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Cape Central football’s ‘Thunder and Lightning’ set for one final ride
Imagine this scenario: a high school running back rushes for over 1,300 yards and averages nearly 10 yards per carry on the ground. By season’s end, he reaches the end zone 21 times. His team reaches the Class 5 state semifinals.
He is listed as “RB2” on the depth chart.
This is not a hypothetical. This is what Cape Central High School running back Zai’Aire Thomas experienced last season. While Thomas, who is nicknamed “Zip” by his teammates and peers, still had an ultra-efficient year, teammate Keyshawn Boyd was busy taking Missouri high school football by storm in his sophomore campaign.
But just like every storm, when there is thunder, there is lightning.
Boyd is thunder. He is 5-foot-9, 200 pounds of power, explosiveness, and streamlined footwork; he cuts and accelerates without a lot of flashy maneuvers. He is a Division I talent.
“He's deceptively quick,” head coach Kent Gibbs said. “He's a power back that not one kid, for the most part, is going to tackle him. He's got that burst once he clears the line of scrimmage that really helps him. The thing about him is he gets better with the more carries that he gets.”
Thomas is lightning. He doesn’t tower over you, as he stands 5-foot-5, 160 pounds, but he’s gifted with speedy flourish and cat-like quickness in open space. He is one of the fastest players in the state.
“Zip is one of those guys that we just need to find ways to get him the ball out in space,” Gibbs said. “He's hard to tackle on one-on-one. It takes a lot of guys to get after him. He also doesn't mind sticking his nose in there and getting tough yards when he needs to.”
Either one is productive enough to post 100-plus rushing yards on the stat sheet any given Friday night. In fact, Boyd, a junior, has done so 10 times in his career. Thomas, a senior, has hit the century mark 11 times in his career.
Gibbs said that, despite their contrast in styles, both players are the total package.
“I know the reputation is Keyshawn is inside and Zip is outside,” Gibbs said. “But at the end of the day, Keyshawn runs the ball really well to the outside when we need him. Zip catches the ball and can run it inside. We're blessed to have two of the best running backs in the state.”
Initially the starting running back early on in his career, Thomas has transitioned to more of a gadget player on offense ever since Boyd cemented himself as the bell-cow tailback last season. He said that the position change just makes the offense even more dangerous.
“My sophomore year when he came in, I started, and he didn’t get many reps,” Thomas said. “He just waited his time and it’s his time now. They’ve moved me out to wide receiver and he’s taking running back reps. I really like it better this way because it’s helping the team out more and freeing up space everywhere so the defense can’t key on one person.”
Thunder and Lighting and the rest of the Tigers will kick off their 2024 campaign and play host to Class 2 foe New Madrid County Central (NMCC) on Friday at 7 pm.
Thomas said that it will be the start of what could be a magical state title year for him and his teammates.
“I just want us to go for it all,” he said. “No matter what it takes, and I think we can do it to be honest. With everybody we got out this year, we have a lot of depth in every spot. That’s definitely the plan.”
Thomas wants to play football in college if the opportunity arises, saying that several “small schools” reached out to him. On the other hand, Boyd’s recruiting profile has been buzzing even more. He’s already received interest from a handful of notable FBS schools, including Nebraska, Kansas State, and Iowa.
While Boyd is garnering more interest from the college ranks and has a first-team All-State selection under his belt, Thomas gets less attention. Thomas unselfishly said he has no problem with the media glare shining mostly on Boyd.
“As long as we’re winning, I’m fine with it,” he said. “It did startle me a little at first when he initially came in and was doing a lot better than me, but I feel in place with it. He deserves it.”
The two Tigers are good friends who compete every day, wanting to do whatever it takes to maintain or expand their opportunities on the field. As Boyd likes to put it: “we always try to show each other up, which is the best thing for us.”
However, Boyd has been adamant about one thing. As far as the “Thunder and Lightning” nickname goes, he’s claiming “Thunder” every day of the week.
“It sounds feisty and tough,” he explained. “I like it more.”