Alabama high school surpasses 9-point deficit in 30 seconds for absurd state title win

Thompson High School (Alabaster, Ala.) Faced some loss in Wednesday’s Alabama 7A State Championship game against Auburn High School (Auburn, Ala.).

The Warriors 13-0, ranked No. 1 in the state of Alabama and N ° 6 in the country by MaxPreps, faced a seemingly insurmountable deficit against the 11-1 Tigers, who held a 28-19 lead with less than a minute to go. It looked like Auburn, third in the state, would win his first state title (ironically, at the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium).

Somehow, Thompson managed to erase that nine-point deficit with under 30 seconds to go 29-28, giving the school its second straight state title. Here’s how it went:

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It all started when Auburn, nine points ahead with 1:19 remaining playing time, tried to run out of time; the team took several knees, retreating towards the midfield, in an effort to leave as little time as possible for the return. It was when the team kicked near the center of the field, with the clock at 30 seconds until the end of regulation time, that the unlikely comeback began.

Junior safety Ahmari Bolden blocked the punt, collected the fumble and sent it back 38 yards for a touchdown, giving Thompson a touchdown and reducing Auburn’s lead to 28-26 with 18 seconds remaining .

A game later, senior defensive back Gavin Shipman recovered a side kick from the Warriors, giving them the ball to the Auburn 46 with 18 seconds left to get within range of the basket for the winning basket:

Two defensive pass interferences brought Thompson to the 18-yard line with 4 seconds left, giving the Warriors a chance to throw a 35-yard field goal.

Junior Trevor Hardy, listed as safety on Thompson’s MaxPreps site, threw the 35-yard line to seal the incredible comeback and give Thompson the 29-28 victory.

And here’s the full sequence in case you can’t believe what you just saw (with Thompson storming the pitch):

The streak was so incredible it even earned a nod from Scott Van Pelt on ESPN’s late-night SportsCenter show:

In total, Thompson would have run 53 plays for 253 yards, compared to Auburn’s 64 plays for 258 yards. Either way, those stats that don’t do justice to one of football’s most incredible comebacks at any level.