By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Looking over the history books of the Thompson High School football program for the past several years, the changes are obvious.

After a winless 0-10 campaign in 2014, the Warriors have now posted back-to-back seasons with deep playoff runs, and have gone 33-13 over the past four seasons.

“I think that is a big turnaround, no matter where you are. I want to brag on the coaching staff, I want to brag on the young men out there on the field who worked hard and believed after going 0-10. It is a big deal to have things turn around,” Alabaster School Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers said during a Jan. 14 Board of Education meeting. “It’s a big deal in our community.”

Vickers and School Board members honored the about 110 members of the Warriors’ 2018 football team for having one of the best seasons in the school’s history. After the Warriors went 12-1 in 2017 and lost to Hoover in the 7A playoff semifinals, Thompson advanced to the 7A state championship game, where they fell to Central Phenix City during the 2018 season.

“I believe the best is yet to come. We have a lot of people graduating, but we have a lot of young talent, and a lot of that young talent is here in this room,” Vickers added. “We expect great things, and we’re going to get stronger, smarter and get better every day.”

During the Jan. 14 meeting, which was held in the Performing Arts Center at THS to accommodate the crowd, more than 100 members of the football team gathered at the front of the venue for a group photo after head football coach Mark Freeman and his coaching staff thanked ACS leaders for their support.

“I can tell you how blessed and thankful we are now to the board for having the vision when Dr. Vickers and them were putting everything together, because I knew there was a sincerity. You want to do something for someone when you feel like they appreciate it, and everyone here does that,” Freeman said. “That was clear to me the first night I met some of y’all. We’re blessed. We’re honored to go to work every day. It’s humbling to be a part of this. We’re thankful for what you do and how you do it, and for the way you let us do it. Thank God for his blessings for allowing us to achieve what we have. Alabaster is a great place, and we’re honored to be here.”