AHSAA, MONTGOMERY – Thompson High School’s amazing come-from-behind victory over Auburn in the two teams’ last Super 7 Class 7A State Championship Game still stirs the souls of those in attendance.

The Warriors trailed the Tigers 28-19 with 18 seconds left but won the game with a blocked punt which was returned for a touchdown, recovered an onside kick and kicked the game-winning field goal on the final play of the game.

Both schools’ fans were stunned by the outcome.

One year earlier at the 2019 Super 7, Oxford High School captured a dramatic 14-13 victory over Spanish Fort to win the Class 6A state title. What do the two games have in common?

Coach Keith Etheredge, who was the head coach at Oxford, is now the head coach at Auburn (12-1). CoachMark Freeman is still the head coach at Thompson. Both coaches will be on opposite sidelines when the 2022 AHSAA Super 7 Football Championships kick off at Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium in first game of the 27th annual championship week.

The two coaches have much in common. Between them, the two veteran coaches have won 10 AHSAA state titles between them. Etheredge (172-56-0) won four state championships at Leeds and his fifth one at Oxford. Freeman (246-55-0) has coached the Warriors (10-3) to the last three Class 7A state championships and coached two at Spanish Fort. He also won four at non-member school Bessemer Academy and has nine overall.

Auburn has scored 496 points this season – an average of 38.2 points per game. Thompson has scored 364 in what could be the toughest schedule in school history – an average of 28.0 points a game. The Warriors are yielding only 12.1 ppg, and the Tigers, 17.2 ppg.

Both teams are loaded with outstanding players certain to play college football Saturdays someday – and a handful that will play on Sunday in their more distant future.

Both teams have a tremendous following and with crowd estimates expecting to become the most attended 7A final in AHSAA history. Through in the 2019 finish and it is easy to understand such lofty predictions.

Auburn gets an extra boost this year with its girls’ flag football team (15-1), coached by Alison Link, meeting Oxford (16-3), coached by Wes Brooks, in the AHSAA’s second ever Flag Football championship game earlier in the day at 2 p.m.

Hewitt-Trussville edged Smiths Station 14-13 in two overtimes in the first Flag Championship game last year at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium in 2021. Thompson followed that game with a 38-22 victory over Central-Phenix City, Auburn’s big rival.

Defending 3A state champion Piedmont (12-2) and Saint James (12-2) kick off Thursday’s action at 11 a.m. in the 3A finals. The Class 1A finals will follow with Pickens County (11-3) facing Leroy (12-1) at 3 p.m. The Class 5A finals will pit Charles Henderson (12-1) and Ramsay (12-2) at 7 p.m.

Friday’s final day of the Super 7 will open at 11 a.m., with the Class 4A finals featuring Andalusia (13-1) and Cherokee County (12-2). The Class 2A finals featuring B.B. Comer (12-2) and Fyffe (14-0), will be at 3 p.m. The Red Devils have won three state championships in the last four years. The Class 6A championship game closes out the Super 7 with Saraland (13-1) playing Mountain Brook (12-2).

For the first time in AHSAA history, all seven boys’ championship games and the girls’ Flag finals will be televised live over the Alabama Public Television Network. The games are being produced by the NFHS Network with Vince Earley and his WOTM TV crew producing the games. All eight will also be live streamed over the NFHS Network and all seven will be aired over the AHSAA Radio Network as well.