High School

Central Phenix City beats Thompson: Live score, updates from Alabama 7A football state championship

Get live score updates and highlights from the 2023 Class 7A AHSAA high school football state championship game

Tyler Cleveland, SBLive Sports

Thompson knocked off Central Phenix City in the 2021 state championship but the two will have the chance to run it back this week when they face off again in the AHSAA Class 7A state title game.

Thompson (11-1) is looking for its fifth-straight Class 7A Championship under coach Mark Freeman, who is looking for his 12th career state title.

Central (12-0) has had one of the most prolific offenses in state history, averaging 44.6 points a game and beat Davidson, Auburn and Mary G. Montgomery by a combined 84 points in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Follow along below for live updates from the Alabama Class 7A football state championship game:

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FOURTH QUARTER UPDATES

FINAL: CENTRAL 21, THOMPSON 19 Red Devils junior tailback Tristan Williams just put the game away by competing a key first down with 50 seconds to go. Thompson's championship streak is over. Central is your AHSAA Class 7A Champion!

Thompson Misses a FG: McGuire misses his first kick of the game from 46 yards. Wide left. The Red Devils will take over with 2:30 to go.

CENTRAL 21, THOMPSON 19: Tristan Seaborn just unleashed an absolute dime to Colben Landrew for a 36-yard touchdown. The Warriors went for the two-point conversion, but Seaborn’s pass to the corner of the end zone fell incomplete. There’s 7:02 left on the clock.

CENTRAL 21, THOMPSON 13: You can’t keep Cam Coleman down forever — Alford hits his star receiver on the slant route, and the senior breaks one tackle and goes 74 yards for the touchdown. He’s up to 143 yards on five catches. Huge answer for Central there. Nine minutes to go in this one.

CENTRAL 14, THOMPSON 13: Another promising Thompson drive ends with a kick, but John McGuire hits another short field goal — this one 25 yards — to pull Thompson within one. Red Devils will get the ball back with 10 minutes to go. 

THIRD QUARTER UPDATES

CENTRAL 14, THOMPSON 10 (End of the 3rd quarter) Thompson is driving, but faces a 3rd-&-3 at the Central 20-yard line when the fourth quarter begins.

CENTRAL 14, THOMPSON 10: You get the feeling it was only a matter of time until one of those big Thompson receivers made a play. Colben Landrew just made a leaping one for a 19-yard TD reception. Red Devils capitalize on the muffed punt reception and get right back in the game. We've still got 9:18 to go in the third quarter.

Fumble! Another muffed punt has led to another Red Devils turnover. Thompson senior Caleb Fox recovered his second loose ball of the game.

Stars on the sidelines: There's several familiar faces on this sidelines at Bryant-Denny Stadium tonight. Auburn assistant Carnell "Cadillac" Williams and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney are in the house. So is University of Oregon quarterback and Heisman finalist Bo Nix, whose father Patrick is coaching for his third state championship and first since coming over to Central-Phenix City from Pinson Valley.

SECOND QUARTER UPDATES

CENTRAL 14, THOMPSON 3 (End of the 2nd Quarter) Central was happy to take the 11-point lead into the half, and ran out the clock following the turnover.

Fumble! Central's Brennan Core just recovered another fumble in the Thompson backfield, and the Red Devils will take over deep in their own territory with around a minute to go in the half.

CENTRAL 14, THOMPSON 3: The Red Devils converted a key fourth down near midfield to sustain an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. Tristan Williams picked up his second touchdown of the night on a nine-yard run. He's already topped the 100 yard mark with 3:32 to go in the second quarter.

CENTRAL 7, THOMPSON 3: John McGuire puts the Warriors on the board with a chip-shot, 21-yard field goal. There's 6:55 left in the first half.

Blocked punt! Thompson's Vinnie Pires burst trough the line and blocked a punt deep in Red Devil territory. 

Fumble! The Central defense got a stop, but a muffed catch on the punt led to a turnover. Thompson senior Caleb Fox came up with the recovery for the Warriors.

CENTRAL 7, THOMPSON 0: Central's Tristan Williams scored his 11th TD of the season with a two-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

FIRST QUARTER UPDATES

CENTRAL 0, THOMPSON 0 (End of the 1st Quarter) Central is knocking on the door. They'll face a 2nd-&-Goal from the two-yard line when the second quarter starts.

Another interception! Thompson's standout defensive back Anquon Fagans decided to get in on the turnover-fest, picking off Central's Andrew Alford on a 4th-and-6. Thompson takes over at its own seven-yard line. We're still scoreless.

Interception! The Central defense just paid it back with an interception by sophomore linebacker Brennan Core on Thompson's first offensive possession. Thompson coach Mark Freeman has challenged the catch, but it looks pretty definitive. We remain tied 0-0.

Fumble! Thompson’s Jayden Davis forced a fumble on the opening drive. The Warriors take over at their own 33 with 9:33 left in the first quarter.

We are underway in Tuscaloosa. Central has the ball to start the game.

PREGAME UPDATES

Warmups underway: Both teams are out of the tunnel and warming up on the field, and the NFHS Network Broadcast has begun. Kickoff is still set for 7 p.m.

SBLive Sports is the official digital content partner of the AHSAA and a member of the Sports Illustrated Media Network.

Published
Tyler Cleveland, SBLive Sports
TYLER CLEVELAND, SBLIVE SPORTS

SBLive Mississippi reporter Tyler Cleveland has been covering sports in the Magnolia State since 2005. He attended Ole Miss and Southern Miss and worked previously at the Hattiesburg American, Clarion-Ledger and Rivals.com. You can reach him at tyler@scorebooklive.com.

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