Westminster OM upsets Thompson during in-school match off Gamble brace
Published 4:24 pm Thursday, April 17, 2025
Westminster OM defeated Thompson for the first time in school history as the Class 4A No. 1 Knights spoiled the Warriors’ in-school match thanks to two goals from Aiden Gamble. (Reporter Photos/Andrew Simonson)
By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor
ALABASTER – Thompson High School students lined the stands at Warrior Stadium on Wednesday, April 16 in anticipation of a big win for their Thompson Warriors after a dominant season that saw them ranked No. 6 in Class 7A and firmly in the playoffs.
However, when the Westminster School at Oak Mountain Knights’ first-half penalty kick went in for a goal, they were met with a much different reality.
By the time Aiden Gamble’s go-ahead goal sailed in with 12 minutes to go, right after the stroke of dismissal from the in-school game, the scoreline was cemented as no mere fluke but a genuine upset.
The 4A No. 1 Knights secured the 2-1 win over Thompson to defeat the Warriors for the first time in program history. It is Westminster’s second win against a Class 7A opponent in as many seasons after it previously defeated Spain Park 4-1 in Feb. 2024.
“I’m really happy for the players and proud of the players because, they knew it was an in-school game. They knew it’s a 7A opponent, top-10 7A opponent, and they wanted to come in and compete, and they did that,” Westminster OM coach Cody Baxter said. “We often say play the game, not the occasion. This was definitely an occasion, and our guys did a pretty good job of making sure they played the game and played it well.”
Gamble broke the scoreless draw in the opening half with a goal from the penalty spot to set up a spirited second half from both sides.
Charlie Krulak’s 37th-minute shot got saved before Thompson strung together some of its best offensive chances of the game.
A minute after Krulak’s chance, the Warriors narrowly missed a long volley to the back post.
From there, Thompson had another chance with a 41st-minute ball from 17 on the counterattack as he sent it into the middle to 8, but it was deflected for a corner that was caught.
The Warriors continued snowballing chances over the next 10 minutes before the breakthrough goal came in the 53rd minute.
After a counterattack along the left wing, Thompson crossed the ball into Christian McLaughlin, who crashed in from the right wing and slotted the ball home to tie up the game and electrify the students in attendance.
The Warriors nearly took the lead in the 62nd minute on a volley into the box, but Sam Carter stepped up and extended his leg in midair for the crucial save.
From there, the Knights recovered from the string of Thompson offense and positioned themselves for the response.
That came in the 68th minute when Krulak got the ball just past midfield on the left wing and played Gamble on the run. The Shelby County Golden Boot holder pursued the ball on the left side and navigated through the Warriors defense to fire a shot across the goal to the far post.
The ball went in, and as Gamble motioned for the Thompson fans to go to sleep, they migrated for the exits at dismissal with Westminster leading 2-1.
The Knights defended that lead over the final 12 minutes by getting the majority of the quality chances, including a shot from 18 that forced a diving save from the Warriors keeper and a dangerous 78th-minute cross from 22.
With that, Westminster saw out the 2-1 lead to full time and secured the big road victory.
After the match, Baxter said that he instructed his players to stick to who they were and play their brand of soccer instead of trying to change things to match the big atmosphere.
That proved to work as the Knights carried over their standout form from area play to Alabaster.
“To be honest, the first thing I said to the guys, once we got here was I was reminded of Psalm 23, ‘even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, that will fear no evil, because you’re with me,’” Baxter said. “And so, we took that onto the field, knowing that if we can play with that type of freedom and just know that, ‘Hey, no matter what happens as a result of this game, we can step off and be confident in who we are and Whose we are,’ then that’s all I can ask for from these guys, and they did it.”
Westminster improved to 15-5-1 and now carries a six-match win streak into its regular-season finale at Altamont on Tuesday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m., with its last blemish coming from undefeated 7A No. 1 Oak Mountain.
From there, the Knights will hit the playoffs on Tuesday, April 29 at Heardmont Park. Baxter knows the result likely put a big target on their backs for their fellow 4A contenders, but he said as long as they stay the course and don’t let the success get to their heads, they’ll be in good position.
“We talk about there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and once you cross that line and get into arrogance, it’s a pretty big fall,” Baxter said. “So, we want to be confident, absolutely, and take this as yeah, a statement win, but we also know others are going to see it as just that and the target for us got a little bit bigger, so I think our guys are up for the challenge, but we’re going to be sure to remain humble in this, but we’ll enjoy it, but they know tomorrow, the count is zero.”
Thompson, meanwhile, drops to 13-7-1 with its second game in less than 24 hours as the Warriors lost 3-0 at Calera on Tuesday, April 15.
Coach Alex Levinson’s side will look to recover next time out against Stanhope Elmore on Monday, April 21 at 7 p.m. on the road before a crucial match against Tuscaloosa County on Tuesday, April 22 with a potential area title on the line.
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