Turned out be dream season for Kaplan head football coach

If you had told John Thompson back in August, when he took over as Kaplan’s new head coach, that his team would finish 7-5 and lose in the second round of the playoffs, he probably wouldn’t have believed it.
But that’s exactly what happened for the first-time head coach. Thompson took over the Kaplan program and switched from the Wing-T offense to a spread offense just a month before the season started.
The No. 20 Pirates made it to the second round of the Division III Non-Select playoffs, but lost 40-27 to No. 4 Kinder Yellow on the road last Friday.
“I knew when I took over this job back in August, it would be a challenge,” said Thompson after the playoff loss. “I can not say enough about the players, the coaches, and the fans. Everyone did their part to make it a great season. I am proud of the players.”
Kaplan’s new spread offense produced some strong stats over 12 games.
The Pirates came close to reaching 1,000 passing yards. Quarterback Sabe David, a three-year starter, finished with 943 yards in 12 games.
Jeremy Roy was David’s top target, ending the season with 26 catches for 435 yards. On Friday, he caught seven passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.
When they weren’t passing, the Pirates relied on running back DaMarion Cormier, who rushed for 1,200 yards and scored 18 touchdowns.
This year, the Pirates also made their extra point kicks count.
Gannon Smith scored 43 points for Kaplan, most of them as a kicker. He was the team’s second leading scorer, behind Cormier’s 116 points.
The Pirates entered Friday’s game with a strong offense, but struggled to move the ball early on.
Kaplan trailed 32-7 at halftime, but the Pirates outscored the Yellow Jackets 20-8 in the second half to keep things close.
At halftime, Thompson kept his message simple: don’t give up.
“I told them to keep chopping the wood,” Thompson said, explaining how he motivated his players to score 20 points in the second half.
“We didn’t lose the game; we just ran out of time. They only scored once in the second half, so we simply ran out of time.”
The Pirates had trouble running the ball. Cormier carried it 14 times for just 31 yards, but he still managed to score three touchdowns.
Jayden Hargrave ran for 30 yards on six carries, while Jeremy Roy added 29 yards on nine carries.
David finished his high school career by completing nine of 19 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Kinder totaled 476 yards of offense, with 211 rushing yards and 265 passing yards.
So what’s next for Thompson, now that he has a full year to get ready for the 2026 football season?
The answer is simple: the weight room and conditioning training.
Thompson said that with the new offense and defense planned for 2026, his players will be faster and stronger.
“We are going to be a different team,” he said.