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It may not have been clean or easy, but the Thompson Warriors got revenge over Lipscomb Academy with a win on the road behind three touchdowns from Mike Dujon. (Reporter Photos/Alec Etheredge)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In August 2022, Tennessee’s Lipscomb Academy Mustangs came into Warrior Stadium and scored 21 points in the second half to grab a win over the Thompson Warriors.

Two years and two days later on Thursday, Aug. 29, Thompson returned the favor at the Lipscomb Academy Athletic Complex and went back across the state line with a 27-20 win.

While it wasn’t the Warriors’ best performance, it was still a win, and at the end of the day, that’s what coach Mark Freeman is proud of.

“I think the positive thing is we got a win,” Freeman said. “I’m proud of the kids and I’m proud to win. I’m proud of our coaches because it’s hard to come off a game where a lot of our kids were dejected and felt like we could’ve played better.”

Lipscomb looked to get the early momentum after converting a third-and-13 off a 22-yard completion, but the Warriors recovered to get the stop on the next third down and give the offense its first opportunity at a second impression.

Trent Seaborn was on his game early, finding the connections with his receivers that eluded him against Grayson to go 7-for-8 for 83 yards during the drive.

Those 83 yards included a big throw on the run to Anquon Fegans on the 1 after a similar scrambling throw to Pryce Lewis for a touchdown that was called back.

Mike Dujon finished the job with a punch-in for the touchdown and the 7-0 lead with five minutes left in the opening period.

Lipscomb then embarked on an eight-minute drive that included multiple third down conversions, something Thompson’s defense excelled at stopping a week prior.

After making their way down the field with short and intermediate passes, the Mustangs found a receiver on the left sideline for the 6-yard catch-and-run touchdown with just less than nine minutes left in the second quarter.

While that throw tied the game, that tie only lasted mere seconds.

Fegans caught the kickoff at the 7 and turned on the jets for the 93-yard return touchdown. That put the Warriors back up 13-7 with 8:37 left in the half after the extra point failed.

Lipscomb took back over the ball after the return score, but Thompson made that a short drive after Seth Green forced and recovered his own fumble.

He gave the Warriors a short field from the Mustang 49, and Seaborn capitalized by finding Trey Knight along the sideline at the 7.

The sophomore slinger nearly faced disaster shortly after with a right-side edge rusher crashing in unmarked. Seaborn made the quick throw to Dujon who took it in from there for the 8-yard touchdown, giving Thompson a 20-7 lead it would take into the halftime locker room.

The third quarter started off as a defensive battle as Seaborn’s first down throw to Trey Knight was the only offense as Thompson punted twice and Lipscomb punted in between that.

The Warriors defense forced another three-and-out with about seven minutes left in the third, but it wouldn’t lead to a Thompson offensive drive. The punt bounced off the returner’s chest and went straight into the arms of a member of the Mustangs hands team.

Lipscomb took advantage and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to the left corner of the end zone to make the score 20-14.

After failing on a third down conversion on the ensuing drive, Thompson got another chance thanks to another three-and-out and quickly took advantage.

Early in the drive on the Mustang 32, Dujon hit the second level and was practically untouched as he reeled off a 68-yard rushing touchdowns, restoring Thompson’s two-score lead at 27-14 with 1:24 left in the third.

The Thompson defense got another stop following a first down and a controversial late hit penalty, and Dujon struck again with a pair of 11-yard carries to start the drive. The Warriors got another break with a penalty to move up, but the run-focused drive ended in a punt.

Thompson’s third down woes struck again on Lipscomb’s next drive as the Mustangs converted a third-and-4 pass play. That set the stage for multiple first down plays during a lengthy drive.

Eventually, Lipscomb went for it on fourth-and-2 on the 9-yard line, and it not only moved the chains but ran in for a touchdown right after that to draw within seven points with 1:53 left.

However, the Mustangs needed an onside kick to keep their hopes for a win alive. The kick failed and Thompson bled the clock to seal the 27-20 win.

Both sides of the ball had solid performances on the day. The defense benefitted from five pass breakups from Anquon Fegans, 14 tackles from Vini Pires and eight tackles from Trenton Cheatom.

As for the offense, Mike Dujon got 123 yards and two touchdowns off 12 carries as well as four catches for 16 yards and a receiving touchdown. That touchdown was Trent Seaborn’s lone score as he had an efficient 19-for-24 day with 173 yards.

However, even though the Warriors will head home with the win, they’ll have plenty of lessons to unpack along with their luggage.

Freeman singled out areas of improvement in all three phases, including their third down defense, missed catches and the muffed punt. While some of that comes down to inexperience, he wants his team to continue to work to overcome that inexperience.

“People don’t understand that right now we’re an average football team,” Freeman said. “We’ve got to continue to work. Our kids have to grow up. We don’t have a lot who have a lot of snaps on offense and they’ve got to continue to grow, and we got to find a way to win while they’re growing until we do grow up.”

He also called out some of his players for a lack of effort, particularly when making catches, and took ownership for getting the newer players where they need to be to contend for a title.

“They’ve just got to learn how to practice,” Freeman said. “And that’s on me. I’ve got to get them where they learn how to practice. And I take all the blame. If we put a guy in the game and we’re not sure what to do, that’s on me, and we learn from it.”

The Warriors will hope to put those lessons to work in their region opener on Friday, Sept. 6 on the road against the Tuscaloosa County Wildcats.

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