CLAY, Alabama -- The lights were bright, the stands were packed, and the energy at Cougar Stadium on Thursday night felt like a playoff atmosphere. In one of the most anticipated showdowns of the halfway mark, #1 6A Clay-Chalkville outlasted perennial powerhouse Thompson 28-24, giving second-year head coach Stewart Floyd another signature win and electrifying the home crowd. This was the third consecutive time the Cougars had defeated the Warriors in a non-region contest.
"We came out and punched them in the mouth to start the game," said Cougars WR Corey Barber. "Down 21-7 at halftime, no heads were down. We were ready in the second half to go out and make plays. The coaches put the game on my back, so I needed to go and be that playmaker and make a play for our team."
Clay-Chalkville wasted little time asserting itself. After trading early stops, the Cougars mounted a methodical drive, mixing strong inside runs with short passes that kept Thompson’s defense off balance. The possession ended with a rushing touchdown, sending the Cougar faithful into a frenzy. With 5:48 left in the first quarter, Barber took a handoff and raced five yards around the left corner of the offensive line and raced to the end zone. The Courgars took a 7-0 lead early.
Thompson responded with a quick-strike touchdown through the air. With 3:48 left in the first quarter, Trent Seaborn hit Trey Knight over the middle of the field, and Knight raced 31 yards for a Warriors touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. The Warriors struck again when they regained possession of the football and wasted very little time on a drive. With 9:23 left in the second quarter, Seaborn hit Darion Moseley on a 58-yard touchdown pass, and the Warriors' big-play offense struck again. With the score, Thompson led 14-7.
The Thompson defense was big in the first half. After the first half touchdown, they pretty much dominated the rest of the first half. With 3:22 left until halftime, Seaborn hooked up for his third touchdown of the night when he found KJ Jackson on a 16-yard touchdown play that was called a pick play by one official but was waved off after a group discussion with the referees. With the score, the Warriors led 21-7 at halftime, but then a few breaks, and Barber turned the game around for the Cougars in the second half.
Just coming out of halftime, and with Thompson having the football. Seaborn rolls to his left and is hit from behind by defensive lineman Keith Richmond, and it was scooped up by Cougars defensive lineman Colton McIntyre, who broke a tackle and raced 35 yards for a touchdown. A big boost for the Cougars as they only trailed 21-14 early in the third quarter. With the Cougars' defense now making stops, the offense started to get going. Deep inside their own red zone, the Cougars put together a massive drive capped off by an 11-yard touchdown pass play by Barber, who raced around the left end and dove into the end zone for a Cougars touchdown with 3:29 left in the third quarter. The game was tied at 21-21.
Thompson was not done as Seaborn and the offense started moving the ball again. The junior QB made a huge first down on a scramble play. Then Urijah Casey ripped off a big run inside the Cougars ' five-yard line. Thompson could not get the big score they needed and got a 20-yard field goal from Ethan Black, and the Warriors took a 24-21 lead with 7:07 left in the game.
With the Cougars getting the football back and on a third and long play, Aaron Frye hit Barber over the middle of the field, and he raced 75 yards down to the five-yard line, and the Cougars were ready to take the lead. A few plays later, Frye found Barber in the back right corner of the end zone, and Barber made the unbelievable one-handed catch to give Clay-Chalkville the 28-24 lead with only 3:42 left in the game. Barber had an incredible night for Clay-Chalkville. He had seven catches for 135 yards and a touchdown, with 87 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns. Twice through the night, he shouted out to me, "Mr. Football", and he should definitely be one of the front-runners for that award.
With Thompson having a 4th down play on the Clay-Chalkville side of the field and only 1:30 left in the game, defensive lineman Carlos Pope Jr. sacked Seaborn, and the Cougars came away with a win.
It was a night of unforgettable drama, a perfect encapsulation of why high school football holds such a special place in the hearts of so many. As the final whistle blew, one thing was clear: Clay-Chalkville had not just won a game; they had etched their name into the annals of Alabama high school football history, winning this game for the third time in a row. With tension between both programs playing this game, it will be interesting to see if this series continues in the upcoming years.
