thompson narrowed the lead to 28-19 in the fourth quarter. In the late going, Tigers signal-caller Mathew Caldwell took a knee three times on their final possession, trying to run out the clock.

On fourth down, Korbyn Williams blocked the Auburn punt and returned it for a touchdown. Hardy had missed the point-after kick on Thompson’s first TD of the night, which meant the defending state champs were still down 28-26 following a successful kick, with 18 seconds to play.

Hardy delivered a perfectly placed onside kick and Harvard commit Gavin Shipman recovered to give Thompson life with 15 ticks left on the clock. The Warriors moved down field, aided by a pair of pass interference calls against Auburn, setting Hardy up for a game-winning, 35-yard field goal try.

“I was praying to God when I went out there,” the kicker said, adding he had to use his short-term memory. “I had to forget about me missing an extra point earlier.”

Thompson’s Trevor Hardy (19) and teammates celebrate as Auburn players walk off the field. (Mark Almond)
Thompson’s Trevor Hardy celebrates his game-winning field goal. (Dennis Victory)
Thompson’s Trevor Hardy celebrates his game-winning field goal against Auburn during the AHSAA Super 7 Class 7A championship. (Dennis Victory)
Thompson’s JB Mitchell celebrates after he was interfered with by an Auburn defender, setting up the game-winning field goal. (Mark Almond)
Thompson’s Amon Lane hoists the trophy after the victory over Auburn in the AHSAA Super 7 Class 7A championship at Bryant-Denny Stadium. (Mark Almond)
Thompson’s JB Mitchell celebrates the win over Auburn. (Dennis Victory)
Thompson fans celebrate the victory over Auburn. (Mark Almond)
Thompson’s Triston Woody and Amon Lane celebrate their team’s victory. (Mark Almond)
Thompson’s Trevor Hardy kicks the game-winning field goal against Auburn during the AHSAA Super 7 Class 7A championship. (Mark Almond)
Thompson’s EJ Edwards celebrates. (Dennis Victory)
Thompson’s Tre Roberson runs past Auburn’s Nasir Pogue. (Dennis Victory)
Thompson’s JB Mitchell gets behind Auburn’s Quay Nelms for a catch. (Dennis Victory)
Thompson’s Jarrett Crockett tries to get past Auburn’s Brad Harper. (Dennis Victory)
Thompson’s Sam Reynolds catches a touchdown pass in front of Auburn’s Quay Nelms. (Mark Almond)
Thompson’s Tre Roberson runs for a touchdown. (Mark Almond)
Thompson’s Tre Roberson looks to throw. (Mark Almond)
Thompson’s Tre Roberson, left, is congratulated by Auburn’s Cole Weiss. (Dennis Victory)
Thompson’s Ryan Peppins celebrates his touchdown against Auburn during the AHSAA Super 7 Class 7A championship. (Dennis Victory)

“We never give up,” Freeman said after the contest. “We practice like it’s a real game every day and tell the players, ‘The game could come down to this.’

“We practice game-winning kicks,” the coach said, “and we celebrate them in practice.”

Wednesday night, they celebrated for real.

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