Spartans fall to top-ranked Thompson
MOUNTAIN BROOK -- Chris Yeager was still upbeat following his Mountain Brook High School football team’s 51-0 loss to top-ranked Thompson on Friday night.
“We knew if we handled this game the correct way, we could grow from this game,” Yeager said.
Pointing to the scoreboard, the Spartans head coach said he didn’t like the outcome, but he was still “very glad” his team played the game.
“This was an incredible game for us,” he said.
Getting blown out at home during homecoming week may not meet many people’s definitions of incredible, but Yeager said being able to see an elite team like Thompson in person and go against them makes his team that much faster and more physical and prepares them for the rest of the season in Class 6A.
While the game served as what Yeager hopes is a lesson for the Spartans, it served as another showcase of the talent Thompson brings to the field each week.
On Mountain Brook quarterback John Colvin’s first pass attempt of the game, Miami commit Trequon Fegans intercepted the pass at around midfield, taking it all the way back to give his team a 7-0 lead.
The Spartans held Thompson quarterback and North Carolina commit Conner Harrell for the Warriors’ first two drives, and big man Tompkins Richardson found himself the recipient of a Harrell interception in the second quarter, keeping it a one-score game.
But halfway through the second quarter, following the interception, the Warriors began taking control, with Brandon Franklin scoring from 2 yards out to make it 14-0 Thompson, and Harrell dancing his way past the Spartans defense late in the second half to give his team a 21-0 halftime lead.
Early in the second half, Harrell rolled out to the left, looked as if he may run to pick up a first down but found a wide-open Justin Pegues, who took it 89 yards to put the game away, with Thompson leading 28-0.
Following a 39-yard run by Pegues, Harrell threw his second touchdown of the night, finding Jaylen Ward from 15 yards out.
With the backups in for the fourth quarter, the Warriors found the end zone twice more, on touchdown runs from Lione Cook and Arrington Green.
Harrell completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts for 220 yards and two touchdowns and one interception, along with 41 rushing yards and a score on eight attempts. Four different running backs had at least five carries for Thompson, with Green leading the way with 60 yards. Their leading receiver was Pegues, who hauled in four catches for 148 yards and one touchdown. Ward had 36 yards on three catches to go with his touchdown.
For the Spartans, they mustered just 75 yards of offense, with Colvin completing two of his seven passes for 10 yards and two interceptions. Cole Gamble carried the ball 16 times for 28 yards. In his team’s final drive of the game, sophomore Jack King ran for 26 yards on just three carries.
Next week, Mountain Brook has the week off before hosting Briarwood on Oct. 7.
Thompson will visit Vestavia Hills next Friday.