TRUSSVILLE, Alabama -- Under the bright lights of Hewitt-Trussville Stadium, the air crackled with anticipation on Friday, October 3, 2025. The No. 3-ranked Hewitt-Trussville Huskies, riding a perfect 6-0 record and hungry for revenge after last season's narrow loss to the defending state champions, hosted the No. 2 Thompson Warriors in a clash that could crown the Class 7A Region 3 king. Both teams entered unbeaten in region play, but Thompson carried the scars of a recent defeat to Clay-Chalkville. What unfolded was a tale of resilience, a pivotal pick-six, and a second-half surge that propelled the Warriors to a commanding 34-12 victory.
The Thompson defense stepped up its game in the second half when the Huskies were ready to take the lead in the third quarter. "They scored right before halftime and had a long drive coming out of halftime, so the Tabb interception was pivotal, and that was a big play for us. You have to make the plays when they are there to make them. Our defense was on the field for a long time, but we turned the game around with a great play. You have to understand football. We are in a good situation going into the playoffs, and this was a big win for us."
The game kicked off with Hewitt-Trussville winning the toss and deferring, putting the pressure on Thompson's offense from the jump. The Warriors, led by quarterback Trent Seaborn, leaned heavily on the pass early, with Seaborn airing it out 17 times in the first quarter alone. Hewitt-Trussville scored first in the game with 7:43 left in the first quarter. Henry Farrell kicked a 45-yard field goal, and the hometown Huskies took the early 3-0 lead. The crowd, a sea of Husky blue roaring in the stands, sensed the momentum tilting toward the home team, whose freshman signal-caller, Jack Floyd, had been lights-out in recent weeks, including a multi-touchdown performance against Pinson Valley.
The second quarter saw both offenses finding their rhythm amid a back-and-forth battle. Seaborn connected with Pryce Lewis on a 14-yard touchdown strike, putting Thompson up 10-3 with 11:52 remaining. Thompson continued to score on offense in the quarter, as with 5:26, Black kicked his second field goal, this time a 36-yarder, and the Warriors led 13-3.
The Huskies, however, refused to fade. Floyd orchestrated a lengthy drive, capping it with a pinpoint 15-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Dylan Cope, who leaped over defenders in the corner of the end zone. The extra point sailed through, and suddenly, it was 13-10 Thompson at halftime.
Halftime buzzed with tension—Hewitt-Trussville had clawed back, and their late score felt ominous, especially after Thompson opted to run out the clock on their final possession. The Warriors' bend-not-break defense had held firm, but the Huskies' ground game and Floyd's arm promised more fireworks.
Coming out of the locker room, Hewitt-Trussville aimed to seize control. They marched downfield on a promising opening drive, positioning themselves at the Thompson 2-yard line on fourth-and-1. Floyd dropped back, eyeing a receiver in the end zone, but senior cornerback Damonte Tabb read the play like a scripted thriller. Tabb leaped the route, snatching the interception and bolting 99 yards the other way for a jaw-dropping pick-six. The stadium fell silent as Thompson extended their lead to 20-10 with 7:34 left in the third. "This was the moment I have been waiting for," said Warriors DB Tabb. "We snatched the momentum away from them and finished the game off. A big smile on my face when I saw all that green."
It was poetic justice for the Warriors, who had suffered a similar second-half pick-six in their loss to Clay-Chalkville just a week prior. Tabb's heroics flipped the script, igniting Thompson's sideline and deflating the Husky faithful.
Hewitt-Trussville wasn't done yet. Their defense forced a three-and-out, pinning Thompson deep in their own territory. On the Warriors' first snap from the 2-yard line, Husky defender Denarrius "Woogie" Crawford exploded through the line, tackling the ball carrier in the end zone for a safety. The score tightened to 20-12 with 5:25 to go in the third, breathing life back into the home crowd.
But Thompson's response was swift and decisive. Seaborn, who had been slicing through the secondary all night with passes to receivers like Mehkii Billingsley and Dedrick Kimbrough, engineered a clock-chewing drive. He capped it with a 9-yard touchdown pass play to Trey Knight, pushing the lead to 27-12 with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Warriors. With the game hanging in the balance, Thompson's defense stepped up again, forcing turnovers and stopping Hewitt-Trussville on downs. Seaborn sealed the deal with another short-yardage touchdown run, this one from 2 yards out, making it 34-12 with 3:34 remaining.
The Huskies' final drive fizzled, and Thompson ran out the clock, clinching a road win that vaulted them into sole possession of first place in Region 3.
In the end, it was Thompson's second-half dominance—outscoring Hewitt-Trussville 21-2 after the break—that defined the night. Seaborn's dual-threat performance, Tabb's game-changing interception, and a defense that forced crucial stops turned a tight contest into a statement victory. For the Huskies, the loss snapped their undefeated streak and exposed vulnerabilities against a battle-tested foe. As the Warriors celebrated on enemy turf, the path to another deep playoff run—and perhaps a repeat state title—grew clearer. High school football in Alabama doesn't get much bigger than this thriller, a reminder that in the grind of region play, momentum is everything.
