By ERIC STARLING / For the Reporter

HOOVER – After four home games to start the season, the Thompson Warriors took their 3-1 record on the road to face the undefeated Hoover Bucs. The Warriors had their moments during the contest, but still struggled to stop the high-powered Hoover offense. The Bucs defeated the Warriors 31-14.

Hoover started the game with ball on their own 30 yard line. It took just four plays for the Bucs to strike. CJ Sturdivant rumbled 33 yards for the score and the extra point attempt made it 7-0 Hoover.

The Warriors had a hard time getting the offense clicking, and Hoover took advantage of great field position. With 33 seconds left in the first quarter, Christopher Vaccarella hit Jimmie Johnson for a 56-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

Thompson started a drive at its own 13-yard line in the second quarter, and on the first play from scrimmage, Carlos Stephens burned the defense for an 86-yard run to the one yard line. A hit in the backfield and a penalty left the Warriors facing third and goal from the 8-yard line. Walker Lott connected with Jordan Haywood across the middle for the score.

The Bucs added another score before the half and take a 21-7 lead into the locker room.

Still looking to get some consistency on offense, the Warriors started the second half at their own 31. On third and eleven, Lott hit Stephens in stride and this time Stephens made sure no one caught him before he reached pay dirt. The 70-yard play at the 10:52 mark pulled the Warriors within seven.

Thompson ran 55 plays on the night compared to the Bucs 63 plays. With the number of plays being almost even, the big difference was the amount of offense generated. The Bucs tallied 400 yards of offense compared to just 220 for the Warriors. That combined with two turnovers, gave the Bucs the edge they needed to pull away from the Warriors.

Hoover added a field goal in the third quarter and another touchdown in the fourth.

Stephens led the Warriors offense in both rushing and receiving. He tallied 91 and 65 yards respectively.

The Warriors will take a week off next week to regroup and then will return home to host Vestavia Hills on October 2.