The #2 Thompson Warriors play the #1 Central-Phenix City Red Devils in the AHSAA 7A Championship on Wednesday night at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Both teams pretty much dominated their opponents in the playoffs to get to this championship game.
Thompson had playoff wins over Florence (42-0), Vestavia Hills (34-14), and Hewitt-Trussville (21-10), while Central had playoff wins over Davidson (63-21), Auburn (49-21), and Mary Montgomery (21-7).
Thompson averages 38.6 points per game and has a very talented offense. Quarterback Trent Seaborn leads the way for the Warriors offense. The freshman QB has so much poise for a young player and led Thompson to a championship in the playoffs last season.
"It is the gift of God that he has so much poise," said Thompson head coach Mark Freeman. "You have seniors sometimes that don't have poise. He is not going to get rattled. He is a perfect quarterback because he knows not to get caught up in the last play or mistakes. I had to get on him early, but now he knows if he placed the ball in the right spot. I don't have to coach him cause he knows where the ball placement needs to be. He has such a good poise about him. Coaches do a great job with him. We don't necessarily ask him to win a game. There are a lot of times when we make decisions before and after the snap. He grades out at 85 percent on a bad night. If you have someone that grades 85 percent after the snap, that is pretty good."
Seaborn has completed 174-of-237 passes for 2,388 yards with 25 touchdowns and five interceptions for the season. Seaborn is one of the best passing quarterbacks that can accurately throw the deep ball. He is completing 73 percent of his passes. Senior Zach Sims has completed 18-of-27 passing for 204 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions with 108 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Sims was the starting quarterback until he was injured late in the season last year, and Seaborn has taken over after the Sims's injury.
The Warriors running game has two good players. AJ Green has been the workhorse running the football lately, while Michael Dujon can impact the passing game. Green has 1,048 yards on 153 carries and 13 touchdowns with 141 yards on 14 receptions, while Dujon has 363 yards on 53 yards and six touchdowns with 188 yards on 22 receptions and a touchdown. Green has power running from tackle to tackle, whereas Dujon is slightly more shifty. Both backs have good speed when in the open field. H-back Gabrial Binion is a good lead blocker for both running backs.
The Warriors have four receivers that can make the big play anytime. Deuce Oliver is the quickest of the four and can turn a short pass into a first down. Oliver has 72 receptions with 691 yards and three touchdowns. Colben Landrew and Kolby Hearn are the deep threats. Landrew can go up over a defender to catch a ball, while Kolby Hearn can break the extended play with his speed. Landrew has 25 receptions with 504 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Hearn has 31 receptions with 687 yards and seven touchdowns. Angel Jones has 15 receptions for 282 yards and five touchdowns.
The Thompson offensive line has been a work in progress. Barron Criddle, KC Walters, Braydon Saylor, Matthew Speights, and Dylan Marquess. "We have a lack of size and experience," added Freeman. "We haven't played a perfect game on the offensive line, and I don't think you can go through the season thinking they are going to play a perfect game, but I believe they are getting better at being consistent. They have played well in the playoffs. We are undersized, which was an area of concern at the start of the season." Of the five championship runs for the Warriors, this is the most undersized line this season.
The Warriors defense is only giving up 10.2 points per game. Thompson has only given up 24 points in the playoffs. The Warriors defense is led by two defensive backs who are the top two tacklers on the team. Safety Kaleb Harris and cornerback Anquon Fegans are the leading tacklers from the backend of the Warriors defense.
Harris, an Auburn committment, leads the team in tackles with 113 on the season. Also, he has 12 tackles for loss, three sacks and three interceptions. Harris plays all over the field, and you wonder if he will be lining up around the line of scrimmage or the back end of the secondary. "He has such great instinct for the football," said Freeman. "He has some God-given tools. He has the desire and passion to be the best player. He doesn't want to take a play off. He is so strong and plays physically. He is such a good tackler, along with being a cover guy. I see him playing early at the next level because he likes to play physically with great speed. He is such a great football player."
Anquon Fegans, one of the best defensive backs in the country, leads the Warriors with five interceptions on the season. Fegans can play safety or corner and come up and make a big tackle around the line of scrimmage. Fegans attacks the ball with great energy and leaping ability if it is in the air. For the season, Fegans has 68 tackles and four tackles for loss. Look for Fegans to lock in on the Red Devils best receiver for most of the game.
Defensive backs JB Brown and Peyton Lewis round out the Warriors secondary. Lewis is another good defender who can cover. Lewis has 45 tackles and two interceptions on the season. Brown has 41 tackles and three tackles for loss.
The defensive line is a little undersized, but another group that has played well since the Clay-Chalkville game. Caleb Ballard, Noah Streeter, Curtis Avery, and freshman Cameron Pritchett lead the way for the Warriors defensive front. Ballard has been consistent for most of the season. He has 33 tackles and two tackles for loss. Streeter has 19 tackles and three tackles for loss, and Avery has 32 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four sacks. Avery has put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Pritchett has offers from Texas, Auburn, Michigan, Ole Miss, Louisville and Texas A&M.
The linebacks will play a big role against the Red Devils run game. Vini Pires, Hayden McDonald, Tyler Hicks, and Jayden Davis round out the Warriors linebackers. Pires has 58 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and a sack and is having a great season. McDonald has 35 tackles and six tackles for loss. Hicks has 56 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and Davis 51 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception on the season.
Thompson kicker John McGuire has made 44 of 47 extra points and went 5 for 6 in field goals with a long of 50 yards this season. McGuire has a big leg and usually puts you at the 20-yard line after a Thompson score.
Central is averaging 44.6 points per game on offense. The Red Devils can score in the air or on the ground. Only last week against Mary Montgomery, the Red Devils only scored 21 points in the game, their lowest of the season. "I think what makes this offense so special is we have a lot of guys that we can throw the ball to," said Red Devils head coach Patrick Nix after the Auburn playoff game. "This is a deep offense that is hard to handle sometimes."
Central quarterback Andrew Alford is having a monster year. He is another great quarterback who can throw the long ball at any time in the game. "Andrew is such a competitor to make play after play after play," added Nix. "He can stay in the pocket, create and make a big play and is getting increasingly comfortable with the offense each week." Alford has completed 169-of-253 passes for 3,384 yards with 44 touchdowns and only two interceptions this season.
The receivers have made the big plays for the Red Devils and will need another big game against Thompson in the championship game. Cam Coleman, an Auburn commitment who just flipped from Texas A&M, has great hands and speed and can jump over any defensive back. For the season, Coleman has 56 receptions for 1,229 yards and 17 touchdowns. It is a dangerous call if you are going to play him one-on-one. Coleman plays on the outside or in the slot. Can make the big play at any time the Red Devils call his number.
Daylyn Upshaw is another special receiver for the Red Devils. Upshaw can go deep at any time or can catch the big pass for a crucial first down. If you double Coleman, Upshaw can hurt you with his big play opportunities. For the season, Upshaw has 58 receptions for 1,174 yards and 15 touchdowns. Coleman and Upshaw combined for 32 touchdowns this season.
Remember, Dylan Gentry, Davion Bennett, and tight end Jacob Tenney play a big role in the Red Devils offense. Gentry is a good possession receiver who can get you the big first down along with Tenney in the middle of the field. Gentry has 27 receptions for 504 yards and seven touchdowns, while Tenney has 13 receptions for 270 yards and three touchdowns.
The Red Devils run game is solid, with two pretty equal running backs. Zack Simmons and Tristan Williams will get big carries in the game. Both have big breakaway speed. Simmons has 746 yards on 118 carries and nine touchdowns, while Williams has 733 yards on 62 carries and nine touchdowns. Williams averages 11.8 yards per carry this season.
The Red Devils offensive line is huge. Mal Waldrep can run block with the best of them. Eric Scribner, Joshua Sumbry, Zavion Chambers, and Caleb Tarver lead the way for the offensive line.
The Central defense is only giving up 12.1 points per game. Defensive linemen Isaia Faga and Tristan Lyles lead the way for the Red Devils defense. Faga, an Alabama commitment, has 77 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, and four sacks on the season. Faga is a big presence in stopping the opposing run game. Lyles has 79 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, and 15 sacks on the season.
Add in Makel Green with 21 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack, along with Thenorris Thomas with 43 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and two sacks this season.
The linebacker group has Trent Hood, Brennan Core, and LJ Williams. For the season, Hood has 74 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interception. Core has 33 tackles and two tackles for loss, and Williams has 27 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and an interception.
The Red Devils secondary has Jiquan Sanks, Terence Jackson, Cam Westberrry, Daniel Cameron, and Rydarrius Morgan. Sanks is all over the field, making tackles or covering receivers. Sanks has 47 tackles, one tackle for loss, and an interception. Morgan, an Alabama commitment, has 59 tackles, one tackle for loss, and three interceptions this season. Morgan is a big-time cover guy with a lot of experience and talent.
Kicker Charles Paul has converted 63-of-66 extra points with 5-of-8 on-field goals with a long of 39 yards for Central this season.
There are a few matchups to watch in this game that could decide the outcome.
The smaller Thompson offensive line against the big size of Central. Faga could be hard to handle his his size and speed on the Central defensive side.
Red Devils Coleman against the Warriors Fegans. Fegans will be the best defensive back that Coleman has seen this season. Upshaw going against Peyton Lewis. Will the Warriors try to play man-to-man against these two big Red Devils receivers?
Central quarterback Alford against Thompson quarterback Seaborn. Who will have the bigger game in the passing game? Seaborn has been here before, and Alford has not. Does this matter in the game?
The Thompson receivers against the Central secondary. Can Oliver, Hearn, Landrew, and Jones make a big impact against Sanks and Morgan in the Central secondary?
Kickers Central Paul, or Thompson McGuire play an important role in this game? Both are having a pretty good season kicking field goals this season.
What defense can hold up the others' high-power offense? Both offenses this season have put up some big numbers with points and yards.
Thompson holds a 2-1 advantage all-time against Central. One thing is certain it looks to be a cold night in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night.
