High School

3 Takeaways: Alabama No. 1 Thompson Beats No. 12 Carver-Montgomery in Opener

We know who won, but here are three things that stood out in Thursday's Alabama high school showdown

Levi Payton

Thompson quarterback Trent Seaborn (12), a four-star junior, had a five-star performance after overcoming a deflected interception on the Warriors' first drive of the game.
Thompson quarterback Trent Seaborn (12), a four-star junior, had a five-star performance after overcoming a deflected interception on the Warriors' first drive of the game. / Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

There was a lot of anticipation around Thursday’s 7A showdown between No. 1 Thompson and No. 12 Carver-Montgomery. Sure, it was opening night of the regular season. But the showdown between two of Alabama’s better high school football programs, and the stars that came with it, added to the intrigue.

You can check out our live updates from that game here.

Despite being locked in a 6-6 tie at halftime and seemingly promising an interesting finish, the Warriors came out firing on all cylinders in the second half – scoring two touchdowns in the first four minutes of the third quarter and finishing the game with 31-unanswered points to win 37-6.

There were ups and downs for both teams in the first half, and then a lot more ups for one and downs for the other in the second. While it’s probably not wise to put too much stock into Week 1 games, here are three observations that stood out from Thursday’s showdown.

Four-Star QB Trent Seaborn’s Five-Star Performance

Interceptions can be a fickle stat. Always tagged on the quarterback’s resume; they can be as deceiving as a bloop single appearing to be a line drive in the baseball box score. With that said, we can look past Trent Seaborn’s interception on the first drive of Week 1 Thursday night, which fell into the arms of Wolverines three-star defensive lineman Kalib Spivey after he batted it in the air at the line of scrimmage.

Tip your cap to the defense on that one. Everything else Seaborn did had a five-star vibe.

Like a pair of prize fighters feeling each other out in the early rounds, Seaborn delivered a right and landed Thompson’s first blow on its third drive of the game – a laser-strike to wide receiver and Mississippi State commit Dedrick Kimbrough on a seam route for 57-yards to make it 6-0.

Tied 6-6 at halftime, it was the champ who answered the bell in the later rounds.

Coming out swinging in the third quarter, Seaborn needed only 1 minute, 5 seconds to move the Warriors down the field and take the lead on his 16-yard touchdown pass to Trey Knight. Following a turnover, he needed only about 1 minute to get the Warriors back into the end zone on an 8-yard run by Urijah Casey and, on its next possession, moved them quickly into position for a short touchdown run by KJ Jackson.

For good measure, he showed off his dual-threat ability with a 13-yard scramble for a touchdown with 8 minutes to play.

Ironically, a play that sticks out the most was one of his incompletions.

On the final play of the first half, Seaborn took a snap and immediately noticed a free rusher coming off the edge from his blind side. A less athletic quarterback would have been toast in that spot, but Seaborn sidestepped him, rolled to his left and led one of his receivers to the back left pylon with an accurate strike. Unfortunately, the catch wasn’t secured, ending the half.

It was an elite throw from a young quarterback who spent all evening proving why he’s one of the best juniors in the land.

Thompson’s Choice to Defer Paid Dividends

It may sound strange to say in a game that ended 37-6, but the Warriors’ decision to defer to the second half after winning the opening coin toss had a bigger impact than some might realize.

Like interceptions, final scores can also be a bit deceiving. That’s not to say Thompson didn’t dominate. The Warriors certainly did in the second half. That’s where the coin toss comes in.

Tied 6-6, the Warriors accepted the second-half kick and quickly marched down the field for the 16-yard pass from Seaborn to Knight to take the lead. That drive set the tempo and gave Thompson the momentum that neither team had been able to firmly grasp in the first half.

Sending a fired-up defense onto the field with the lead resulted in a quick turnover when North Carolina commit Viliami “Ami” Moala pounced on a loose ball, setting up another quick touchdown seconds later to make it 20-6. At that point, it was apparent the Warriors had the Wolverines on the ropes with all of the game’s momentum on their side.

Big Stars Made Big Plays

We’ve already mentioned several of them, but it felt like both team’s best players made impactful plays in Week 1.

Seaborn’s big game (18-for-28, 288 yards, 3 TDs; 2 passing, 1 rushing) was aided by connections with standout receivers Kimbrough (57-yard TD), Pryce Lewis (6 catches, 120 yards), Knight (16-yard TD) and Darion Moseley, and sophomore running back Urijah Casey also opened plenty of eyes with an impressive showing. Defensively, Moala wrecked shop in the trenches for the Warriors – to the delight of his future coach, Bill Belichick – recording a key sack and a fumble recovery as highlights, while Oregon commit Cameron Pritchett also pounced on a fumble and had a solid game.

While the highlights aren’t as plentiful for the Wolverines, Zion Crumpton – a three-star recruit and Mississippi State commit at wide receiver – showed some flashes at quarterback, where he transitioned to help fill a need this year. Turnovers were an issue for the Wolverines on Thursday, but Crumpton also did a lot of good things and managed to keep several drives alive with his legs. Once they iron out the drive-killers, the Wolverines should be in pretty good shape.

The outcome sort of overshadows the Wolverines’ defensive performance in the first half. Collectively, the group came out ready to go and three-star junior defensive lineman Kalib Spivey went off early on with a big sack one play before deflecting and then snagging Seaborn’s interception. But Carver-Montgomery’s defense was on the field a lot in the second half and even started a few drives defending the short field.

In Week 1, Thompson proved how tough it will be to contain.   

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

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