…With Liberty and Justice for all…Ballard High’s Justice Thompson, dispensing justice in the middle of the Bruins defense!

For some, the concept of “justice” defines a fundamental right concerning the way in which the law is applied to citizens of a free society. For many others, “justice” really means “the law is for just-us” and is the concept of the very different ways in which the law is applied to those who are in power versus those who are both disenfranchised and powerless. Still for many others, “Justice” is a big, fast, powerful, and aggressive inside-linebacker patrolling the defense’s second level at one of the better Class 6A programs playing football within the commonwealth of Kentucky. We will focus today on the third type of “Justice” largely owing to his being our favorite type.

Justice Thompson came out of middle school ready to go. By that we mean who would have forecast beforehand that Justice Thompson would enter high school and slide right into the starting lineup, essentially as the defense’s QB, for Coach LuKunta Farmer’s defense? We are quite sure the number would have been limited.

However, Justice Thompson, who was a 235-pound linebacker as a freshman, recorded 120 tackles that year in route to making the MaxPreps, freshman All-American first-team, as well as our KPGFootball freshman All-State team. So, how would he perform over his “sophomore-slump?” Surely, not nearly as well.

Justice Thompson blew the very concept of sophomore-slump plumb out of the water. Justice, who played a biscuit under 250 as a sophomore, recorded 121 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 8 QB-sacks, 4-forced fumbles, with one of those recovered by him, in route to establishing himself as the Louisville-area’s standard for inside linebacker play.

Thompson was honorably mentioned All-State on the AP’s list though only a sophomore, made the KPGFootball sophomore All-State team, and made the prestigious Courier-Journal’s All-Metropolitan Louisville team. It is our understanding he has tried out for the US National Football team and if it were we, we wouldn’t bet against him making its roster too.

Then again that is the Justice Thompson we have known and covered for many years. Justice has a verified automated 40-yard dash of 5.27-seconds, shuttles in 4.75-seconds, has a wing-span of 72.50-inches with 9.75-inch hands with a 25.5-inch standing vertical. He bench-presses over 300-pounds and squats well over 500 and is a kid who could find his hand in the dirt on the next level as easily as he aligns presently in a two-point stance. Like Hopkinsville’s Denarius “Red” Barnes, a member of the Class of 2020, Thompson is a guy whose next-level position isn’t easy to pin down owing to his having the size, strength, explosion, and power to play multiple positions along the first two levels of a defense.

We are confident in saying, however, regardless of where he may find himself aligned in the future, this is one of Kentucky’s very best football players in the Class of 2021. He will find himself on a college roster getting his school paid for by the lucky University which enlists his services. As for the aspiration of having a “Justice for all…,” oh if we could all be that lucky.

Reporting for KPGFootball, this is F.W. Long, reminding all of you ballers out there to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE.

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