Does this Charlotte high school have the best football team no one is talking about?

Some of Olympic High School’s “should-have-been” starting football players are wearing Palisades High jerseys this fall.

But that’s OK, said Olympic head coach Brandon Thompson, who leads the best area high school football program that many people haven’t heard of. “We’re working with who we have.”

And so far, it’s working out pretty well.

The opening of Palisades High this year siphoned off a chunk of the Olympic student body, including a sizable chunk of the football roster.

“We usually have around 63 players on our roster,” said Thompson, whose Trojans are 5-0 after Friday’s 48-6 romp over visiting Harding. “This year, we have about 45.”

And that has forced Thompson to change some of what he does.

“Some guys have to play on both sides of the ball,” he said. “We’ve worked hard to get our guys in good shape, so they can handle being on the field more.”

Olympic’s ‘engine’

Building up big leads, as Olympic has done in most of its games this season, helps.

“That’s given us a chance to make sure our second and third team players can get as many reps as possible,” Thompson said. “We need whatever depth we can get, given our smaller roster size.”

The Trojans have a strong defense that specializes in taking advantage of opponents’ mistakes. Against Harding, Olympic converted two interceptions into touchdowns.

But the engine that drives Thompson’s team is 6-2 senior quarterback Elijah Holmes.

Holmes has been putting up spectacular numbers, despite playing only portions of Olympic’s games.

He has completed more than 70 percent of his passes and has thrown for 15 touchdowns — with no interceptions. Holmes also has run for four touchdowns. He’s thrown for more than 1,300 yards, and all of this has come in about 13 quarters.

Holmes said he and a roster that is heavy with seniors are fueled by memories of what happened a year ago.

Olympic got off to a 5-1 start but finished the regular season with consecutive losses to South Mecklenburg, Ardrey Kell and Myers Park — by a combined total of seven points. That finish kept the Trojans out of the playoffs.

“There was a lot of disappointment in how things ended last year,” Holmes said. “We seniors decided that we wanted to go out on a high note this year. We worked hard in the off-season. Our goal is to finish 10-0 in the regular season, and then go deep into the playoffs.”

Holmes, who is generating interest from a number of FBS and FCS schools but hasn’t committed to a college yet, said he isn’t surprised by his team’s big start.

“Not really,” he said. “We come in and do what we’re supposed to do. We try to take care of business. In the end, it’s about execution and good preparation. I think we’re really well-prepared.”

‘Toward a common goal’

Thompson said the disappointment of last year has made it easier for the coaching staff.

“Our players really wanted to finish the deal this season,” he said. “We’ve had some advantages. For the first time in a couple years, we have a full nine-month off-season to develop our young men. That didn’t happen during the height of COVID.

“We have the same coordinators as last year. We were able to work hard in the off-season. And the guys have really bought in.”

Holmes said he believes he’s part of a special senior class.

“There is a lot of talent in this group,” he said. “And we’ve worked hard to make sure we use that talent.”

Thompson has turned Olympic into a power.

While Chambers, Hough, Mallard Creek, Butler and Charlotte Catholic churn out powerhouses and get the attention every year, Olympic has been a title contender.

Olympic has gone 25-9 since Thompson took over as head coach in 2019.

“That’s the result of people working together toward a common goal,” he said. “We’ve had that in the past, but we really seem to have it this year.”

Does Olympic’s coach think his team can finish 10-0?

“It’s within our reach,” he said. “We can’t keep getting penalties, and we’ve got to execute. But we can get there.”