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The Thompson Warriors celebrated their 2024 Class 7A football state championship with special rings that reflect the work and the journey that went into the school’s fifth title in the past six seasons. (Reporter Photos/Andrew Simonson)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

ALABASTER – After a year where they weren’t able to gather and celebrate a title, the Thompson Warriors celebrated the return of a night that has nearly become an annual occurrence–the state championship ring ceremony.

The Thompson football program received their rings on Wednesday, April 16 at Thompson High School’s Performing Arts Center in an evening that celebrated the hard work that went into the fourth state championship in the past five years.

While the event has become a regular occurrence, Thompson High School athletic director Vincent Pitts opened the ceremony by reminding those in attendance that they should not take winning for granted.

“Winning is not easy,” Pitts said. “It is embroiled in sacrifice and hard work and it should never go unnoticed or uncelebrated.”

That brought Alabaster City Schools superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers to the podium, where he entertained the crowd with a story about when people laughed at his intentions 10 years ago to build a championship athletic department at THS.

“After 43 championships and runners up in the last 12 years, we don’t have to explain we’re building champions anymore,” Dr. Vickers said.

He commended the football staff for keeping the players held to a high standard year in and year out to help build the Warriors football dynasty.

“Buying in to building one champion is one thing,” Dr. Vickers said. “Buying in to multiple champions is a whole other thing.”

Thompson head football coach Mark Freeman then remarked on the unique journey of this year’s team. He pointed out that many throughout the state counted the Warriors out after three one-point overtime losses in the regular season to Grayson, Clay-Chalkville and Hoover.

However, he said the players tuned out the noise and put in the work to leave no doubt about their status as champions, and he thanked his coaching staff for what he called “their best coaching job.”

Freeman continued multiple traditions as part of the ceremony. First, he allowed the players to come up and receive their rings in their respective position groups after announcing their own names into the podium microphone.

That included the cheerleaders, trainers and even Thompson’s ball boy as the Warriors celebrated each part of the program that went along for the ride with them to the state championship.

During his speech, Freeman also welcomed back the two assistant coaches who have since taken coaching positions elsewhere–Durrell Fuqua, who is now the head coach at Pleasant Grove, and Woodrow Briggs, who accepted the defensive coordinator position at Pelham under former Warriors special teams coordinator Ross Newton. Both received rings as well.

Before the players unboxed their rings, Freeman told a story of when he won the first championship of his career at Bessemer Academy in 2002 in his fifth season as head coach. He and his players lifted up their rings to dedicate them to God and pray that He bless the rings.

He has continued the tradition of giving thanks to God first after each of his championship wins, and he led the team in the same prayer for his 11th championship of his career.

As for the rings themselves, they feature multiple special designs to honor the championship victory.

In addition to the diamond-encrusted top with Thompson’s logo, one side features the year 2024 and pictures of Protective Stadium and the Birmingham skyline, the setting for the Warriors’ win over Central-Phenix City. The other includes each recipient’s name and the school’s custom championship logo.

The bottom of the ring features the final score of 21-7 while “Thompson Warriors State Champions” is wrapped around the top of the ring.

The top of the ring pops off to reveal a 7A state championship trophy with a custom-cut stone in the middle shaped to look like the redesigned clear trophy, and the top can attach magnetically to an included chain to make a necklace.

Popping off the top reveals Proverbs 16:3 engraved in the ring, which reads “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

The players also received multiple other gifts from the team, including miniature state championship trophies, a replica of the Super 7 field design from the AHSAA, the Alabaster Reporter’s championship special section and their yard sign which was displayed on U.S. 31 during the buildup to the title game.

While the night was one of celebration for the Warriors, the coaches and players made it clear that the focus had shifted already to the work and preparation for the 2025 football season, which begins on Thursday, Aug. 21 against Carver-Montgomery, and the defense of their sixth state championship in program history.

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