Nashville, TN- Exactly two years and two days ago, the Lipscomb Academy and Thompson Warrior teams sat together midfield, exhausted after one of the best high school football games ever. Lipscomb had just scored 24 straight points- most of them by way of defensive Touchdowns by now Vandy and Tennessee stars Bryan Longwell and Kaleb Beasley- to knockoff the Warriors. Mustang Head Coach Trent Dilfer (now the head coach at UAB) addressed both teams and talked about how special this matchup was.
The rematch in Nashville lived up to it's hype.
It was a back-and-forth slugfest at the Lipscomb Academy Athletic Complex as the Thompson Warriors pulled off a hard-fought 27-21 win over Lipscomb Academy- exacting a bit of sweet revenge on the road.
The Mustangs have shown guts in the first 2 games under first year Head Coach Jamie Graham, mounting impressive comebacks in both. But, big plays by the opposition have hurt them in both games and they have not yet checked off their first dub of the young season.
The Mustangs came into the game shorthanded, with two of their elite defensive lineman out with injuries. But, the depth for Lipscomb stepped up and kept them in the ballgame. Colorado commit star OL Chauncey Gooden played some snaps on defense and proved worthy of freeing up guys like senior LB Kris Thompson to fly around and make plays.
Senior Safety and LSU commit CJ Jimcoily made multiple big plays to stall Thompson drives. Two hard hits in particular along the Thompson sideline, could be heard across the stadium- causing the Mustang faithful to errupt. Another notable play was a 1st Quarter pass breakup, deep in Lipscomb territory.
Thompson's early efforts were led by quarterback Trent Seaborn, who wasted no time connecting with his receivers after a challenging previous game. Seaborn's precision and calm under pressure were key, as he led the Warriors to an early 7-0 lead with a touchdown from Mike Dujon, who capped the drive with a punch-in score.
The Mustangs answered with a touchdown catch by Lex Baskins on a throw from Tav Shaffer, tying the game at 7-7, but the Warriors immediately responded with lightning speed. Anquon Fegans electrified the crowd with a 93-yard kickoff return, restoring Thompson’s lead and setting the tone for the rest of the night.
Seaborn’s leadership shined again as he hit Trey Knight and Dujon with precise passes to extend the Warriors’ advantage to 20-7 by halftime. "
The third quarter turned into a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to find momentum. Lipscomb’s defense forced a punt and then capitalized on a Thompson miscue, with a touchdown run from Zachariah "Z" Crockett to close the gap to 20-14. But just when the Mustangs started to build momentum, Dujon once again rose to the occasion, breaking free for a dazzling 68-yard touchdown run down the sideline that widened the lead to 27-14.
Lipscomb didn’t back down, however, putting together a late drive that ended in a circus catch by Cam Bliivens on a great throw by Tav Shaffer for a touchdown to bring them within a single score at 27-20. But Thompson secured the onside kick and then punched through to get a first on a crucial 3rd down play with less than 2 minutes left to preserve the victory.
Dujon was the standout of the night, racking up 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. He also added a receiving touchdown to his impressive tally, solidifying his role as the Warriors’ key playmaker. Seaborn had an efficient day, completing 19 of 24 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.
The Warriors will look to build on this win as they head to Tuscaloosa County on Friday, Sept. 6, for their region opener. Lipscomb Academy is home again, against Briarcrest Christian, before a huge matchup with Baylor.
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