BIRMINGHAM – As the clock ticked down in Protective Stadium, Trent Seaborn, Darion Moseley, Ami Moala and a host of Thompson Warriors embraced their teammates and loved ones on the sideline celebrating a job well done.

With their team up by 45 points and just minutes remaining, their annual goal of a state championship was complete. It's a familiar scene at the Class 7A title game, but this year brought an extra sense of déjà vu.

In 2024, Thompson dropped regular season games to Grayson, Clay-Chalkville and Hoover by just one possession before reeling off five-straight wins to clinch a state championship. 2025 brought losses to the same three teams by one possession each.

While some on the outside doubted if the Warriors could overcome such heartbreak, inside the locker room, they knew they had been here before.

"We had the same kind of mindset," Seaborn said. "We knew we were going to go through adversity, but we also knew that God had our back, and we knew that after each loss, it was all part of God's plan. We just trusted Him. We kept our heads on straight. We actually probably bonded closer together as brothers."

One year after using those three losses as motivation, Thompson rode another five-game win streak all the way to a blue map. The capper was a 48-10 win over the Opelika Bulldogs on Wednesday, Dec. 2 in the Class 7A state championship, securing their sixth title in the past seven years and seventh in program history.

Even though for some, it was their third state title of their careers, it didn't change their pride in having returned to the mountaintop once more.

"I just can't be more proud of these guys the way they battle adversity and going through a really, really, really hard playoff run as well," Seaborn said. "I mean, we played three really good teams and this team last night. So, to finally finish off the season like that, it's just truly bliss."

Thompson wasted little time getting down the field but encountered trouble in the red zone on the first two drives. After 20-plus yard gains from RJ Evans and Pryce Lewis, the Warriors got backed up by a couple presnap penalties, and kicked a 28-yard field goal to get on the board with a 3-0 lead.

Urijah Casey and Darion Moseley kickstarted the next drive with a pair of 28-yard plays, but Thompson couldn't get further than the 19-yard line before Ethan Black made it 2-for-2 with a 36-yard field goal.

While neither drive ended up how the Warriors wanted, the defense delivered with a pair of three-and-outs to begin the game. That gave the offense enough time to truly open up with touchdowns on each of the final four drives of the half.

After KJ Jackson saved the drive on a fourth-down conversion run, Moseley set up Thompson in the red zone with a 29-yard catch. Trent Seaborn then found Trey Knight for a 7-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, increasing the lead to 13-0.

Another three-and-out led to another sustained drive from the Warriors, including a pair of third-down conversions to extend the drive. Evans got them on the doorstep with a 13-yard run, and Jackson punched it in for the 20-0 lead with 6:37 left in the half.

On the ensuing drive, Thompson came up with its first turnover of the night when Chauncey Alo snagged a pass on the right sideline. That set up the Warriors on the Bulldogs 37, and on fourth-and-6, Seaborn found Lewis in stride downfield for a 33-yard touchdown bomb and the 27-0 advantage.

Opelika finally got a first down on the next drive, but a second third-down conversion got called back for a penalty. Eventually, the Bulldogs got back to the 20, just one yard further than they started, and a short punt set up Thompson on the Opelika 39-yard line.

Seaborn and Lewis connected on the very next play as the Alabama commit rolled left to avoid pressure and found Lewis shallow for a 39-yard catch-and-run score to keep the Warriors rolling with a 34-0 lead.

The Bulldogs did get on the board before halftime as they took advantage of a long return and personal foul to get to the 7-yard line. The Warriors held there and let Opelika kick the 24-yard field goal to send them into halftime with a 34-3 lead.

Thompson wasted little time getting back on the board in the third. Trent McCorvey grabbed a tipped ball on the left sideline and ran it back 22 yards for a pick-six, growing the lead to 41-3.

Another punt let the Warriors set up on their own 15 and milk seven-and-a-half minutes off the clock. After a Lewis catch to the 5-yard line, Evans got the final three yards on the ground for the 48-3 lead with 47 seconds left in the third.

Damonte Tabb secured his 10th interception of the season to open the fourth quarter, but Opelika did finally reach the end zone off a short touchdown run midway through the quarter. The Warriors ran down the rest of the clock from there and secured their second-straight title.

Seaborn finished 16-for-27 with 259 yards and three touchdowns to win the state championship MVP for the second time in his career. He also surpassed 10,000 yards for his career in the first half.

Lewis was his top receiver with five catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns. Moseley caught four balls for 67 yards, and Knight had five receptions for 63 yards and a score.

Thompson's running game combined for 263 yards and two touchdowns, led by RJ Evans with 14 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. Casey had three carries for 46 yards, and Jackson took eight carries for 42 yards and a touchdown.

After the game, Freeman, who tied the all-time record with his eighth career state championship, credited both sides of the ball for a game where the Warriors outgained Opelika 522 yards to 115. He said their best football is complimentary football and that they executed it on the biggest stage.

He especially credited Shawn Defoor and the defense for engineering a gameplan to stop the run and force five punts and three interceptions against a Bulldogs offense averaging 29.3 points per game in its last four going into the state championship.

"(Opelika has) been running the football so good the last, really all year, but the last three and a half games, the second half of the Trussville game," Freeman said. "They've been dominating in the run game, and so I can't say enough about the job they've done, but I just want to give them all the things they deserve, because those guys have a tremendous job over there."

Freeman touched on the ups and downs of the season and noted that since this program had won five of the past six state championships going into this season, that only amplified the pressure to live up to that standard when things got hard.

However, he credited his players for continuing to work to achieve their ultimate goal of another state title. He said their bond is as strong as ever, and that was the biggest key to raising a trophy in the center of Protective Stadium once again.

"They're probably the closest team I've had since I've been here, just as far as knowing each other and being young men," Freeman said. "That's what means everything to our program and the standard. They set the standard, they're great football players but they're great, great, wonderful players and individuals."