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Thompson pulled off the upset of No. 1 Auburn High to advance to the Class 7A semifinals, showing the program’s character in a game the Warriors never trailed. (For reporter/Frank Couch)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports editor

AUBURN – The Thompson Warriors are no strangers to the playoffs, but they are strangers to being underdogs going into a big game. That was the case as they prepared to face the undefeated No. 1 Auburn High School Tigers on Nov. 15 at Duck Samford Stadium.

However, when the final whistle blew, the Warriors left little doubt that they were the better team on the court, never trailing in a 35-21 second-round victory.

For Thompson coach Mark Freeman, the performance showed two things the program is familiar with: hard work and determination.

“Our program was built on games like this,” Freeman said. “The years we were building the program, they were built on our kids going and winning (against) those types of programs.”

As a result, Freeman and the Warriors relished their role of playing spoiler, putting their program’s character on display in the biggest game of the season.

“We’re champions,” Freeman said. “The schedule is bigger than a week or a season, and I get that, but it was the first time in a long time that we’ve been an underdog, and it actually felt pretty good to be an underdog.”

Both defenses took over the game early, bringing the pressure and taking advantage of penalties to force quick shots.

Thompson almost had a chance to break the deadlock with a short field goal with 3:29 left in the first, but Jackson Luvvorn got a sack to hold the Warriors at the Auburn 29.

Forced into a long 46-yard field goal attempt, John Alan McGuire could not convert and left the game tied at 0-0.

The Tigers then punted again to start the second quarter, but after forcing a pair of incompletions, it looked like Auburn would take over after a punt.

However, the Tigers muffed the punt and Thompson pounced on the ball at the Auburn 42, and that was the spark the Warriors needed.

After Pryce Lewis kept the game going on a third-and-4, Seaborn connected with Darion Moseley for a 19-yard touchdown to put Thompson up 7-0 with 8:53 left in the second.

On the ensuing drive, the Tigers then got a pair of first downs on the ground, but couldn’t get a third down after quarterback Jackson Kilgore was seen off the line on third down. The Warriors were then stopped to force a turnover on downs to the Thompson 28.

Two plays later, the Warriors punished Auburn with a Dedrick Kimbrough Seaborn bomb down the right sideline. The freshman took the catch 72 yards to the house, doubling Thompson’s lead to 14-0 with 2:46 left in the second.

The score remained tied at halftime, but the Tigers came out of the locker room determined to fight back.

Auburn almost got yards to spare, going down the field before a red-hot Kilgore found his man in the back corner of the end zone, cutting the deficit to 14-7 with 8:13 left in the third.

As the Warriors glanced down the ensuing drive, they quickly stole the ball on defense.

On a deep throw into double coverage, Payton Lewis threw the ball and tipped it to Damonte Tabb for the interception, just Kilgore’s third of the season.

The ensuing Thompson drive looked like it would stall before Seaborn scrambled for the sticks on third down deep in Warriors territory. Not only did he get a first down, but he got a lot more as he hit fresh air before being stopped at the 4-yard line.

RJ Evans did the rest, scoring on the next play to put Thompson back up by 14 with 3:44 left in the third.

The Warriors defense forced another quick punt on the final play of the quarter, but the ensuing offensive drive was much longer and more grueling.

Dujon took the ball 27 yards to the Tigers 12-yard line, leading to a long, awkward sequence before scoring.

After an Evans touchdown was called back for a holding, Seaborn’s tough count on fourth-and-2 from the 4 drew a crossing penalty. However, the umpire called for a measurement after the ball had moved half the distance and was ruled short.

Thompson needed another touchdown on the ensuing play to get the first down and extend the drive, and Dujon then punched it in to end the six-minute drive and extend the lead to 35-7 with 5:42 left in the game.

Auburn refused to go into the night quietly and added two more touchdowns before the game was over, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the big deficit, giving the Warriors a 35-21 victory over the top-ranked team in Class 7A .

Seaborn went 18-of-21 for 208 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 75 yards on seven carries. Kimbrough was his leading receiver, catching four passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. Moseley caught seven balls for 42 yards and a touchdown, and Lewis had 42 yards on five receptions.

Dujon rushed 13 times for 74 yards and two touchdowns, and Evans had eight carries for 33 yards and a score.

After the game, Freeman credited his players for working hard all week and doing what they needed to do to capitalize on his assistants’ game plan.

“Our kids came in and played their hearts out,” Freeman said. “I had the best week of training I’ve ever had. and it goes back to those kids who understand that hard work is all we have. And I told them I didn’t leave anything. Our coaches are exhausted, there was nothing left when we got on the bus coming here except for the kids to go play football and I’m proud of my coaches. Defense, I can’t say enough about what Shawn (Defoor) and they did on defense. The offense appeared, we played well. God is good and we are blessed and we are heading home to prepare for next week.”

Next week will present another challenge for Thompson as it prepares to host the Enterprise Wildcats on Nov. 22 at Warrior Stadium with a berth in the Class 7A state championship game at Protective Stadium in Birmingham.

While Freeman will let the Warriors celebrate the big win for what it is, he has his eyes set on a place Thompson is no stranger to: the Super 7.

“This season is far from over,” Freeman said. “Now that was a good football team. Auburn is a good football team, but every week you go now, you’re facing a really good football team. So it was a tough game against a very good opponent, but there are other weeks to come. Now we have to go back, give them 24 hours to celebrate and prepare for next week and the next challenge.”