Thompson was the epitome of offensive efficiency while flexing its defensive muscle and the Class 7A second-ranked Warriors felt little pressure in cruising to a 40-14 victory over No. 6 Hewitt-Trussville in Friday night’s Region 3 showdown at Hewitt-Trussville Stadium.

Thompson (5-1, 4-0) outgained the Huskies 450-352 on offense and forced three three-and-outs and a turnover on defense while collecting five tackles for loss and a sack.

The Warriors jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter, scoring on short rushing touchdowns from AJ Green and Michael Dujon, and extended the advantage to 24-7 at the halftime break.

Hewitt-Trussville (5-2, 3-1) trimmed the deficit in half on a 1-yard plunge from quarterback Peyton Floyd, but Thompson’s Trent Seaborn connected with Kolby Hearn on a short route that the latter turned into an 80-yard touchdown reception on the first play of the ensuing drive. John McGuire added a 47-yard field goal midway through the second quarter and the Warriors defense forced a goal-line fumble right before the end of the first half.

Thompson’s McGuire booted a 49-yard field goal on the opening possession of the second half. The Huskies responded with a 9-play, 80-yard drive to cut the lead to 27-14 on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Floyd to Jaqson Melton.

Seaborn and Hearn combined to finish off Hewitt-Trussville in the final period, connecting on touchdowns of 33 and 27 yards. The first scoring pass came on a third-and-16 on the first play of the fourth quarter and the second came on a fourth-and-9 inside the final five minutes.

Star of the game: Hearn. The senior wide receiver brought down five receptions for 182 yards and three touchdowns.

“(My favorite) was probably the one in the corner of the end zone, when I broke the guy. During practice, we kept working on it, had a great connection and it worked out tonight,” he said.

By the numbers: 10, the number of wins for Thompson in the overall series, which it leads 10-6. … 5, the number of tackles for loss collected by each defense. … 1, the number of drives for Thompson in which it failed to score, a two-play possession that ended the first half.

Stat sheet: Thompson – Seaborn finished 23-of-30 passing for 358 yards and three touchdowns, and Green led the rushing attack with 14 carries for 75 yards and a score. Dujon had only 11 rushing yards, but scored late in the first quarter. Deuce Oliver was tied for a game-high nine receptions for 70 yards, and Colben Landrew had two catches for 46 yards and Pryce Lewis had three catches for 37 yards. Kaleb Harris had five tackles, followed by Cam Pritchett with a sack. Hewitt-Trussville – Floyd was 25-of-38 for 256 yards and a touchdown and added 47 yards and a score on the ground. Melton led the running game with 31 yards and a score on a short pass from Floyd. Jadon Loving was tied for a game-high nine receptions, amassing 121 yards, and Jacob Serena and Donovan Price combined on seven receptions for 87 yards.

Coachspeak: “Resilience. We had a great week of practice. People doubted us and rightly so. We have to get better from tonight. We came out with energy and were better than we were last week.” – Thompson head coach Mark Freeman

They said it: “We can get very explosive. I don’t think we went 100 percent, but we can do better on both sides of the ball.” – Hearn

“The coaches put a lot of effort and energy into us and as an overall group, we’re connected and play as one.” – Pritchett

What’s next? Thompson hits the road to Oak Mountain, while Hewitt-Trussville travels to Vestavia Hills.