CARY — Junior Tyler Thompson at one point figured his future was in basketball.

That has changed after the Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek defensive end had a huge season this past fall. The lanky 6-foot-5, 203-pounder put up video game numbers for the Catamounts. He finished with 75 tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 19 sacks and one interception for a touchdown for 10-4 Panther Creek. Thompson even played with a club on his hand for part of the season due to a fractured finger.