Thompson dominates all aspects in playoff win over Daphne – Shelby County Reporter

By NIC YOUNG | Especially for the reporter

ALABASTER – The Thompson Warriors will continue their playoff journey after a dominant 50-0 win over the Daphne Trojans on November 8th. The Warriors dominated every aspect of this game, punching their ticket to the next round of the 7A playoffs.

“I told the kids that this week we need to figure out who we are and we’re going to go play football,” Thompson head coach Mark Freeman said. “I’m proud of the players. We had a great week of training that continued. Now we have to do it again. We’re playing a really good football team next week.”

The Thompson defense got off to a solid start. Defensive lineman Jared Smith brought the quarterback down for a sack on third down to force Daphne to punt after a short possession.

That opened the door for the Warriors offense.

Thompson reached the Daphne 29-yard line before facing fourth down. The Warriors decided to take a chance and go for it. Quarterback Trent Seaborn used his legs to easily pick up the first down, and a late hit to Daphne pushed Thompson all the way to the 6-yard line.

Running back Mike Dujon took advantage of the opportunity and scored to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead early in the first quarter.

The Thompson defense held strong and forced the Trojans into a series of threes.

The Warriors offense began its next drive at midfield and marched down the field to the Daphne 4-yard line. Penalties stalled the drive before Thompson settled for three points to extend his lead to 10-0.

The Warriors defense came up big on Daphne’s ensuing possession, forcing the Trojans to cough up the ball. Kevin Davis grabbed the ball and pushed toward the end zone to increase Thompson’s lead to 17-0.

After another quick possession from Daphne, the Warriors offense got going. Wide receiver Darion Moseley was instrumental in that drive, rushing for 60 yards, including a 23-yard score that extended Thompson’s lead to 24-0 midway through the second quarter.

The Warriors’ defensive unit continued to hold the line and took the Daphne offense off the field in three plays on the ensuing drive.

The Thompson offense kept rolling and formed a long drive. The Warriors made it to about midfield before the offense began to stall. However, Seaborn came up big, using Pryce Lewis for a 33-yard gain to keep the drive alive.

A few plays later, the drive was back in full swing. On fourth down, Seaborn delivered a hit to Moseley to end the offensive possession with a touchdown and give Thompson a 27-0 lead with four minutes before halftime.

Two minutes later, the Warriors were back in possession and had no trouble moving the ball down the field. Dujon capped the drive with a two-yard run for his second score of the night, giving Thompson a comfortable 34-0 lead before halftime.

The Warriors’ offense remained on fire early in the second half, with Seaborn hitting Moseley for an explosive 46-yard touchdown that added to their total and pushed the score to 41-0 early in the third quarter.

The theme of the Trojans’ offense remained the same as they punted again after three possessions.

On the next drive, it was business as usual for the Thompson offense, moving the ball seemingly at will from their 42-yard line to Daphne’s 4-yard line. Although a score seemed likely, the Trojans defense stood firm and forced the Warriors to turn the ball over on downs.

This win for the Daphne defense was short-lived, however, as Thompson tripped the quarterback in the end zone for a safety, extending their lead to 43-0 midway through the third quarter.

The Warriors used their next possession to put an exclamation point on their performance, capping the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Brooks Byars to Dalton Willis that gave Thompson a commanding 50-0 lead. From there, Daphne’s offense was unable to generate a spark and spent the remainder of the game exchanging possessions with the Warriors to secure the shutout victory.

Seaborn finished the night with 241 passing yards and two touchdowns. Dujon had 65 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Moseley caught seven passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Lewis had six receptions for 106 yards.

After the game, Freeman was proud of his team’s performance in the victory as the challenges grew in Thompson’s pursuit of a state title.

“[The win] gives us some confidence,” Freeman said. “We played well, there are a few things to fix, but the kids played well. Her intensity was different tonight. They know it’s playoff season. So we need to have a great week and get ready to play football next week.”

The Warriors will face Auburn High School next week on Nov. 15 in the second round, a rematch of the 2022 7A state championship game.