By JOSH ETHRIDGE/For the Reporter

The Thompson High School Warriors will kick off the 2014 season against the Wetumpka High School Indians Aug 22. The past two seasons the teams have faced each other as regional foes, but this season it will be an inter-classification battle.

Even though the Warriors are now 7A and the Indians remain 6A, it doesn’t make the game any less important for the Warriors. Thompson High School head football coach Mike Montgomery said the past two contests have put a bad taste in the mouths of the players and the coaches for Thompson. Last year the Warriors suffered a 24-0 home loss to Wetumpka.

“Wetumpka was one of the worst games we played last season, so it’s an opportunity to avenge ourselves, it’s an opportunity to improve upon something we didn’t get done last year,” he said.

Other than it being a revenge game, there is a lot of excitement building for the Warriors with it being the season opener. Montgomery said he believes the hard work that has been put in over the summer is going to give them a launching pad into the first game.

“The first thing is the excitement that it’s the first game, seeing where we are and where we’ve grown,” he said. “We’ve been working hard since June whether it be running conditioning, lifting weights; all preparing for the season.”

The Warriors will be going on the road, which will add an extra element of difficulty to their opening contest. Coach Montgomery said he looks at it as an opportunity to test the bond the players have developed over the past few years since he started coaching them.

“ We aren’t at home but we have the opportunity to play tighter and we feel the bond we have amongst ourselves is strong,” he said. “We cant be a good team in this league unless we are solid on the road and that is one of the things we prepare for, hard games on the road.”

Looking at this game and going forward, Coach Montgomery said he sees his team moving in the right direction. His Warriors won three games his first season and four his second season. He hopes that his team continues to trend upward.

“Our goal is to definitely win more than we are losing,” he said. “We want to continue to build on what we’ve done the past couple years since I’ve been here and move toward a state championsip.”

The Warriors travel to the Indians’ home turf at Hohenburg Field, located at 630 NW Main St. in Wetumpka. Kick off is set for 7 p.m.