Erwin’s C.J. Thompson (8).
ASHEVILLE – Erwin senior slot receiver C.J. Thompson might not say a lot, but it’s his actions on the field that do most of the talking.
One of those actions was standing in for injured quarterback Damian Ferguson last Friday in Erwin’s 50-29 comeback win over North Buncombe. Thompson ran the ball 25 times for 278 yards and four touchdowns. The Warriors scored 29 points in the fourth quarter after trailing 22-21 to start the period.
“It’s really amazing how a young person handles that pressure,” longtime Erwin coach Mike Sexton said. “I don’t know if he realizes how much everybody relies on him.”
Through Erwin’s 10 games, Thompson has caught a team-high 63 passes for 992 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also leads the team in all-purpose yards with 1,689. Against Ooltewah (Tenn.), Thompson set a state single-game record with 372 receiving yards.
Sexton said keeping track of where Thompson is can be beneficial for other teams.
“He has a huge impact,” Sexton said. “I’m sure their main focus is where’s C.J. on the field and if they’re not, he’s going to make them pay.”
For Thompson, taking the spot behind center was just part of his job of being on the football team.
“It meant that I had to step up for the team and play a big role at the right time,” he said.
Sexton said Thompson has been a talented athlete since he started playing football when he was younger.
“He’s always been a dynamic player coming all the way through youth league and middle school,” Sexton said. “This year, to see him do it against quality opponents, he’s an amazing football player.”
Thompson has been offered to play at East Tennessee State. He was also offered a spot as a preferred walk-on at North Carolina and South Carolina.
Thompson also plays on Erwin’s basketball team and he brings his same leadership style to the gym.
“C.J.’s just a tremendous, tremendous competitor. He’s a joy in practice. He just comes to work and gets his job done,” said basketball coach David Rhoney. “He’s gotten better as the years went on. Last year, he took ownership of the team. It was obvious the way the kids took to his leadership style.”
Letting his actions on the court do the talking is also Thompson’s style in basketball.
“The biggest thing is he backs it up every day,” Rhoney said. “He’s proven over the last couple of years, that’s what he’s going to do.”
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