When Canyon heard that they would be facing a freshman, they did not expect Colton Thomasson, a 6’7 340 pound giant who was bigger than Canyon’s entire team.

The offensive lineman has played in hundreds of games in the past three years, some of them on live television, but now he’s playing under the Friday night lights. He now has to face kids three years older than he, players committed to Division I schools, stars who will play on national television.

But Thomasson has a skill set that perfectly suits him to participate in trench warfare.

He is bigger than most, if not all, of these juniors and seniors. He attributes most of his success to his parents, Ashley and Jason. For Ashley, the most difficult part has been feeding him.

“[It’s] expensive [to feed him], he’s just so hungry after practice,” Ashley said.

Colton’s parents’ contributions extend further than just feeding their son. They are actively involved in many parts of his life.

“I would not be where I am now without them,” Thomasson said. “ A lot of people don’t know this, but my mom completely runs my Twitter, making highlight reels to get me noticed.”

For Thomasson, the hardest part about the transition from middle school to varsity football has been the speed of the drills and at practice. 

“You go from middle school, just getting conditioned, now some of these seniors [being] legal adults,” Colton said.

Head football coach Larry Hill is excited to see what Colton becomes. So far the young guard has performed well, Hill said. 

“Our players have embraced him, and he has embraced the program,” Hill said.

The main challenges Colton faces will become more apparent as the season progresses, but right now he is adapting to the new, faster-paced game – what Hill described as “a whole other game, [with] a faster speed [and] more experienced kids.”