HOOVER – A three-touchdown night from CJ Cowley and strong defensive showing was more than enough to spur the Thompson Warriors to a 31-14 rivalry win over the Hoover Bucs on Friday, Oct. 2.
After losing by three points or less in the last two matchups between the two, it was a welcome sight for the top-ranked Warriors and head coach Mark Freeman, who improved to 6-0 with the win.
"You come in here and get a win, it's a region win, we praise God for that," Freeman said after the game.
In an odd game that never really allowed either team to gain much offensive steam due to odd officiating, alongside strong defensive play, it was the Warriors' deense that quickly set the tone in the game.
A strong night for that side of the ball was kickstarted by a big opening possession when the Warriors quickly forced a third down and saw Trent McCorvey jump a crossing route for what turned into a pick six and an early 7-0 advantage.
Oddly enough, the two teams traded blocked field goals after that before Thompson's offense finally got its first chance to make an impact on the game.
That impact came from the legs of CJ Cowley, who took advantage of great blocking up front to sprint through a hole in the offensive line and burst to the end zone for a 37-yard score and 14-0 lead.
The Warriors were never in danger of giving up that lead in the first half with the defense making big plays when needed, but they never could add more points after a drive in the final minutes stalled in Hoover territory, leading to a punt and 14-0 game at the half.
Thompson started the second half with a great drive, thanks in large part to a 45-yard reception from Cowley, before the Warriors ultimately settled for a field goal to make it 17-0.
Then, the Bucs looked like they may get the spark they needed when a squib kick was gathered by Andrew Renfroe and taken to the house for a kickoff return that trimmed the Thompson lead to 17-7.
Two problems for the Bucs, that was their only touchdown until less than two minutes remained, and Thompson's offense finally had another chance to get on the field, which felt limited throughout the night.
The Warriors used a good kickoff return of their own to setup a strong ensuing drive. Despite Cowley having a 40-yard touchdown run called back, they still found the end zone after a couple of balanced plays from Trent Seaborn, Bralen Coleman and Darion Moseley led to back-to-back runs from Cowley, including a short touchdown plunge that made it 24-7.
Thompson's defense made sure that score held in check until the offense could put one final insurance touchdown on the board midway through the final quarter.
Facing fourth-and-7, the Warriors converted on a 9-yard pass to Moseley, which was followed by a 12-yard pass to Kimbrough. Then, Seaborn found Cowley for another touchdown connection to make it 31-7 with 7:53 left.
It wasn't until then that Hoover put together its only offensive scoring drive of the night that took the next six minutes of time, making it too little too late in the 31-14 loss.
"The defense played great," Freeman said. "A pick six to start the game and played really good from there all night. We've been playing good on defense. Once we started getting off the field and started playing normal football in the second half, it really went like we thought it would."
Cowley was the highlight of the night, finishing with more than 50 receiving yards and 76 rushing yards, combining for three touchdowns in the win.
"CJ did a really good job. He always does a good job," Freeman said. "He's a really good football player. He can catch the ball really well as you saw. He makes runs that may not be there because he has great vision and is sneaky strong. He is just a wonderful, wonderful young man and he played great tonight."
Cowley said it was a message from his head coach that helped make him feel prepared in the win.
"I just did my job tonight," he said after. "Coach Freeman told me to come out and play free and be me, and I did my thing."
Seaborn finished 16-of-22 for one touchdown and 170 yards through the air. Moseley added 49 yards receiving on six receptions.
Thompson's defense totaled 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception in the win. Wesley Gover totaled seven tackles, including two for loss, while Cam Pritchett had six tackles, with two for a loss and a sack. Micah Fleming also had six tackles in the win.
The Warriors will now take on Hewitt-Trussville in a Thursday-night road matchup next week. The Huskies are 4-2 after a 48-45 overtime win against Oak Mountain on Friday night.
