Jared Thompson Wants Another Playoff Shot At Grace

Three-Year Starter Hoping To Make Final Season His Best For Golden Eagles

  • Thursday, August 11, 2016
  • John Hunt

The Grace Academy Golden Eagles have never really been a force to be dealt with in football, but they made the playoffs last year and are hoping to do so again this fall.

As has been the case in so many years past, numbers have never been great for the team that finished third last year in Region 3-A behind South Pittsburg and Whitwell.

There are currently about 26 young men on the Golden Eagle roster and most of them will play on both sides of the ball in addition to special teams too.

Eight of those 26 players are seniors, including Jared Thompson, who is a three-year starter at quarterback and linebacker.

It’s probably hard for this 17-year-old son of Kevin and Kim Thompson to believe that his high school career is nearing the end and that he’ll be doing something next year besides going to school and playing sports for this Shallowford Road private school.

Jared has been a Grace student since the beginning.  He is yet to decide where he’s going to school next year, but he’s a smart young man and he has his focus on becoming a mechanical engineer.

A member of the Beta Club and the National Honor Society with a GPA of 3.98, Jared ranks in the top five of his class and that’s one thing that helps him be an outstanding football player.

While some players have to be told over and over again about how to execute a play or a certain formation, the Grace coaches just tell him one time and he commits the information to memory.

The Golden Eagles were 5-6 last year, losing to Fayetteville in the first round of the playoffs.  Thompson quietly admits that at 5-11 and 225 pounds, he was the biggest kid on the team.

He’s spent countless hours this summer working by himself with a personal trainer.  Through much sweat and a lot of effort, not to mention countless drills and sprints, he’s lost about 10 pounds and is now in the best shape of his life.

“He works very hard to be good at what he does, but he’s in great shape now and has worked tirelessly on his own to get that way,” said Tommy Morrell, Grace’s defensive coordinator.

“He’s a natural leader at quarterback, but I need his athleticism on defense for us to be successful.  He played in the middle last year, but will play on the edge this year.  We can do a lot of different stuff with him as he knows football and totally understands the mechanics of the game,” the coach continued.

“He’s played a lot and has a lot of minutes under his belt, but he’s like another coach on the field for us. He’s what you’re looking for in a football player as he comes to practice ready to work every day.  He’s a hard-nosed competitor and hates to lose, but he’s a special young man and we all love him.

“One word I use to describe him is dependable as I don’t have to worry about him.  He gets things right most of the time, but when he makes a mistake, he doesn’t shy away from being corrected.  He’s a very coachable player,” Morrell added.

While Thompson has been a key play for the Grace football team, he’s also one of the leaders on the Golden Eagle baseball team where he plays outfield or third base when he’s not pitching.

And he was a little hesitant to say which sport he likes best.

“I guess it all depends on what season it is, but as far as football is concerned, I like playing quarterback more than linebacker because I like being in control of the offense,” he said before a scrimmage earlier this week.

“I think I lost about 10 pounds in June as I went through some really intense workouts and I even changed my eating habits, but we improved a bunch last year and I’m looking forward to seeing just how far we can go this year.

“I think my size is my biggest asset, but I’ve lost some weight and I’m a lot quicker than I used to be.  I was the heaviest player on the team last year. 

“We have a pretty good team returning from last year and we have an opportunity to be really good.  We just need to take advantage of it,” he concluded.

Bob Ateca is entering his seventh fall as the Grace head coach.  He spends more time working with the offensive unit and he knows just how valuable a player like Jared Thompson can be for a team with so few players.

“Jared has been a consistent workhorse for us the last three years and he’s always there with a positive attitude,” Ateca began.

“He’s a pretty big kid, but he’s more physical on offense as he likes to run over people.  He knows our system almost as well as I do.  He knows all the assignments and he doesn’t get frustrated when others make mistakes.

“He’s a positive young man and I’m glad that he plays for us and not somebody else because I’d hate to have to try to defend against him.

“If we stay healthy and the ball bounces our way, we have a chance to be good this year.  We can’t afford to lose anyone as all play multiple positions.  Jared is also our long snapper on extra points and field goals, so he’s on the field most of the time.

“I just wish I had a bunch more like him.  He’s also an outstanding student and will have the opportunity to go about anywhere he wants next year,” Ateca concluded.

The Golden Eagles will face Boyd-Buchanan in the jamboree at Finley Stadium Friday night before opening the regular season next Friday at Concord Christian.

Four straight home games follow with Ezell Harding, Lookout Valley, Silverdale and Sale Creek, but the biggest game will be the final home game on Oct. 28 against South Pittsburg, the team picked to win this region again.

Grace has a chance to be better than last year.

The potential is there for a memorable season and Jared Thompson is just hoping that his best has been saved for last.

(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com) 

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