Career. Jaiden Thompson poses with a plaque honoring him as the SPC Player of the Year after the Vikings won the conference tournament championship last month. Bowie Football Coaching Staff. So I just feel like when we let someone score, its bad.. He was named the leagues best player for the second year in a row. The challenge facing Harsin as he enters his second season at Auburn is making inroads while his program is geographically sandwiched between Nick Sabans established Alabama machine and Kirby Smarts emerging Georgia juggernaut. Hewitt-Trussville had set the bar high with its hiring of Josh Floyd earlier this summer. Faulkner had been helping take care of Jaiden since he was yay high, back when he and his mother, Keyna Ricks, first moved back to Concord after a stint in Charlotte. Harsin's son plays for Auburn High. That facility will also come with a new football stadium. Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History. The Alabaster City Schools website includes a tagline in cursive script that reads "Champions of our Future" on every page. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. How do those salary ranges compare to the rest of Class 7A, Region 3? Ganus played high school ball at Chelsea and played linebacker at UAB prior to the closure of the Blazers football program in 2014. Follow him on Twitter for the latest high school cool across Alabama. Thompson went 0-10 last year and 7-23 in three years under Mike Montgomery. Katy ISD. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Buildings are filling up. CIF Fundamentals of Coaching (Information provided by district). He's also not letting ALS take away his ability to coach, even if he's had to rely on . My uncle was a football star here, so carrying on the tradition was pretty dope, Thompson. She had never seen the room that full and the specially-called board meeting was still about 15 minutes away. It pisses us off, Alexander said. What I like to see is you actually show up, Rigby said. Contact Us. Its going to be scary.. At Eufaula, Rigby says Alabama assistant Charles Kelly is good at staying in touch. High school sports greats who died in 2022, 2022 high school football state champions, Georgia football state championship games. That was his happy place, his own piece of utopia. While Ganus went undrafted in 2016, he signed a free agent deal with the NFLs Minnesota Vikings in 2016. One part of the team that will be missing is a starting quarterback, as A.J. I kind of fell out of love with the game, Thompson admits as he sits in Central Cabarrus empty auxiliary gym earlier this year. The biggest thing was: Was my wife going to move? As for his immediate plans at Moody, Ganus said that he was looking to build on the recent success the team has found. His four teams at Spanish Fort finished a combined 50-7. Hoover has faced it plenty over the years. His uncle and role model, former Central Cabarrus football standout Michael Ricks, had a lot to do with that, coaching Thompson on his Concord Comets team and putting him through drills like dribbling with a tennis ball to improve his ball-handling. Reed made such a positiveimpact that the Auburn alum was promoted this week to director of recruiting relations, adding to Harsin's arsenal. He was good. I can catch the ball, and if I catch it, Ill probably score. The Thompson-Hoover rivalry has become one of the best in the state. The top spot belonged to . People were telling me, You need to transfer. Calera High School is searching for a new head football coach after Trey Simpson, above, joined Thompson High School in an athletic administration role. Being able to keep that promise for my grandma would probably be the biggest thing ever.. Coach Keith Etheredge has enjoyed watching Harsin develop relationships at the school. I can do this my way and actually go to a good college like Wendell did. Wendell stayed at public school, he stayed grounded, he stayed with Cox Mill for four years. Ive just been working like crazy since then. The first-year coach Roderick Thompson of Anderson High School has had quite a journey to be a first-year head coach in high school. Freeman landed his first head football coaching job at Bessemer Academy in 1998. Something wasnt right with the young workout fiend she used to know, the kid who was either living in the gym or dying to get there. Thomson's stats have been entered for the 32-27 win vs. Fitzgerald on 12/9/2022 12:00 PM. You have permission to edit this article. The current defense has shut out five of its 10 regular-season opponents and held nine to fewer than 10 points. Later, the same call was made on Bullock. After that, everything just clicked. I think Auburn has to make a decision: Do you want to continue to battle Georgia and Bama guys in recruiting, or do they want to just go find really good high school players and build their name off that? And weve never seen Coach Harsin on campus.. Thompson Warrior: Sloth Nationzz AHSFHS Master Researcher. Jaiden Thompson looks to make a pass during his freshman season. Website. Alabama High School Football History Thompson Coaches Thompson Warriors The AHSFHS.org Fan Shop Some records may be incomplete. KANNAPOLIS After walking into town 12 years ago and leaving his footprint at one of the most highly regarded programs in Cabarrus County, Mi, CONCORD They draw fans to the storied gym in droves, as if the Charlotte Hornets the original Kelly Tripucka-in-the-Charlotte-Coliseum Hor. Youre playing Central and Opelika: Tell me what theyve got. Always appreciate that when (coaches) don't just slip in the back door and see a kid and get out. But it wasnt an, Absolutely, yeah, Ill do it. But then I started thinking about it. Theyve probably done the best job as far as being seen; Hes been here multiple times, coach Marcus Gardner said. "I want everyone else to know we are going to be a major player in everything we do for our children," Vickers said. Please try a new search. Knowledge of sport. Its a hotly contested game that draws huge crowds, benefitting both programs. They do so with a collection of talent on defense that stirs the imagination. In the spring of 1978, Dodge's freshman year at Jefferson, the school hired a new coach, former Yellow Jacket Ronnie Thompson, to restore some pride in the football team. Highland Home has been a revolving door of head coaches visiting Faulk, including Tennessees Josh Heupel. Its very much a blue-collar, working-class community. Shade thought Harsin did a good job communicating through his assistants, especially Etheridge. Central has played for the 7A championship in three of the last four seasons, beating Thompson 52-7 in 2018 . "This is going to be a great day for our kids,' Alabaster City Schools Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers said. If you look at where Jaiden is ranked in his class, in the top 30 or so in North Carolina, normally the top 50 or 60 kids end up with a Division I offer, Baker explained. Everybody just clicks together, Thompson explained. Thompsons Jake Ganus hired as Moody football coach, Two individuals sentenced for kidnapping 3-year-old Kamille Cupcake McKinney, resulting in her death, Inmate of City of Birmingham Jail pronounced dead, found by fellow inmate, Finalists for Trussville BOE seat announced, Pinson council presents $60,000 check to schools, Springville softball blow out Pelham, continue dominant season, Obituary: Myra Carroll (August 22, 1937 February 23, 2023), Obituary: Sherry Webster Zorn (August 21, 1948 February 22, 2023), Trussville teen uses platform to build beds for children in need. Two of those four, edge rusher Jeremiah Alexander and cornerback Trequon Fegans, are verbally committed to Alabama in the class of 2022. Mark Freeman is the new head football coach at Thompson High School. Jaiden Thompson averaged nearly 20 points per game thisseason. The 27 . Hes been involved in multiple sports arenas as far as coaching goes, but hes also shown success in athletic administration. Theyve got a great group of young players coming back.. I know people. AL.com requested salaries from all coaches in the Metro Birmingham area this past spring. No passion missing; it burns like hot fish grease in Thompson, and his coach loves the way he is. There arent many words for that, Thompson says. Rigby hasn't met Harsin. That season,. Coach Kirk Johnson has handled the football teams recruiting for a number of years, developing ties at Auburn. Mostly, though, Thompson nurses his gift in rigorous practice sessions, has fun with his teammates, shows up on game night, and fills up a box score as the Vikings put opponents out of their misery. The Bessemer Academy and Alabama graduate has coached 16 seasons of high school football in Alabama and his teams have played for the state championship in eight of those. Alabama has more in its backyard than other traditionally talent-rich SEC states, including Louisiana and Georgia. Simpson will be heavily involved in helping with operations and administration of several different sports, which Hester said will be a huge help. Harsins future was under the microscope in February during an internal investigationinvolving his treatment of players and staff. Fegans laughs with a. I believe all the state schools beside (Alabama) and Tuskegee University can do a better job with in-state recruiting. Theyll offer that kid early. "global": { Auburns staffparticularly Etheridge and director of high school relations Brendt Bedsole, a former high school coachhas impressed high school coaches. He said he had only been given a range in the hiring and interview process. In his third season, the results started to show. Alabaster is the 16th largest city in the state, but its high school is home to more than 2,000 students with the population growing over the past couple of decades. After National Signing Day, Harsin hadnot visited Montgomery Catholic, which is 50 minutes from Auburn. Pinson Valley often has talent (see: Bo Nix). They all apply to the focused Thompson, who actually plays as hard on defense as he does when hes working magic with the ball in his hands. 2022 Thompson Football Schedule; Football Information; Thompson Middle School 705 West Main Street St. Charles, IL 60174 . He is now at Westwood; former defensive coordinator Roderick Thompson has been named the interim head coach. "We are going to be the best at everything we can do every day.". With one of the states largest high school athletic programs at the Class 7A level, Hester said it would be beneficial for the school in many ways. Instructionally, what we do, its a huge win and a home run for us to bring someone in that is as quality and professional Trey is.. Well, its not good for the program at Tuscaloosa County. In the 2022 class, the state's No. The school board meeting to welcome Freeman has swelled to near capacity some 15 minutes before the board meeting. Griffin Middle School squad. Hes a five-star rated prospect and the No. And Updates from all around. The Warriors havent won as many as 10 games in a season since 1987. 0:36. "Most of the kids growing up here, most of them aspire to play for Auburn; it's their hometown,"Etheredge said. That type of concentrated talent may be just another season at a program like IMG Academy, but its not common at a public school like Thompson, which produced a total of one four- or five-star recruit in the past decade current Alabama offensive lineman Amari Kight, a four-star recruit in 2019. Especially in the Mobile area, McKenzie wrote in a text. Higgins said Harsins message was an eye-opening experience for Mars Hill players about the rigors of college football: He was very adamant on: This is going to take some time. Sophomore year, I knew I was pretty good, but I had a bad habit of comparing myself to other people, Thompson said. And the whole country has been here, pretty much., Gardner, whos entering his second year at Carver, said he and Harsin talked about their common experiences in new jobs. Thompson High School Head Football Coach Mark Freeman is the face of the Thompson Warriors, the 3-time defending Class 7A State Champions. Carver High School in Montgomery. Griffin MiddleSchool team in seventh and eighth grade. I think he wanted to have what he had at Boise, at Auburn, Higgins said. Thompson, 52, was in his fourth season as head coach at Mira Mesa High, his alma mater. That followed time at Montevallo where he also served as the head baseball coach and athletic director for the Bulldogs. Thats what I actually LOVE about this team. He even referenced the model set by former Cox Mill star Wendell Moore Jr., who led the Chargers to back-to-back state titles before going on to shine at Duke and become the first Cabarrus County-bred athlete to be chosen in the NBA Draft. Hey, you played so-and-so, tell me about him., "Those are the guys you develop that relationship with, that when the chips are down, you need a little help, need a little bump, theyll help you out., Rigby said newly-hired Troy coach Jon Sumrall has made it his goal to go visit every high school, to walk through the doors of every high school in Alabama. 27. It was as long as any college coach had stayed to chat. They understand what that does for high school that makes it an exciting day when Coach Harsin or Coach Saban shows up.. "Some of those kids who didn't have all the stars that (Harsin) brought in are really good players. You can cancel at any time. . Here's an updated ranking of how Class 7A, Region 3's salary structure adds up: The salary data isn't everything. Ben Thompson, an assistant on Sam London's staff the last two seasons, will be the Red Tornado's . Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl leads the Cowboys onto the field before their game against Utah . In the four years before Thompson and Bullock got to campus, the Vikings won a total of 33 games. Follow him on Twitter for the latest high school cool across Alabama. There he won consecutive state championships in 2012 and 2013. You cant describe him, Alexander said. But weve got an outstanding individual that loves our kids and loves our parents, loves our school system.. 17 nationally, and his teammates are often wowed by his skills. The additions come as KFC recently removed some menu items, including wings, popcorn chicken and cookies, to make room for new additions. Thomson 56. PORTSMOUTH Aquidneck Island native and Portsmouth resident Keith MacDonald vividly remembers how he got his first football coaching job. The coaching part of it? CONCORD The thumping of the ball against the hardwood, the symphony of screeching sneaker rubber echoing throughout the gym used to be metaphors for Jaiden Thompsons heartbeat. Like us on Facebook Ths Athletics and Follow us on Instagram THS_ATHLETICS. Copyright All rights reserved. All rights reserved (About Us). His father, Fred, is a legendary figure in Utah high school athletics, having coached at Roy High School for 19 years, followed by a six-year stint at Fremont. Its almost a collective awe that funnels out when his teammates describe Woods. Its allowed five points per game, and 24 of those came in the regular-season finale a loss to nearby power Hoover. In the last 20 years, Alabama averaged 4.05 top-100 recruits, 7.05 top-200 and 10.3 top-300. The quintet started for the C.C. Eason was also frequently praised for his recruiting. Its kind of like a letdown, you know, because everybody has all these big expectations. High school coaches who have been visited by Harsin in the last year have appreciated his honesty and his straightforward approach. Win those battles, keep as many people home, and love, love, love on those high school coaches. Freeman had a tremendous run in the private school ranks in Alabama Independent School Association football at Bessemer Academy before he moved to Alabama High School Athletic Association public football. 69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. He flirted with a college coaching job offer before Thompson entered the picture. He has heard similarly from other Birmingham coaches. Theyre not practicing the way we want them to practice. 4) are both top-25 prospects in the country. BP Brandon Petersen Team 8-2 - Social Studies. WEBB CITY, Mo. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. You know Peter is going to be back there somewhere. When I was principal at Montevallo, I appointed him as athletic director there because of his potential.. Simpson spent the previous two years coaching the Eagles after taking over for Andrew Zow ahead of the 2019 season. Thats the altitude Thompson has currently reached with its run of impressive athletes, which also includes three-star quarterback Conner Harrell, who is committed to North Carolina. I always said why is Thompson never getting over the hill?. Tommy Thompson was born in Hutchinson, KS. You couldnt really see it, unless you had Phyllis Anns keen eyes. As does Thompson now. He coached for 10 seasons at Bessemer Academy, winning AISA titles in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007. BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Josh Floyd was hired by earlier this month for $121,000 per season. Calera High School is searching for a new football coach after former head coach Trey Simpson recently joined Alabaster City Schools and Thompson High School. Jaiden Thompson (3) flies high to block a shot. That shows citizens and potential community members that their school's high school football experience will be second to none in the state of Alabama. His bloodlines are pretty good too, with his older brother Antwon at Arkansas State and his younger brother Anquon, a class of 2025 recruit, already holding offers from Florida, Georgia and Miami, among others. He stepped down at Bessemer Academy following the 2007 football season and served as the quarterbacks coach at Minor in 2008. Sure, its great. Theyre going to find guys who want to do all those things.. This year, despite losing star quarterback Tyler Johnstonto a knee injury in Week 5, Spanish Fort went 12-2 and reached the Class 6A state semifinals before losing to Saraland. Thompson Football Documents. We try to ignore that, but at the same time, it kind of motivates us. Hoover City Schools pays its football coaches the same $47,741 stipend. He said Alabama assistant Sal Sunseri visited our school at least once per week when time was permitted., Another prominent coach in Alabama who spoke on condition of anonymity, when asked the biggest difference between Alabama and Auburn, had a simple response: Coach Saban has come by and spent up to an hour visiting with us. Thompson High School coach Mark Freeman said the 6-foot-2 Fegans almost tricks a quarterback into throwing the ball by purposefully making him think a receiver is open. When the recruiting contact period started last fall, Harsin was the first college coach to bring his full recruiting staff to the school. Visit our website for info. 3,620 Followers. Tommy Thompson weighed 192 lbs (87 kg) when playing. He was Alabamas first verbal commitment in the 2022 class when he made his decision in March 2020. There have been a ton of (recruiters) whove seen him. Things have been up and down, kind of like a roller coaster. Johnson calls former Auburn assistant Travis Williams probably the best freaking recruiter Ive ever been around.. I look forward to things to come. He began at Thompson in the fall of 2015. Theyre not showing up for meetings on time. And (Auburns coaches) really dont have any tolerance for that in the program. It seemed it would be a Herculean task. I dont know if Ive ever raised my voice at Jaiden, Baker said. Fegans laughs with a nod at that description. They advanced to the state semifinals in 2017 and the state championship game in 2018 before winning state titles in 2019 and 2020. How do you go from that 6-4 year and what ways can I get our kids over that hump. The list can go on and on because Hoover and Niblett, like their counterparts Freeman and Thompson, take their football seriously. Thompson's commitment to Freeman shows that the program is now joining that competition. 258 Following. Twenty-four (Thompsons jersey number as a freshman before he switched to his current No. Thompsons James L Simmons Stadium underwent a facelift for the 2014 season with press box improvements and new artificial turf. That winter also is when I personally started to make my first close observations of Thompsons abilities. Thompson . Over the next ten seasons his teams went 101-21 and won four AISA State Championships. That means his teams have played for a title in eight of the 16 seasons he's been a head coach. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. The speculation, the expectations from others took its toll, even on the normally unflappable Thompson, who admits he had a tendency to internalize his emotions. Im trying to set them up for interceptions and PBUs.. He was later released and eventually joined the Thompson coaching staff, coaching linebackers. I cant wait to see him play next year. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Youre going to be writing about him.. We now have834teams & 188,070games on AHSFHS.org. Freeman resigned from his position after four very successful years at Spanish Fort and the Alabaster board quickly moved to approve that personnel action with no discussion. Since then, Ive made it a point to keep up with Thompson. 0. Those hirings mean the two highest-paid high school football coaches in Alabama compete in the same region. The outworkem all came. Whatever that it is and wherever it takes him. Photographer Kenny Grimes has posted a new gallery Fitzgerald vs. Thomson (GHSA 2A Final) containing 104 photos. Jaiden Thompson (3) shoots the J with a hand in his face. Watch this highlight video of the Thomson (GA) football team in its game Recap: Thomson vs. Westside 2022 on Nov 3, 2022. I think the wrestling and how I use my hands contributed to the player I am today.. He felt he was on his way. He ran from the other side of the field all the way to our sideline and tackled the quarterback, Fegans said. And it was Bethel who introduced him to the Vertimax, a machine designed to improve jumping ability. San Rafael football is in search of a Junior Varsity Head Coach, Junior Varsity Offensive Coordinator, Junior Varsity Defensive Coordinator, and Varsity Linebackers coach. Big-time high school football in Alabama can be classified as an arms race. Across the street, Swim teacher's life saved by couple's good timing, Woman dies in Friday night Tuscaloosa County crash, Golf cart-based taxi service Bama Ride in hot water with city. Alabaster City Schools approved Freeman as the new head football coach at Thompson on Friday. Coach Freeman and Thompson football have had a lot of positive impact. That tough style of play, a hard-nosed defensive mindset, has an aligning charm with the city of Alabaster. A lot of D-I people like him, some D-IIs. OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) - Erik Thompson was born to be a football coach. McCaskey has found its football coach for the 2021 season, which is right around the corner. Alabama High School Football Head Coaches Mark Freeman Mark Freeman attended Bessemer Academy and graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Thompson High School in Birmingham is one of the perennial prep football powers in Alabama. This is a year when Rigby does have players most notably four-star defensive lineman Yhonzae Pierre and three-star offensive lineman Patrick Screws. 7 recruits played at Thompson. Actually, me and Gavin have been talking about this since we were little boys. There is no lack of challenge or ego in the region. Higgins was struck by a new coach trying to learn and improve while maintaining his recruiting principles. How well Harsin capitalizes on it can decide his future with the Tigers. Before that, I couldnt even get the rim, Thompson said. Congratulations to Jontavis Curry, Noah Story, Marcellus Brigham and Jordan Jones for being selected the Thomson players of the game. Mar 2, 2023 Updated 27 min ago. The average coach in the region now makes $98,911 per year and the coaches now make a combined $791,288 in annual salary. They have reached the Class 7A State Championship Game each of the past four years and have captured three consecutive years. Griffin starting five might sound familiar to Central Cabarrus fans: Gavin Bullock, Adriel Miller, Eli Ford and Micah Murray. Were like a family. If you told me, You cant do this. Then Im going to go in and do my best, Freeman said. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Working with him before, it was a fortunate opportunity for us to have this chance to bring him on board.. There are now five coaches in Class 7A, Region 3 that pay their head football coach a combined salary of more than $100,000 per season. Ive made a living off of beating a lot of four- and five-star kids with guys like you., Its awesome for a kid to get to hear that, Etheredge said. Thats really what made me as a football player, and getting back to my roots like that was really enticing to me facilities are great, but I think people make the place, and I think the people here make this a special place.. We also add a fantastic teacher to our school building. Theres no my way or the highway. What I want to do is take what Ive learned, what Ive been able to take in during my five years with Thompson and apply it to Moody. In the 2022 class, the state's No. Those were the things that helped bring him solace as he was dealing with his frustration. A lot of people thought Oh you just got a great coach. Hes got what the kids call bounce.. It was a chance, but we knew it would be risky because we were in a great job in a great place. He has not met Harsin. The fact that neither Vestavia Hills coach Buddy Anderson are among the three highest-paid coaches in their own region is surprising. Class 7A is the biggest classification in the AHSAA, which makes Freeman the architect of the biggest "turnaround". He will get an extension to his contract of $13,068.60 as a 12-month employee. But to be honest, there was a stretch when Thompsons light on the court had dimmed. Weve got some guys here that have got to get on board. The years you dont have players, they dont know your name.. Position: Coach - JV Football - Davis Senior High School, July-November 2023, $3,366.00/season. Defensive lineman Peter Woods and cornerback Tony Mitchell are uncommitted five-star 2023 recruits with offers from the Crimson Tide, among many other high-profile schools. Then theres Mitchell, a five-star 2023 recruit whos No.
Why Was Arthur Leigh Allen A Suspect,
How To Stop A Writ Of Possession Texas,
Articles T