Prep football: In first action back from injury, Thomas makes the most of it

Aug. 17—FORT PAYNE — Whether it was a junior varsity player getting his first tackle or one of Oxford's starters making a great play, Jaydon Thomas cheered them on by name Thursday night.

In fact, after his first-quarter touchdown, he immediately gave all the credit to his team.

"It was my o-linemen. It was all o-line," Thomas said, pointing to his teammates. "I had a gap that I could fit a bus in. That's about it, for real."

As he ran up and down the sidelines and all over the field, Thomas was one of the happiest players on the field for a reason beyond having a solid game.

In his first action back after a broken ankle cut last season short for him, Thomas stole the spotlight as he racked up 46 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in a half of jamboree play against Fort Payne.

Both starters played the first half of the jamboree, the varsity reserves played the third quarter and the junior varsity teams played the fourth quarter. The varsity pitched a 21-0 shutout in the first half, while the varsity reserves and junior varsity teams won the second half 7-3.

"Tonight was a great night," Thomas said. "We had some penalties that set us back, but I feel like once we go back in the next week and work on what we messed up today we will come out here better than ever. I feel like our biggest opponent was us tonight."

Thomas, who holds an offer from Stetson, said that he has a much bigger appreciation for the game after seeing action with his recovery behind him. He added that he feels even better physically than before his injury.

"It feels special," Thomas said. "It's a feeling you don't get a lot of times, people don't even understand the feeling you get just to walk out here and be in front of everybody, especially having as supporting of community as we've got. Man, it's awesome. I love coming out here."

Oxford coach Sam Adams said that seeing Thomas succeed on the field not only gave him confidence for the rest of the season, but showed him how much of a trooper the running back is.

"I'm just proud of the kid," Adams said. "He's had a tough road with stuff like that, and I think if he had been able to play every single game so far in his career, he'd be a name that a lot of people in the state know. He's got something to prove and he knows that. He's going to have a big year for us."

Quarterback Mason Mims, who went 14-for-22 with 160 yards and two touchdowns in the contest, said that he was happy with the performances both running backs, Thomas and Damious (DK) Wilson, put on in the win.

"He runs the ball hard, it's crazy. He helps us so much," Mims said. "Even DK. DK does a great job too. That helps me out a lot because they've been blocking too."

Both Adams and Mims recognized the importance of Thomas' personality and what it brings to the team.

"He brings energy every day at practice," Mims said. "We always need that and I love him to death. He's a good ballplayer."

Added Adams: "He's a great teammate. He's been that guy that's getting action late in the game early in his career, so he knows what that feels like. He's just trying to have a positive effect on the other guys."

In addition to Thomas' touchdown, Jayden Lewis and Camare Hampton each caught a touchdown from Mims for 14 of the 21 first-half points.

Thomas said that he was extremely impressed with what he saw from everyone on the offense.

"We got a lot of weapons all across the board, man. That's one thing I love," Thomas said. "With Camare coming in, Judd and Nick staying, sticking here with us, Mason coming in, that spreads the whole field out."

Adams said that he was pleased with how many offensive players had a play or two of action, adding that he knows it will help the team moving forward.

"We saw a lot of guys contribute," Adams said. "With the ones in there, I think we had like seven guys touching the ball. Any time you spread it around like that, it makes you practice a little bit better."

The lone score in Oxford's second half came in the fourth quarter, when Mims' brother, Maddox Mims, connected with Jaylin Robinson for a 53-yard receiving touchdown, the longest pass of the night on either side.

"It was awesome, dude," the elder Mims said. "He was nervous coming into it, because he was with the middle school, but they run something similar down there. I'm very happy for him."

Adams said that while he was pleased with the performance, he knows plenty of areas the Yellow Jackets will need to improve on in practice.

"We got off to a fast start on both sides, so that's always good," Adams said. "We got to a pretty quick 21-0 lead and I really thought from that point on the offensive side, we got a little sloppy. We had four penalties on one drive and took points off the board. From a head coach's standpoint, it's a really good game because we did positive things that we can build off of, but we also did the kind of things in the game that will get you beat in big games. You only get so many cracks at it when you have the ball on offense, so taking points off the board is a big deal. We've got to clean up that kind of stuff."

What to know

—Lincoln transfer Camare Hampton shined as a receiver and a returner, logging three catches for 19 yards and a touchdown.

—At least seven Oxford receivers caught a pass, with Nick Hapton's 41-yard reception highlighting the catches. Jayden Lewis had two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown, while Judd Syer and Nick Richardson each had two catches for 10 yards apiece.

—Oxford's offensive lines and blockers were very effective in protecting Oxford's quarterbacks.

—Fort Payne's quarterbacks had less of an umbrella to protect them from a swarming Oxford defense, with Donovan Jones and Caleb Tinner logging sacks in the win. James Tapley also had an early interception.

Who said

—Adams on Hampton: "He had a big effect on the game as a receiver and as a return man, and that's who he is. He didn't do anything tonight we haven't seen him do dozens and dozens of times in the last several months. We're just excited to see what he can do next."

—Fort Payne coach Chris Elmore on the game: "Oxford's got a great team and we knew that going into it, and Coach Adams does a great job. It was more of a chance to put ourselves against a top quality opponent and see where we are. Obviously, the results always matter, but really tonight was about getting this on film and seeing how we compare to a top flight program like Oxford."

—Mims on the team's offense: "Nick and Camare have come in and helped us out a lot so we can spread out on the field. Plus, all of our skill came back from last year. The o-line is doin a great job in blocks. It's a lot better than last year."

What's next

—Oxford will travel to McAdory for its season opener on Friday, Aug. 25.

Sports Writer Thomas Ashworth: 256-236-1551. On Twitter: @ThomasAshworth0.