Thompson (1-0) scored 23 points in the second quarter and earned a 44-13 victory over Opelika (0-1) in the 18th AHSAA Kickoff Classic on Friday night at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl.

Warriors freshman quarterback Trent Seaborn completed 20-of-26 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver Deuce Oliver grabbed nine receptions for 118 yards and one TD. Running back Michael Dujon rushed for two second-half touchdowns.

Thompson’s defense delivered big in the first quarter after the offense misfired on several prime scoring opportunities when wide open receivers failed to corral Seaborn’s downfield passes.

The first big offensive catch was actually a fluke catch. Seaborn, under pressure, fired to Oliver and the ball bounced off his hands into teammate Colben Landew’s hands inside the 10-yard line for a 26-yard gain. A.J. Green had two runs to move the ball to the 3-yard as the scoreless first quarter ended.

Opelika’s defense rose up and stopped the Warriors on first play of the second quarter on third down, and place-kicker John McGuire kicked a 29-yard field goal at 11:14 of the second period to give Thompson a 3-0 lead.

After forcing the Warriors’ field goal, Opelika finally reeled two first downs before a personal foul on the Bulldogs stopped the momentum cold.

Thompson took full advantage of the shift with Seaborn connecting on two quick passes, the second one going to Oliver all the way to the 4-yard line. Two plays later, Green ran through a gaping hole to score for a 5-yard touchdown run. McGuire kicked the extra point and the Warriors led 10-0 at 6:43 in the second quarter.

Opelika fullback Calvin Hughley broke loose off tackle three minutes later for a 38-yard touchdown run to cut the Thompson lead to 10-7. It didn’t take Thompson long to respond. A solid 40-yard kickoff return by Kaleb Harris gave the Warriors good field position near midfield, and Seaborn connected on three straight passes, a 36-yarder to Hearn and another completion to Hearn resulting in a 12-yard touchdown. The extra point was wide and Thompson led 16-7 with 2:42 to go in the half.

Thompson’s defense came up with another big play on Opelika’s next possession when Kaleb Harris picked off Roman Gagliano’s pass and returned it to the Bulldogs’ 15-yard line. Seaborn then fired a strike across the middle to Oliver on the next play for a touchdown and the Warriors increased their lead to 23-7 heading into the half.

Hughley, who finished with 76 yards rushing on 15 carries, continued to spark the Bulldogs in the third quarter with some strong runs, including bulling his way into the end zone for a 1-yard TD to cut the Thompson lead to 23-13 with 2:38 to go in the third quarter. Seaborn and the Thompson offense answered with an impressive drive culminating with a 15-yard TD run by Djuon with a minute to go in the third period for a 30-13 lead. The 80-yard drive took just six plays.

Dujon added his second touchdown and junior Camron Wells scored on a run with 1:17 remaining for the final Thompson TD.

Key stat: The Bulldogs offense could find no real consistency in the first quarter with minus-7 yards on seven running plays, minus-2 passing yards on their only completion, and no first downs.

By the numbers: Thompson rolled up 392 yards on 49 plays and had 18 first downs. Dujon had 58 yards on four carries to lead Thompson’s rush attack. Oliver also had two punt returns for 41 yards. … Opelika finished with 16 first downs and had 249 yards on 66 total plays – 17 more than the Warriors. Gagliano completed 18-of-30 passes for 162 yards. Jordan Tolbert had five catches for 50 yards and Drue Gagliano added four receptions for 50 yards. … Defensively, Trent Cheatom had seven tackles to lead the Warriors, and Jmarvin Jenkins had seven stops for Opelika.

Did you know?: Thompson has won four straight AHSAA Class 7A state titles, but the Warriors’ winning streak is only five games.

What’s next?: Thompson plays home against national power IMG Academy (Fla.) next week. Opelika travels to J.A.G. for another game at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl.

1/53