30 September 2011

Tiger Scoreboard: October 1, 2011

Football
#8AAAA Holy Angels 35 Farmington 7

Girls Swimming: Raiders squeak by Tigers

Kaitlyn O'Reilly
3 firsts and a second vs. Northfield
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Getting Focused
Senior captain Sarah O'Reilly
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Northfield won the final event of the meet, the 400 freestyle relay, to defeat the Tigers 97-89 in a Missota Conference dual meet Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Dodge Middle School pool.
The Raiders led 89-83 after 11 events after holding leads as high as 14 points earlier in the hotly-contested competition.
"We had a good meet but came up just a little short," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. "They've got some talented swimmers leading the way and it was just a little too much for us.
"The conference meet should prove an exciting contest between us, Northfield and Chanhassen."
Farmington won four of the meet's 12 events with Kaitlyn O'Reilly accounting for three of them. O'Reilly won the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke and teamed with Abby Haugen, Zoe Avestruz and Kirsten Kracke to claim the 200 medley relay.
Kracke provided the other Farmington first with a win in the 100 breaststroke.
The Tigers scored second place finishes in six individual events, including two apiece by Cora Ruzicka (100 butterfly and 500 freestyle) and Zoe Avestruz (50 freestyle and 100 freestyle). Kracke ranked second in the 200 individual medley and Kendall Novak finished runner-up in the one-meter diving competition.
O'Reilly, Robin Ellis, Chelsea Gehrke and Hannah Seitzinger combined for a second place finish in the 200 freestyle relay as did the 400 freestyle foursome of Ellie Sundet, Chloe Holton, Gehrke and Avestruz.
Three more Tigers earned third place points: Sara Kintner (500 freestyle); Sundet (200 freestyle) and Ellis (100 backstroke).
Next Tuesday the Tigers entertain Minneapolis Edison and Thursday they travel to Chaska for a conference dual meet with the Hawks.

Other Farmington point scorers:
200 freestyle: 5. Sarah O'Reilly
200 individual medley: 5. Gehrke
50 freestyle: 4. Seitzinger 5. Haugen
One-meter diving: 5. Jade Alm
100 butterfly: 4. Holton 5. Gehrke
100 freestyle: 4. Sundet 5. Seitzinger
500 freestyle: 5. S. O'Reilly
200 freestyle relay: 3. Victoria Resch, Haugen, S. O'Reilly, Sundet
100 backstroke: 4. Delaney Wright
100 breaststroke: 4. Haugen 5. Kintner
400 freestyle relay: 3. Ruzicka, S. O'Reilly. Kintner, Kracke

Girls Tennis: Tigers close out regular season


Farmington closed out its winless Missota Conference season with a 7-0 loss to New Prague Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Boeckman Middle School courts. The Tigers finished 0-7 in league dual meet play.
The match was played in winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour that made the simplest shots a challenge.
"I thought we played well and we handled the wind much better (than New Prague)," coach Jack Olwell said.
That didn't translate to any points , however, as the Trojans dominated the scoreboard, especially in singles play.
The top Tiger performances came in doubles play with the No.1 tandem of Maggie Rudorfer and Meghan Lindstrom putting up the best fight in a 3-6, 6-7 (3) defeat.
"The difference was one break of a service," Olwell said. "Otherwise the match was a dead heat. Meghan played especially well from the baseline."
The second doubles team of Ally Midboe and Katie Burgess lost 3-6, 1-6 and the the No.3 duo of Jessica Autey and Rachel Molitor fell 2-6, 3-6.
The Tigers open Section 1AA team play next Tuesday against an opponent to be determined by seeding.

Boys Soccer: Tigers fall to South on penalty kick

Tri-captain Sam Leske led strong defensive effort
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

If losing the last two games by a combined 8-1 margin and playing Lakeville South in winds gusting in the 40-miles per hour range wasn't enough to make Tiger coach Julian Buss's blood pressure rise, the ending of his team's 1-0 loss Thursday afternoon at South surely must have been.
"What can I say," Buss said. "We lost by a penalty kick and on the play the officials never did inform me or my staff who the penalty was on. A South player went down in the box but no one seemed to know anything else...and then the penalty kick had to be taken twice."
The officials allowed the first kick without Tiger keeper Chad Stivers in the net and then called for a re-kick.
The controversial call came with 5:30 remaining in regulation and put a damper on what was otherwise a solid effort by the Tigers.
"We played some good soccer," Buss said. "Chad (Stivers) had a good game in goal. Sam (Leske), Mike (Ricker), Jeffery (Hanson) and Hunter (Meyers) played solid defense.
"We put together more dangerous scoring plays than South but we were unlucky. We hit the post twice. Our shots were slightly off or didn't have enough on them."
The loss was the third straight for the Tigers who have been held scoreless in their last two outings.
Farmington (7-5-2) will close out its regular season with Missota Conference games against Chaska and New Prague next Tuesday and Thursday before starting Section 1AA play the following week. The Tigers are 2-3-1 against section competition so far this season.

Girls Soccer: Tigers s-o-o close in overtime loss to No. 7 Eagan

Making Contact
Kelli Harstad in second half collision with Eagan keeper
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Four's a Crowd
Alyssa Parcoo (21) and Kelli Elmer (24) battle for a loose ball
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

If baseball is a game of inches then soccer must be one of centimeters.
Farmigton gave Eagan, the seventh-ranked Class AA team in Minnesota, all it wanted and then some in a 2-0 overtime loss Thursday, Septmeber 29, at windy Tiger Stadium.
Swirling northwest winds made controlling the ball a nightmare for both teams with the team heading to the south goal at a distinct advantage all night.
"We tried to play our usual game except for adding an extra defender when they (Eagan) had the wind," Tiger coach Rob Carpentier said.
The Tigers needed that extra defender in the first half when the ball stayed mostly in the their zone. Eagan put more than its share of shots on net but a hustling defense, led again by sophomore Izzie Ferm, and freshman keeper Ashley Becker were up to the task.
After a scoreless first half the Tigers had the wind at their backs and generated some offensive opportunities of their own.
The best chance came with ten minutes remaining in regulation when Ferm's header of Naomi Wood's corner kick was a centimeter too tall and bounced off the crossbar.
"We score there and it's a whole different ball game," Carpentier said.
The Tigers had two more corner kick chances before the end of regulation but a swarming Eagan defense stopped both.
Eagan's go-ahead goal came 32 seconds into the first of two overtime periods and ironically, against the wind. The Wildcats added another off a corner kick in the second extra session.
"We showed that we can play competitively at this level," Carpentier said. "We played a great game against a very good team, one that could win the state tournament. We were right there.
"What I especially liked is our girls were not happy with losing this game, even as well as they played. They wanted the win."

Ashley Becker 22 saves
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Although Becker eventually gave up the two Wildcat scores she played perhaps the best game of her young career, finishing with 22 saves, including a highlight-reel knock-away in the second overtime.
Farmington played most of the second half without the services of senior defender Ashley Kimmel who injured her Achilles tendon battling for a loose ball.
The Tigers close out their regular season with Missota Conference games against Chaska and New Prague next Tuesday and Thursday before opening Section 1AA play the following week.
"Eagan beat up on a couple of other teams in our section, so this could help in our seeding," Carpentier said.

29 September 2011

Tiger Scoreboard: September 30, 2011

Volleyball
Holy Angels 3 Farmington 2 (29-27, 11-25, 19-25, 25-22, 10-15)

Boys Soccer
Lakeville South 1 Farmington 0

Girls Soccer
#7AA Eagan 2 Farmington 0 (OT)

Girls Tennis
New Prague 7 Farmington 0

Girls Swimming
#7A Northfield 97 Farmington 89

28 September 2011

Girls Tennis: Hawks fly by Tigers

The No. 3 doubles team of Shyanne Spurzem (top) and Tasha Sinha
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



Last fall the Tigers played one of their best matches of the season in a 4-3 home court loss to Missota Conference rival Chaska.
In this year's re-match at Chaska played Tuesday, Sept. 27, it wasn't nearly as close. The Hawks won in straight sets at all seven positions on the way to a 7-0 victory.
"They have everyone back and have improved a lot," Tiger coach Jack Olwell said, "but still I thought we had a shot at them. It just wasn't our day."
No Farmington singles player won more than two games in a match. The best Tiger performance of the afternoon came at first doubles where Ally Midboe and Katie Burgess played competitively in a 2-6, 3-6 loss.
"There were some stretches of some awesome tennis in that match," Olwell said.
The Tigers close out their regular and conference seasons Thursday with a home dual meet with New Prague at the Boeckman Middle School courts. Section 1AA team play begins next week.

Alumni Tracker: Schaeppi starting for Minnesota State, Mankato

Drew Schaeppi

Drew Schaeppi played linebacker in his playing days at FHS but after three years and a lot of time in the weight room, the ex-Tiger has earned a spot in the starting lineup as a defensive end for Minnesota State, Mankato. Through four games Schaeppi ranks as the Mavericks eighth leading tackler with 15 stops...Cody Eich, who has already played on two NCAA Division II championship teams at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, is the leading tackler for UMD in his senior season. Eich has been in on 35 tackles and forced a pair of fumbles for the Bulldogs who fell from No. 1 to 11th in the national rankings after a 7-0 loss to Wayne State (Nebraska) two weeks ago..
Ex-Tiger Mike Doherty had four tackles, including a quarterback sack, in Hamline's loss to Carleton College last week. Doherty is a senor defensive lineman for the Pipers...Tiger grad Jimmy O'Meara is a defensive lineman for Vermillion Community College in Ely...2011 FHS graduate Dillon Pariseau is an offensive tackle for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He and high school classmate CJ Record were on the sidelines cheering on the Tigers in their 17-14 win over Chanhassen at Tiger Stadium two weeks ago. Record is redshirting this season at Southwest State University in Marshall..
A pair of former Tiger soccer players have seen extended playing time for collegiate teams this fall. 2011 FHS Athlete of the Year Devyn Alberts has played in 11 of 12 games for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Laine Trowbridge has played in three of eight contests for Concordia University-St. Paul.

Katie Habeck

Katie Habeck, an all-state volleyball player at FHS, has helped four-time NCAA Division II champion Concordia-St. Paul to a perfect 13-0 start to the 2011 season. The freshman middle blocker leads the team in blocks with 45 and ranks third in kills with 99...2009 FHS female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty has the third most digs for the St. Olaf College volleyball team that is off to a 7-7 start...Former all-Missota Conference volleyball player Danielle Dombeck has played in 10 of 16 matches for North Dakota State University this season.
Former state meet golfer and ex-Tiger Greg Werner was the low scorer for the Minnesota State, Mankato men's golf team that finished second in the Husky Invitational tournament at the St. Cloud Country Club earlier this month. Werner tied for fourth overall with a 36-hole total of even-par 144...Another former Tiger state meet golfer, 1999 Tiger alum Sammy Schmitz, finished tied for 37th after the two qualifying rounds in the United States Golf Association Mid-Amateur played in Richmond, Texas, two weeks ago. The top 64 golfers went on to match play where Schmitz lost in the opening round.

Boys Soccer: Stars win battle of unbeatens

Keeper Chad Stivers
8 saves vs. Holy Angels
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington (3-0-1) and Holy Angels (3-0) entered Tuesday night's showdown at the StarDome as two of three unbeaten teams remaining in Missota Conference play.
But after their dominating 6-0 win over the Tigers the undefeated Stars own sole possession of first place in the league standings. Shakopee (3-0-1) sits in second with Northfield (4-1) and Farmington following close behind.
Tiger coach Julian Buss said part of the problem for his team was the absence of three midfielders--Blake Smith, Robin DeCastro and Urive Omana--who were out with injuries. The Tigers coach added, however, he didn't want to take anything away from the winning team.
"Holy Angels has a talented, strong squad this year," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised to see them finish with a Missota Conference title."
Buss also said the Stars used a formation for which his team did not have an immediate answer.
"They ran a formation (4-3-3) that unfortunately, does not match up well with the formation (3-5-2) we play," he said. "We were too slow in the first half to make adjustments.
"In the second half we moved our sweeper (Sam Leske) up try to generate some offense but that only caused more of a hole in our defense."
The Stars led 2-0 at halftime but then scored twice in the first 10 minutes of the second half to put the game away.
The Tiger defense and keeper Chad Stivers (8 saves) went into the game allowing just 1.5 goals per game.
"We battled throughout the game," Buss said. "Our boys did not lack excitement and energy going into this game.
"We will look to finish strong and keep this loss as the only glitch in an otherwise strong conference showing"
The Tigers (7-4-2) take a break from league play with a non-conference game at Lakeville South on Thursday. Next week they close out their conference campaign with games against Chaska and New Prague.

Boys Cross Country: Pack mentality produces third place finish at New Prague

Dan Block
Team-high 13th place finish at New Prague

The Tigers didn't have anyone in the top 10 but all seven varsity runners ranked among the top 40 as they finished third in a 12-team field at the New Prague Invitational held Tuesday, Sept. 27, at the New Prague Golf Course. Final team points totals were not available.
"Overall the boys ran well," coach Lisa Lippold said. "This course was a lot tougher than others we've run this year.
"It was nice to have two of our runners finish in the top 20 and it was also good to run on this course because it is where the conference meet will be held."
Sophomore Dan Block and junior Jordan Lugowski paced the Farmington effort, placing 13th and 15th overall with respective finishing times of 18:14 and 18:18 over the 5000-meter route.
Sophomore Tanner Grubb (18:31) and junior Adam Wallenta (18:38) finished within a seven-second span in 22nd and 25th place.
Junior Tyler Lerbakken ranked 36th in 18:53; Jake Rudeen 38th in 18:55 and Caleb Eiffert 40th in 18:59.
Farmington also fared well in other races at the meet. Four Tiger runners cracked the top 10 in the junior varsity race with senior Patrick Sunderman the overall winner in 18:45. Sophomore Sean Dougherty placed fourth; junior Ben Olson fifth and sophomore Santana Perdomo 10th.
The Tigers also won the boys middle school team title with a meet-low 37 points. Eighth-graders Alex Hart (1st), Lucas Berg (5th), Luke Mikiska (7th) and Ryan Newton (10th) all finished in the top ten.
The Tigers now have over a week to get ready for their next meet, an appearance at the Waseca Invitational slated for Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Waseca Lakeside Golf Course.

Girls Cross Country: Chadwick, Kiminski lead Tigers to third at New Prague

Freshman Alexis Johnson makes her way along the 4000-meter
route at the New Prague Golf Course.

The Tigers placed two runners among the top 10 and three in the top 20 to finish third in the 12-team New Prague Invitational run Tuesday, Sept. 27, at the New Prague Golf Course.
Missota Conference rival Red Wing claimed the team title with 56 points, six fewer than the New Prague Red team. The Tigers scored 104 points, followed by Belle Plaine 138, Faribault 148, Cannon Falls 187, New Prague Black 195, Mankato Loyola 199, Montgomery Lonsdale 214, Jordan 221, LeSueur-Henderson 290 and St. Peter 333.
For the third week in a row, Tiger freshman Sofia Chadwick finished the testy 4000-meter course under 16 minutes, placing sixth overall in 15:55. Junior Maria Kiminski was right behind in eighth place in 16:01. Sophomore Maricia Pacheco also cracked the top 20, ranking 14th in 16:25.
Freshman Alexis Johnson took 31st in 17:09; freshman Tori Jacoby 45th in 17:39: freshman Sarah Cummings 49th in 17:55 and eighth-grader Maricella Pacheco 54th in 18:12.
"Our team goal was to have three runners in the top 20 and we achieved that," coach Heidi Revels said. "Some of the girls are getting more confident and aggressive in their racing and are proud of their results...We're right on track for the conference and section meets coming up in a few weeks."
Thursday, Oct. 6, the Tigers travel to Waseca for their first appearance at the Waseca Invitational to be run at the Waseca Lakeside Golf Course.

Volleyball: Tigers push Mayo in 3-1 defeat

Tigers hanging together through losing streak
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

It's been a rough two weeks for coach Mike Woody and his FHS volleyball team. After splitting their first eight matches, the Tigers have lost nine in a row, including three straight to Missota Conference foes.
Woody, however, saw reason for optimism in the last of the losses, a 3-1 decision to Section 1AAA rival Mayo, Tuesday, Sept. 27, in Rochester. The Spartans won by scores of 27-29, 21-25, 25-19 and 13-25.
"This was a well-contested match," he said. "I am very proud of the girls. Despite the loss, it was a good start to a potentially promising week."
Woody said the tough two-point loss in Thursday's opener was the turning point in the match.
"I think the final outcome would have been reversed had we been able to pull that one out," he said.
The Tigers have a chance to break into the win column with a busy remainder of the week. Thursday they travel to Holy Angels for a Missota Conference match and Saturday the locals head back to Rochester for the Century Invitational, a tournament where they have fared well in the past.
"The girls have really hung in there through this difficult two-week period," Woody said. "I hope the wonderful team chemistry we have pays off this week."

Girls Soccer: Tigers make history in 1-0 upset of No. 7 Holy Angels

Kelli Harstad (bottom) scored winning goal vs. Holy Angels
Izzie Ferm (top) led defense in first-ever win over Stars
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



After back-to-back 2-1 losses to Chanhassen and Shakopee the Tigers were looking for a boost when they traveled to Holy Angels for a Missota Conference match-up Tuesday, September 27.
They found it in the form of a 1-0 upset victory over the Stars, the No. 7 Class A team in the state. The win was Farmington's first-ever over the perennial state power.
"The girls showed up for this game in every aspect, mentally and physically," coach Rob Carpentier said. "After the game the Holy Angels coach said that he hasn't played a team this season that put as much pressure all over the field as we did."
The teams hit the halftime break in a scoreless tie with Kelli Harstad's first goal of the year, a wicked shot from the top right corner of the box off a pass from Alex Frost, providing the difference in the second period.
After the goal, the Stars amped up the pressure but the Farmington defense and keeper Sydney Eckert kept Holy Angels (7-3-1) off the board.
"It actually looked more like we might add a goal than they would tie it up," Carpentier said. "In the end, the score wasn't as important as how we played. The improved play of our team as we get closer to the playoffs is what counted most."
According to Carpentier, one player who didn't show up in the box score had a noticeable impact on the outcome of the game.
"Izzie Ferm stood out," he said. "She dominated the field both on the ground and in the air. She took the lead for our defense which played very well as a team. Izzie probably won 60 percent of the balls in the air, a category where we suffered badly in the last game against Shakopee."
The Tigers won't have much time to savor their historical victory in Richfield as Eagan, the No. 7 rated Class AA side in the state, invades Tiger Stadium Thursday for a non-conference affair.
"This will be a win-win for us," Carpentier said. "There should be no pressure on us, just an opportunity to see where we stand against one of the best teams in the state."

Tiger Scoreboard: September 28, 2011

Volleyball
Rochester Mayo 3 Farmington 1 (25-27, 21-25, 25-19, 13-25)

Girls Soccer
Farmington 1 Holy Angels 0

Boys Soccer
Holy Angels 6 Farmington 0

Boys Cross Country at New Prague Invitational-3rd place

Girls Cross Country at New Prague Invitational-3rd place

Girls Tennis
Farmington at Chaska

26 September 2011

Girls Soccer: Shakopee slips by Tigers 2-1

Naomi Wood
1st varsity goal vs. Shakopee
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Sometimes things just don't go your way...even though you think they should.
That summed up Tiger coach Rob Carpentier's sentiments following his team's tough 2-1 Missota Conference loss to Shakopee Thursday, Sept. 22, at Tiger Stadium.
"This game was a perfect storm of bad events," he said. "The girls played hard and at the least should have gotten out of there with a tie. We outshot them 22-13 and had more time of possession."
The shot attempts and possession stats didn't produce any first half goals, however, and the teams hit the break deadlocked in a scoreless tie.
Naomi Wood scored her first varsity goal for the Tigers off a corner kick by Kelly Kornmann in the second period but Shakopee countered with two scores on corner kick opportunities for the win.
"We were dominant on the ground, but not on balls in the air," Carpentier said.
The Tigers had a golden chance to send the game into overtime in the final minute of regulation but Alyssa Parco's shot from close range hit the post.
Sydney Eckert patrolled the Tiger goal, finishing with a game total of eight saves.
The loss dropped the Tigers to 6-6 for the season heading into Tuesday's date with conference rival Holy Angels at the StarDome in Richfield.

Girls Swimming: Tigers sixth at UND Invite

Abby Haugen
3 top ten finishes in Grand Forks

The Tigers shook off the long bus ride to Grand Forks and finished fifth in the 11-team University of North Dakota Invitational held Saturday, September 24.
"It was a great trip for us," coach Jennifer Marshall said. "The girls swam well which was a bit surprising after a long day of travel."
Another Minnesota school, Prior Lake, won the team title with a 346 point total. Bismarck Century placed a distant second at 278, followed by Marshall (MN) 266, Farmington 222, Eagan (MN) 218, Grand Forks Central 175, Jamestown 151, Bismarck High 132, Mandan 118 and Grand Forks Red River 88.
Farmington didn't register any first place finishes but came in second in five of the meet's 12 events.
Kaitlyn O'Reilly and Zoe Avestruz each rang up a pair of seconds in individual events, O'Reilly in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke and Avestruz in the 50 and 100 freestyle.
O'Reilly and Avestruz also teamed with Abby Haugen and Hannah Setiznger to take second in the 200 medley relay.
Another Tiger relay team, the 400 freestyle foursome of Aveztruz, Kirsten Kracke, Cory Ruzicka and O'Reilly scored fifth place points.
The 200 freestyle relay team of Kracke, Haugen, Ellie Sundet and Seitzinger finished in sixth place.
Ruzicka added a seventh place effort in the 500 freestyle and an eighth place finish in the 100 butterfly to her day's work.
Haugen finished ninth in the 100 breaststroke and Seitzinger 10th in the 50 freestyle to complete the list of Farmington's top ten performers at the multi-state meet.
The Tigers resume their regular season schedule Thursday, Sept. 29, when Northfield comes to town for an important Missota Conference dual meet at the Dodge Middle School pool.

25 September 2011

Boys Soccer: Tigers fall in OT at Owatonna

Brandon Scott
Scored Farmington goal vs. Owatonna
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

For the second consecutive Saturday the Tigers found themselves a goal short against a Section 1AA opponent. This time it was a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Owatonna.
"Over the past three years we have played them in afternoon games at their field," Tiger coach Julian Buss said. "Overtime losses on the road, especially on a Saturday are hard to chew."
The hard part about this particular loss was that for most of the afternoon, the visitors got the better of the play, outshooting the Huskies 13-8 for the contest.
"We felt like we should have won," Buss said. "We did a decent job of countering their attacks. Chad (Stivers) had some nice stops and the defense played well.
"But nothing seemed to want to drop in the net. There is a lot of parity in Section 1AA and now it is imperative that we put up a good show against Lakeville South next week because we are 2-2-1 in section games."
Owatonna took an early lead with a goal 12 minutes after the opening kickoff. Brandon Scott scored with 2:34 remaining in the first half off a corner kick from Urive Omana to knot the score at intermission.
After 80 minutes of regulation, the teams played to a scoreless first overtime and then the Huskies netted the game-winner with just 2:41 remaining..
"We had multiple shot opportunities throughout the game that I felt could have gone our way," Buss said, "but we were exceedingly unlucky in that regard."
The Tigers (7-3-2) hope to get back on the winning track Tuesday when they take on Holy Angels at the StarDome in Richfield.

Football: Big second half lifts Shakopee

Quarterback Darren Beenken rolls left for a short gain
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Alex Chadwick (27) makes one of his six tackles
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Farmington scored first but in the end Shakopee played the role of the defending Missota Conference champions in a 42-10 win Friday night, Sept. 23, at Tiger Stadium.
The teams played to a scoreless first quarter with the Tigers denting the scoreboard first in the second period on Darren Beenken's eighth touchdown of the season, a seven-yard toss to Nathan Graham.
But from there until the halftime break the Sabers began controlling the line of scrimmage on the the way to two scores and a 14-7 halftime lead. Shakopee rolled up 169 yards on the ground in the second quarter.
"They started pounding it at us us a little in the second," defensive coordinator Gary Burr said. "They put a lot people at the point of attack."
The Tigers went three-and-out on their first possession of the second half and the Sabers revved up their ground attack again to push their lead to 21-7. A Farmington turnover on the next series gave the visitors a three-touchdown lead.
The Tigers moved the ball on occasion in the second half, mostly through the air, but three pass interceptions helped keep them off the scoreboard until Reid Taubenheim booted his second field goal of the season, a 28-yarder, in the final quarter to lcsoe the scoring.
All in all, the Sabers ground out 388 rushing yards and 53 more through the air for a game total of 441. Farmington finished with 202 passing and 103 running for 305 total yards.
Beenken completed 14 of 27 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown but suffered four interceptions along the way.
Dillon Jones had five catches for 52 yards to lead the six-man receiving corps. Graham hauled in three for 28. Johnny Dittman, MacKinley Bassett and Ather Ashton each had a pair of receptions.
Ashton carried the ball 19 times for a team-high 64 yards; Beenken picked up 33 in six tries.
The tackle stat sheet showed how much time the Tiger defense spent on the field. Linebacker Drew Hegseth had a busy night, finishing with a team-high 12 tackles. Godfrey Mpetey and Andrew Peterson each totaled eight and Bret Hoffman added seven. Alex Chadwick and Blake Weinand had six apiece.
This Friday the Tigers (1-3) go from the frying pan into the fire when they travel to Richfield to play Holy Angels. The Stars (4-0) and Shakopee are the only remaining unbeaten teams in the Missota Conference.

Volleyball: Tigers fall to No. 3 Shakopee

A Show of Hands
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Kaylene Seurer goes for the kill
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Shakopee played up to its state ranking with a 3-0 win over the Tigers Thursday night, Sept. 22, at Tiger Gym. The third-rated Sabers swept the three games 25-10, 25-6 and 25-16.
"What I am proud of is the fight we showed in the third game," Tiger coach Mike Woody said. "We figured out some things we were trying to do and slowed them down while running some offense of our own."
Shakopee dominated the first two games but led only 18-15 in the finale before closing on a 7-1 run.
Bekah Lippert had five kills and a pair of service aces to pace the Farmington offensive attack. Setter Mia Johnston finished with a team-high 10 assists; Allie Pierskalla chipped in with four kills.
Defensively, Rachel Eckert led in service receptions (19) and digs (12). Emma Fahning added a dozen serve receptions and eight digs. Emily Nelson had 10 digs and Lippert recorded a pair of blocks.
"If we can carry over the fight we showed in game three, I think we can turn things around this week," Woody said.
The Tigers head to Rochester twice this week, Tuesday to face Section 1AAA rival Mayo and Saturday to play in the Century Invitational Tournament. In between they travel to Richfield on Thursday for a Missota Conference match-up with Holy Angels.

Girls Tennis: Lindstrom, Rudorfer join forces for win over Northfield

Meghan Lindstrom (below) paired with Maggie Rudorfer
for 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win at 1st doubles
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

For just the second time this season Meghan Lindstrom and Maggie Rudorfer, the top two singles players in the Tiger lineup, took their game to the doubles ladder and the switch paid dividends in a 6-1 Missota Conference loss to Northfield Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Boeckman Middle School courts.
The Lindstrom/Rudrofer duo won a marathon 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 verdict at the first doubles spot and drew some positive words from coach Jack Olwell.
"It was an exciting match," he said. "We won all of the close games in the first and third sets and we were especially clutch down the stretch in the third set.
"Maggie was dominating with a very strong ground game and Meghan saved the day with a lunging put-away volley in the final game."
The Raiders dominated the play in singles, winning in straight sets in all four matches by a combined score of 48-7.
The Tigers also had a chance for a point at second doubles but the tandem of Katie Burgess and Ally Midboe couldn't finish and came up short in a 5-7, 3-6 defeat.
The third doubles combination of Rachel Molitor and Jessica Autey also played competitively in the opening set of its 5-7, 0-6 loss.
The Tigers wrap up their 2001 regular season this week with a road match at Chaska on Tuesday and their home finale Thursday versus New Prague. Section 1AA team play begins next week.

23 September 2011

Tiger Scoreboard: September 23, 2011

Boys Cross Country
Pine Island Invitational
Farmington 40, Rochester Lourdes 63, Zumbrota-Mazeppa-Kenyon/Wanamingo 66, United South Central 94, Lewiston-Altura 138, Pine Island 166, Cannon Falls 171, Kingsland 212

Girls Cross Country
Pine Island Invitational
United South Central 41, Rochester Lourdes 56, Farmington 58, Zumbrota-Mazeppa-Kenyon/Wanamingo 110, Cannon Falls 136, Lewiston-Altrura 138, Pine Island 183, Kingsland 214

Boys Soccer
Farmington 1 Shakopee 1

Girls Soccer
Shakopee 2 Farmington 1

Volleyball
Shakopee 3 Farmington 0 (10-26, 6-25, 16-25)

Girls Tennis
Shakopee at Farmington

22 September 2011

Boys Soccer: Vue goal gives Tigers 1-1 tie with Sabers


It took 80 minutes of regulation and two five-minute overtimes and still there was no winner in the Tigers 1-1 tie with Shakopee, Thursday, Sept. 22, at Tiger Stadium.
Tiger coach Julian Buss would have liked to have another win under his belt but was quick to point out the tightly-played encounter was a good test for his squad.
"This was a good game for us, coming from behind for a tie against a quality Missota Conference opponent," he said. "We have our sights set on the conference championship and we hope to keep up this level of play."
Shakopee scored the only first half goal on a breakaway and it held up until Tyler Vue found the back of the net for the Tigers with 27:37 remaining in regulation.
"Hats off to Tyler for getting the job done," Buss said. "He put several shots on net and finally one connected.
"After playing for us as a sophomore and sitting out last year because of an injury, I would say he played the best game of his career tonight."
Senior keeper Chad Stivers had another stellar night, stopping nine of 10 shots, including a couple of what Buss termed "spectacular game-savers."
The Tigers (7-2-2) played without the services of senior tri-captain Brandon Scott who was out due to illness.
Buss hopes to have Scott back in the lineup on Saturday when the Tigers travel to Owatonna for a match against the Section 1AA Huskies.

Girls Cross Country: Tigers 3rd at Pine Island

Sofia Chadwick (right) and Maria Kiminski
finished 6th and 7th at Pine Island Invite

Farmington turned in its best performance of the young season with a third place finish at the eight-team Pine Island Invitational held Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Pine Island Golf Course.
United South Central grabbed the team title with a meet-low 41 points, 15 fewer than runner-up Rochester Lourdes. Farmington totaled 58, Zumbrota-Mazeppa-Kenyon-Wanamingo 110, Cannon Falls 136, Lewiston-Altura 138, Pine Island 183 and Kingsland 214.
"This was a very strong meet for us," coach Heidi Revels said. "We placed all seven varsity runners in the top 25 and six of the seven set new personal records."
Sofia Chadwick led the Tiger pack with a sixth place finish over the 4000-meter course with a finishing time of 15:37.2. Maria Kimisnki was right behind in seventh with a 15:51 clocking.
Maricia Pacheco took 11th in 16:16; Victoria Jacoby 13th in 16:28.2; Alexis Johnson 21st in 17:00.8l Sarah Cummings 23rd in 17:03.5 and Maricella Pacheco 24th in 17:05.1.
"The girls' hard work is paying off," Revels said. "We've changed our practices up a bit this year and the results are showing every week in the meets.
Next up for the Tigers the New Prague Invitational scheduled for Tuesday. Sept 27, at the New Prague Golf Course.

Boys Cross Country: Pine Island champs

Jake Rudeen, Adam Wallenta, Dan Block and Jordan Lugowski
strike gold at Pine Island Invitational

After three straight weeks of running against the best competition in the metro area, the Tigers headed south on Thursday, Sept, 22, for their annual appearance in the Pine Island Invitational and first-year coach Lisa Lippold said the long bus ride was definitely worth the effort.
Farmington won the eight-team get-together, out-pointing runner-up Rochester Lourdes 40-63 for the title. Zumbrota-Mazeppa-Kenyon-Wanamingo took third with 66 points, followed by United South Central 94, Lewiston-Altura 136, Pine Island 165, Cannon Falls 171 and Kingsland 212.
"The boys are right on track," Lippold said. "They're staying together and dropping significant time. It was exciting to see how happy everyone was.
"Jordan Lugowski was our first runner. He dropped 44 seconds and Alex Hart won the junior high race by 20 seconds..and we won the meet which was a great way to end the day."
Lugowksi led a contingent of four Tigers finishing in the top ten with a fourth place effort in 17:15.3 over the 5000-meter route at the Pine Island Golf Course. Dan Block finished fifth (17:22); Adam Wallenta sixth (17:27.3) and Jake Rudeen 10th (17:29.4).
Tyler Lerbakken ranked 15th (17:56.8), Cole Geiger 16th (18:01.5) and Caleb Eiffert 17th (18:04.4) to round out the Farmington varsity finishers.
Next Tuesday the Tigers will be looking for another strong performance when they travel to New Prague for the New Prague Invitational.

Girls Swimming: Tigers score seven firsts in 96-88 win over Century

Kirsten Kracke
1st place 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington scored seven first place finishes, including three apiece by Kaitlyn O'Reilly and Zoe Avestruz, in a 96-88 win over Rochester Century, Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Rochester John Marshall pool. The dual meet victory was the fourth in fifth tries for the Tigers.
The 200 medley relay team of O'Reilly, Avestruz, Abby Haugen and Ellie Sundet started the night with a five-second win and the Tigers continued to build a big lead until swimming the final event in exhibition status. The same foursome took top honors in the 200 freestyle relay.
Individual event winners included Kirsten Kracke, 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke; O'Reilly, 50 freestyle; Avestruz, 100 butterfly; and Cory Ruzicka, 100 individual medley.
Avestruz (500 freestyle), Ruzicka (100 butterfly), Sundet (100 freestyle) and Haugen (100 breaststroke) each added second place finishes in individual events and Robin Ellis finished runner-up in the 100 backstroke.
Two Tiger relays placed third: the 200 medley quartet of Ellis, Ruzicka,
Sarah O'Reilly and Victoria Resch and the 200 freestyle team of Kracke, Sarah O'Reilly, Chloe Holton and Hannah Seitzinger.
Three more Farmington entrants scored third place points: Holton in the 200 freestyle; Haugen in the 50 freestyle and Kendall Novak in one-meter diving.
This Saturday the Tigers board the bus for the long ride to the multi-state University of North Dakota Invitational in Grand Forks.

Other Farmington point-scorers:
200 freestyle: 5. Seitzinger
One-meter diving: 4. Nikki Cayard; 5. Jade Alm
200 individual medley: 4. Chelsea Gehrke
100 butterfly: 5. Holton
100 freestyle: 4. Seitzinger; 5. S. O'Reilly
500 freestyle: Sara Kintner
100 backstroke: Delaney Wright
100 breaststroke: 4. S. O'Reilly; 5. Kintner

Volleyball: Tigers lose in three at Century

Sophomore setter RuthAnne Schmitt
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


The Tigers got off to a slow start and could never recover in a 3-0 loss to Section 1AAA rival Rochester Century Tuesday, Sept. 20, in Rochester. The Panthers won by scores of 25-16, 25-10 and 25-14.
"This loss was tough to swallow," coach Mike Woody said. "What should have been a knock-down, drag-out, four-to-five game battle turned into a one-sided affair. The team that believed in itself and played with confidence through the good and the bad won convincingly.
"We have the potential to be such a competitive team, but we tend to crumble at the first sign of adversity on the court."
The Tigers started slowly in the first game and after a couple of early rallies in game two, the Panthers took complete control. Woody went with an all-senior lineup in game three and the upperclassmen built a 12-8 advantage before Century finished on 17-2 run to close out the shutout.
The loss was the sixth straight for Farmington which saw its season record dip to 4-10.
Things don't get any easier Thursday when perennial state power Shakopee invades Tiger Gym.
"For us it's simply a matter of believing in ourselves and accepting that we will make errors on the court from time to time," Woody said. "But when we do, we can still make the play of our lives on the very next point."

21 September 2011

Girls Tennis: Stars dim Tiger's day

Maggie Rudorfer lost 1-6, 3-6 at No. 2 singles

Holy Angels won in straight sets at every position in a 7-0 victory over the Tigers in a Missota Conference dual meet played Thursday, Sept. 20, at Valley View Park in Bloomington.
"What can't be seen in the final score is some of the strides we've made over the last six weeks," Tiger coach Jack Olwell said. "I am proud of the way we are working hard and competing. We have not lost sight of our goals despite the difficulties we've faced."
Olwell said several of his players turned in quality performances in the losing effort against the Stars, including Maggie Rudorfer at second singles and the No. 2 doubles tandem of Jessica Autey and Rachel Molitor.
"Maggie had a great overall day and a particularly strong second set," he said. "Jessica and Rachel put together a brilliant comeback in their second set."
The Tigers jump back into Missota Conference play Thursday with a home match against Northfield at the Boeckman Middle School courts..

Boys Soccer: Second half goal-fest fuels Tigers

Cole Landwehr (top) scores first of his four second half goals
Kaid Nokes goes head-to-head with a Storm defender
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


The Tigers broke open a tight 1-1 game with a six-goal second half to roll past Chanhassen 7-1 in a Missota Conference contest played Tuesday, Sept. 20, at Tiger Stadium.
"I don't know what happened in the second half but for the last 30 minutes our boys lit it up," coach Julian Buss said. "Cole Landwehr was unstoppable. Chanhassen had no answer for him."
Landwehr scored four times after intermission, all in a span of 17 minutes in which the Tigers completely dominated play on the cool, windy evening.
The Storm drew first blood and kept the home team off the board until Reid Wolfe tied the count with 9:48 remaining in the opening half.
The score remained knotted until Landwehr opened the floodgates at the 29:34 mark on passes from Tyler Petter-McCauley and Blake Smith. Over the next 17:14 Landwehr scored three more times and Smith and Kenny Riley added one apiece as the Tigers upped their record to 7-2-1 overall and a perfect 3-0 in the Missota Conference.
Keeper Chad Stivers had another quality outing in the nets, losing his shutout bid when the Storm scored what Buss called a "fluke" goal in the opening period.
Brandon Scott, who assisted on Riley's goal, moved from his forward position to midfield and drew some high praise from his coach.
"Brandon played 60 minutes at midfield for us tonight," Buss said. "He helped lead the team with aggressive and smart play that eventually led to scoring opportunities. If not for that, the second half scoring situation would have looked a lot different."
The Tigers put their perfect conference record on the line when they host Shakopee Thursday night at Tiger Stadium. Saturday they hit the road to battle Section 1AA rival Owatonna.

20 September 2011

Girls Soccer: Storm halts Tiger win streak

Kicking away and holding on:
Goalie Ashley Becker (top) clears the ball out of her zone
(below) Storm defender holds on to Naomi Wood
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


The Chanhassen Storm blew into Tiger Stadium Tuesday afternoon and made life miserable for the Tigers in a 2-1 Missota Conference victory.
The winners rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to even their season record at 4-4-1. The loss dropped Farmington to 6-5 and snapped the Tiger's three-game win streak.
Destiny Schmitz recorded her third goal of the season on an assist from Kelli Harstad to give the Tigers their one-goal lead at intermission but both second half scores belonged to the Storm who posted their first league win of the season.
Freshman keeper Ashley Becker was back in the Farmington nets after posting her first varsity win in a 2-1 victory over Red Wing last Thursday.
"It was just like the Hastings game, a poor effort on our part," Tiger coach Rob Carpentier said. "We were not mentally there."
The loss dipped Farmington's record in the conference to 1-2 and according to Carpentier put a serious damper on its pre-season goal of competing for the league title.
"Any shot we had at that is pretty much gone," he said.
The Tigers hope to bounce back Thursday when they entertain Shakopee in another Missota Conference contest at Tiger Stadium.

Tiger Scoreboard: September 21, 2011

Boys Soccer
Farmington 7 Chanhassen 1

Girls Swimming and Diving
Farmington 96 Rochester Century 88

Volleyball
Rochester Century 2 Farmington 1

Girls Soccer
Chanhassen 2 Farmington 1

Girls Tennis
Holy Angels 7 Farmington 0

18 September 2011

Volleyball: A long Saturday at Tiger Gym

Emma Fahning
18 serve receptions, 9 digs, 7 kills,, 6 blocks, 5 service aces vs. WBL
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

It was a long day for the home team at the annual 16-team Farmington Invitational held Saturday, Sept. 17, at Tiger Gym. The Tigers went winless in four matches, winning but one of nine games in the process.
The day started with a 26-28, 10-25 loss to Jordan that set the tone for the remainder of the tourney.
One statistical category told the story in the opening round loss. The Tigers had just 10 kills over the two games. Setter Mia Johnson had only six assists.
Defensively, Emily Nelson put up some solid numbers, finishing with a dozen serve receptions and a team-high seven digs. Laura Steege and Kaylene Seurer each had four blocks.
The Tigers also kept it close in their second match, losing back-to-back, hard-fought games to New Ulm 23-25, 21-25.
Steege (6) and Bekah Lippert (5) combined for 11 kills. Johnston and Alexis Wenskaug each added seven set assists. Defensively, Rachel Eckert contributed 10 serve receptions, Emma Fahning six digs and Lippert five blocks.
Game three found the Tigers once again struggling on offense in a one-sided 11-25, 13-25 loss to Bloomington Kennedy in which they totaled only 10 kills, seven assists and one service ace.
The locals rebounded in their final contest of the day but still came up short in a 24-26, 25-23, 9-15 loss to White Bear Lake.
Fahning had a sold all-around match in the losing effort, finishing with 18 serve receptions, nine digs, seven kills, six blocks and five aces.
The four losses dropped Farmington's season record to 4-9 heading into Tuesday night's road contest at Rochester Century. Thursday the girls return home to take on Missota Conference power Shakopee.

Girls Soccer: Three in a row

Hannah Miller
1st varsity goal vs. Mayo
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

After a lackluster performance in a 4-2 loss at Hastings on Sept. 6, Farmington has responded with its best play of the season.
First, the Tigers gave Missota Conference favorite Northfield a battle in a 3-1 loss. Then came wins over Park and Red Wing and now after Saturday's 3-0 shutout road win over Rochester Mayo, they are proud owners of a three-game winning streak.
"We were in control throughout," coach Rob Carpentier said of the win over Mayo. "Nothing fancy. The girls were very workmanlike in their efforts, stepping to balls, not allowing Mayo players to turn inside...If anything we probably should have won by more."
Hannah Miller (from Rachel Beck) netted her first varsity goal to give the visitors a 1-0 halftime lead and then Destiny Schmitz (from Miller) and Beck (from Ashley Kimmel) added second half scores for the final margin of victory.
The Tigers outshot the Spartans by a decisive 14-3 for the game. Sydney Eckert worked the Farmington nets and recorded the shutout.
"Defensively, we stymied Mayo much of the day," Carpentier said.
Farmington (6-4) will enjoy home field advantage this week with Missota Conference contests against Chanhassen and Shakopee scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday.

Boys Soccer: Coming up empty

Chad Stivers 4 saves vs. Mayo
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Graham Spark's direct kick from 30 yards out 10 minutes into the second half provided the difference in Saturday's 1-0 loss to Section 1AA rival Rochester Mayo at Tiger Stadium.
"We outplayed them and had more opportunities," Tiger coach Julian Buss aid, "but unfortunately, we were not able to finish.
"Mayo was very aggressive and as a result we were awarded several kicks but were not able to punish them for it."
As for the winning goal, Buss said goalie Chad Stivers didn't have much of a chance.
"The kick was aided by the wind and there wasn't much Chad could do about it," he said.
After Mayo scored, the Tigers moved sweeper Sam Leske to forward to try and generate more offense but couldn't get the ball by Mayo keeper Justin Aldrich.
"It was a tough loss emotionally," Buss said, "but I don't think it affects our ability to reach our season goals. We are striving for a Section 1AA championship. There are a lot of teams in the section who are very close to each other in terms of record and ability. I believe we can compete with all of them."
Farmington will take its 6-2-1 season record into Tuesday's Missota Conference home game with Chanhassen. Thursday the Tigers return to Tiger Stadium for a date with Shakopee.

Tiger Scoreboard: September 18, 2011

Girls Swimming and Diving
Bloomington Kennedy Invitational
Farmington 800, Red Wing 502, Eau Claire North (Wis.) 394, Minneapolis Southwest/Henry 370, Bloomington Kennedy 231

Girls Soccer
Farmington 3 Rochester Mayo 0

Boys Soccer
Rochester Mayo 1 Farmington 0

Volleyball
Jordan 2 Farmington 0
New Ulm 2 Farmington 0
Bloomington Kennedy 2 Farmington 0
White Bear Lake 2 Farmington 1

17 September 2011

Girls Swimming: A dominant performance in Bloomington


For the second time in as many years the Tigers are champions of the Bloomington Kennedy Invitational.
The Tigers rolled up 800 points to run away with the five-team meet held Saturday, Sept. 17, at Oak Grove Middle School. Missota Conference rival Red Wing finished a distant second with 502, followed by Eau Claire North (WI) 394, Minneapolis Southwest/Henry 370 and Kennedy 231.
Farmington so dominated the day that it scored first place finishes in eight of the meet's 12 events, including five individual competitions and all three relays.
Kaitlyn O'Reilly and Zoe Avestruz each finished the day with four first place efforts. O'Reilly led the field in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly and swam on two winning relays. Aveztruz also won in two relays and claimed individual titles in the 100 individual medley and 100 backstroke.
Cora Ruzicka provided the other gold medal performance with a victory in the 100 freestyle.
Farmington's 200 medley (Kirsten Kracke, Abby Haugen. Hannah Seitzinger, Avestruz); 200 freestyle (O. Reilly, Kracke, Haugen, Avestruz) and 400 freestyle (O'Reilly, Setzinger, Ruzicka and Ellie Sundet) relays each finished first.
Four Tigers earned second place points: Nikki Cayard (diving); Ruzicka (200 freestyle); Kracke (500 freestyle) and Haugen (100 breaststroke).
Chelsea Gehrke (100 breaststroke); Sundet (500 freestyle); Delaney Wright (100 backstroke) and the 200 freestyle relay team of Robin Ellis, Chloe Holton, Sarah O'Reilly and Sundet placed third for the champions.
Tiger coach Jennifer Marshall lauded the stellar efforts of O'Reilly, Avestruz and Ruzicka and also had words of praise for senior Victoria Resch.
"She had a great meet, anchoring two relays that moved up in places," she said.
Marshall added that her team is swimming well for this point in the season.
"Some swims are a little sluggish which is to be expected," she said, "but we are battling through it."
Tuesday the girls head to Rochester for a dual meet with Section 1AA rival Century. Saturday they head to Grand Forks, North Dakota for the multi-state University of North Dakota Invitational.

Other Farmington top five finishes:
200 individual medley: 5. (Ellis, S. O'Reilly, Ruzicka, Elizabeth Cummings)
200 freestyle: 4. Sundet
200 individual medley: 5. Kracke
50 freestyle: 5. Ellis
One-meter diving: 5. Jade Alm
100 butterfly: 4. Seitzinger
100 freestyle: 5. S. O'Reilly
500 freestyle: 5. Chloe Holton
400 freestyle relay: 5. Sara Kintner, Hanna Sundt, Holton, Gehrke

Boys Cross Country: Good news, bad news

Junior Adam Wallenta
Leading Tiger runner for second straight week

The good news for the Tigers was that they continued to meet coach Lisa Lippold's requests that they run together as a team and they continue to drop their finishing times.
The bad news was that even though those missions were largely accomplished, Farmington finished at the bottom of the team standings at Thursday's talent-filled AppleJack Invitational run at Lakeville's Aronson Park.
State powerhouse Rosemount placed all five of its point-scorers in the top 10 to defeat Andover 43-55 for the meet title. Minnetonka was well back in third with 105, followed by Lakeville South 140 and Lakeville North 174. Farmington totaled 356 points, 30 behind 13th place Math and Science Academy.
All seven Tiger runners finished within a minute of each other with Adam Wallenta leading the way for the second straight week, finishing 64th with a 17:55.1 clocking. Jordan Lugowski also broke the 18-minute mark over the 5000-meter route, finishing 65th in 17:59.3
Dan Block (71st; 18:06.7); Tanner Grubb (74th; 18:13.3) and Jake Rudeen (82nd; 18:30.9) were the other Farmington point scorers. Caleb Eiffert ranked 86th in 18:39.3 and Ben Olson 91st in 18:54.9.
All seven Farmington runners lowered their times from last week's Faribault Invitational.
"I was so happy with how all the runners ran," Lippold, "so I was surprised to see that we got last place overall.
"We are going to continue to look at the big picture which is our times are dropping significantly week by week and we are still in training mode...We are excited to see where we will finish when it comes to the conference and section meets.
Next Thursday (Sept. 22) the Tigers take a break from the metro area competition when they travel south for the Pine Island Invitational.

Girls Cross Country: Tigers 14th at AppleJack Invite

Teammates cheer on senior Marissa Stewart

The Tiger girls ranked 14th in the 17-team AppleJack Invitational held Friday afternoon, Sept. 16, at Aronson Park in Lakeville.
Lakeville South placed four runners in the top 20 to win the meet with 62 points. Eagan totaled 89 points to finish a distant second. Edina (115), Prior Lake (117) and Forest Lake (139) rounded out the top five. Farmington finished with a point total of 403.
"We had some fantastic races today," coach Heidi Revels said. "Sofia Chadwick was our top runner and she dropped 1:23 from her time here last year.
"Maria Kiminksi continued to run steady and Maricia Pacheco raced strong after coming back from a leg injury."
Chadwick clocked 15:58.8 over the 4000-meter course to finish 51st in the 120-runner field. Kiminski ranked 66th in 16:15.5; Pacheco 76th in 16:27.2; Alexis Johnson 102nd in 17:29.2; Marciella Pacheco 108th in 18:16.7; Marissa Stewart 110th in 18:24.2 and Natlaia Sitzman 112th in 18:59.2.
Tori Jacoby and Sarah Cummings each ran well enough in the junior varsity race to earn spots in the varsity lineup for next week's meet. Cummings knocked three minutes off last year's time at the AppleJack.
"She couldn't wipe the smile off her face after the race," Revels said. "It was well-deserved as she has been training very hard since last fall."
Thursday, Sept. 22, the girls travel outside the metro for an appearance in the Pine Island Invitational.

Tiger Scoreboard: September 17, 2011

Football
Farmington 17 Chanhassen 14

Girls Cross Country
AppleJack Invitational at Lakeville
Lakeville South 62, Eagan 89, Edina 115, Prior Lake 117, Forest Lake 139, Andover 177, Minnetonka 184, Shakopee 199, Lakeville North 237, Rosemount 239, Owatonna 272, Wayzata 321, Bloomington Kennedy 378, Farmington 403, Math and Science Academy 406, Bloomington Jefferson 407, Rogers 508

Boys Cross Country
AppleJack Invitational at Lakeville
Rosemount 43, Andover 55, Minnetonka 105, Lakeville South 140, Lakeville North 174, Bloomington Jefferson 180, Coon Rapids 188, Rogers 188, Eagan 209, Prior Lake 239, Bloomington Kennedy 285, Shakopee 326, Math and Science Academy 326, Farmington 356

Football: Hurry-up Tigers rally for 17-14 win over Chanhassen

Ather Ashton (left) 97 yards on 28 carries;
Austin Bassett 7 catches for 68 yards
(photos contributed by Just for Kids Photography)


Farmington football tradition includes the team serenading its fans with a hoarse, not always on-key rendition of the school fight song after every victory.
Since the second week of the 2010 season, however, the Tiger voices had been silent. That's what happens when you lose nine games in a row.
But the Tiger chorus was in full concert form Friday night after a rousing come-from-behind 17-14 Missota Conference win over Chanhassen at Tiger Stadium.
Farmington erased a 14-3 halftime deficit with a relentless no-huddle offense sparked by the strong right arm of junior quarterback Darren Beenken and a big-play defense that kept the Storm out of the end zone over the final two quarters.
The win not only snapped the year and a week losing streak but from the smiles on the players' and coaches' faces, it pumped new life into the 2011 season.
"Our goal coming in was to put four quarters of good football together," coach Mark Froehling said. "In the first two games we put together one good first half and one good second half.
"I thought our coaches and players did a good job of preparation for this game. They put themselves in a position to win. I'm proud of all of them."
The possibility for that win seemed remote, however, when the visiting Storm hit the halftime break holding an 11-point lead.
"We told the kids at halftime that we had to stick to what we were doing," Froehling said. "We were beating ourselves in the first half with penalties, missed assignments and dropped passes."
One thing Froehling liked in the first half was his team's ability to move the ball with its hurry-up offense. Beenken utilized the no-huddle look to drive deep into Chanhassen territory late in the first half only to be thwarted by a tipped ball that turned into a drive-killing interception.
Sophomore place-kicker Reid Taubenheim accounted for the only Farmington points of the opening half with a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Storm clouds began together again early in the third period when the visitors marched all the way to the Tiger eight-yard line before an alert Blake Weinand came up with a fumble recovery that would turn the game around.
Beenken promptly sent his team into full no-huddle mode and the results were impressive. The Tigers marched 92 yards in 12 plays, chewing up the clock and the Storm secondary in the process. Beenken completed all four of his passes in the march capped by Ather Ashton's one yard touchdown run.

Darren Beenken 23 for 38, 206 yards, touchdown
The gang-tacking Tiger defense shutout Chanhassen in the second half
(photos contributed by Just for Kids Photography)




The swarming Tiger defense held on the next Storm possession and Beenken and Company re-took control, this time driving 68 yards in 12 plays for what proved to be the winning score midway through the final period.
The game-winner came in dramatic fashion with Beenken hitting Dillon Jones in the right corner of the north end zone with a nine-yard strike on a clutch fourth down and six play.
Assistant coach Lew Miskowicz is the architect of the new-look Tiger spread offense and he was elated with his unit's performance.
"These guys have spent a lot of time and put in a lot of hard work learning this system," he said. "It's nice to see them experience success with it."
Not to be lost in the shuffle was the improved play of the inexperienced offensive line that gave Beenken plenty of time to find his receivers as well as Ashton some room to roam.
Once the Tigers took the lead the defense stepped to center stage. Andrew Peterson came up with a big pass interception that ended one drive and Kevin Olund's 61-yard punt pinned the Storm deep in its own territory on.
"I thought we did a good job of running to the ball all night," Froehling said. "They (Chanhassen) have a tough offense to defend. They have big splits in their line and you have to be play smart."
When all was said and done, Beenken finished with a career-best 23 completions in 38 attempts for 206 yards, a touchdown and an interception. In three games, he has thrown for 587 yards and seven touchdowns while completing 63.2 percent of his passes (55 for 87).
"Darren has a good grasp of the offense and the the ability to see the entire field," Froehling said.
Austin Bassett led the receiving corps with seven catches for 68 yards. Jones and Nathan Graham each caught six, Jones for 48 yards and Graham for 51.
Ashton had another solid night running the ball, picking up 97 yards on 28 carries and recording his second touchdown of the season. The junior speedster has gained 192 yards in his past two outings.
Four Tiger defenders-Drew Hegseth, Mason Auge, Ryan Schoening and Weinand--tied for the lead in tackles with six apiece. Schoening had to leave the game with a first half leg injury and did not return.
The Tigers hope to make it two in a row next Friday night when they entertain defending Missota Conference champion Shakopee at Tiger Stadium. The Sabers are 3-0 after defeating Chaska 49-22 Friday night.

16 September 2011

Volleyball: Tigers face turning point


(photo by Jim Lindquist)
After Thursday night's 3-0 loss to Missota Conference co-favorite Chanhassen at Tiger Gym Farmington's season record dropped to 4-6 and coach Mike Woody said his team is at a crossroads.
"We are at a pivotal point that all teams seem to face in a season," he said. "I am excited to see how the girls decide to face the adversity we are sure to face, starting with our tournament this weekend."
The Tigers stuck with Chanhassen (8-1) through the first game of Thursday night's match before dropping a 20-25 decision. The next two games went a different direction with the Storm claiming the match with decisive 25-13 and 25-10 wins.
"The first game was pretty decent," Woody said, "but it set the theme for the night which was 'Give Chanhassen free balls'.
"We did a good job of keeping the ball alive, but we would turn around and give them opportunity after opportunity."
In particular the Tigers had no answer for the powerful play of Storm outside hitter Julianne Blomberg.
"She proved to be too much for us in games two and three," Woody said. "The only consolation to the night is my belief that Chanhassen will win the conference title this year."
The Tigers open play in their 16-team invitational on Saturday against St. Charles. They return to action next Tuesday when they travel to Rochester to take on Section 1AAA rival Century.

Girls Swimming and Diving: Tigers down Sabers 91.5-89.5

Cora Ruzicka
Double-winner vs. Shakopee
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington raised its Missota Conference dual meet record to 2-1 with a 91-5-89.5 win over Shakopee Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Dodge Middle School pool.
The final two-point margin of victory did not tell the story of the meet as the Tigers built a commanding lead before swimming the final two events in exhibition status. The Sabers totaled 24 of their points in the final two competitions.
"This meet gave us an opportunity to put some girls in different events," coach Jen Marshall said. "As coaches, it's exciting because every now and then someone really surprises us."
The Tigers won seven of the ten events contested for points with Cora Ruzicka a double winner, taking first in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke.
Other individual event winners included Kaitlyn O'Reilly in the 50 freestyle; Kendall Novak in diving and Zoe Avestruz in the 100 freestyle.
The 200 medley relay foursome of Kirsten Kracke, Sarah O'Reilly, Kaitlyn O'Reilly and Hannah Seitzinger started the meet with a victory and the quartet of Avestruz, Kracke, Robin Ellis and Kaitlyn O'Reilly captured the 200 freestyle relay.
Five other Farmington entrants scored second place points: Ellie Sundet (200 individual medley and 100 backstroke); Kaitlyn O'Reilly (100 freestyle); Avestruz (220 freestyle); Nikki Cayard (diving) and Seitzinger (100 butterfly).
Kracke placed third in the 100 freestyle as did Delaney Wright in the 500 freestyle and Jade Alm in the one-meter board diving competition.
Saturday the Tigers travel to Oak Grove Middle School in Bloomington for the Bloomington Kennedy Invitational.

Other Farmington point-scorers:
200 freestyle: 4. Chelsea Gehrke; 5. Robin Ellis
50 freestyle: 5. Chloe Holton
100 butterfly: 4. Sarah O'Reilly
500 freestyle: 4. Ellis; 5. Gehrke
100 backstroke: 5. Elizabeth Cummings
100 breaststroke: 5. Hanna Sundt

Girls Tennis: Lineup shuffle doesn't help in 7-0 loss to Shakopee

Tasha Sinha serves at third doubles
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tiger coach Jack Olwell shuffled his lineup but couldn't come up with a winning hand in a 7-0 Missota Conference loss to Shakopee Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Boeckman Middle School courts.
"Sometimes when you have a lineup change the desired results don't materialize," Olwell said, "but I thought it was worth a try because we were already missing two of our top ten players. We will likely try this again before the season's end."
The talented Sabers, upset winners over state-ranked Chanhassen last week, dominated in both singles and doubles play. No Tiger entrant managed to win more than one game in a set.
"We were a bit flat," Olwell said, "but the good thing was that three new players got their first varsity experience."

Shakopee 7 Farmington 0
No. 1 singles Megan Stivers lost 0-6, 0-6
No. 2 singles Callie Olmscheid lost 0-6, 0-6
No. 3 singles Molly Rudorfer lost 0-6, 1-6
No. 4 singles Kassy Seegert lost 1-6, 1-6
No. 1 doubles Meghan Lindstrom/Maggie Rudorfer lost 0-6, 0-6
No. 2 doubles Ally Midboe/Katie Burgess lost 0-6, 1-6
No. 3 doubles ShyAnne Spurzem/Tasha Sinha lost 0-6, 1-6

Boys Soccer: Tigers rebound, upend Red Wing 4-1

Midfielder Blake Smith
Scored go-ahead goal off corner kick by Jared Wolt
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The one-two scoring punch of Brandon Scott and Cole Landwehr accounted for three of the four Farmington goals and Blake Smith scored on a perfectly executed corner kick by Jared Wolt in a 4-1 Missota Conference win at Red Wing Thursday, Sept. 15.
The win upped the Tigers season record to 6-1-1 and helped erase the memory of a 6-1 loss to Bloomington Kennedy earlier in the week.
"Our captains really tried to fire the team up and get everyone on the same page," coach Julian Buss said. "Sam Leske was especially vocal and dominant."
Scott's first half goal twelve minutes into the contest opened the scoring but at intermission the teams were locked in a 1-1 tie.
Leske addressed the team at the halftime break and whatever the senior co-captain said must have had an impact.
"The team certainly responded in the second half," Buss said. "They showed more inspired play leading to increased scoring opportunities and three goals."
Smith's goal off Wolt's corner boot provided the go-ahead score 11 minutes into the second period.
"I was very happy to see us score another goal from a set play," Buss said. "We know we are likely to see some close games in the weeks ahead and it's great to see the boys working hard at converting those set plays into goals."
Scott notched his second goal of the night with 16:53 remaining and Landwehr added some icing on the victory cake when he found the net with a little over a minute to play.
Next up for the Tigers is an important non-conference match-up with Section 1AA rival Rochester Mayo Saturday morning (11:00) at Tiger Stadium.

Girls Soccer: Tigers squeak by Wingers 2-1 in a game of firsts

Midfielder Alex Frost
Assist on Miranda Larson's tying goal
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington's 2-1 Missota Conference win over Red Wing Thursday, Sept. 15, provided a perfect example of how meaningless statistics can be.
The Tigers outshot the Wingers by an eye-popping 33-3 for the game and at halftime the visitors trailed 1-0 despite recording 18 of the game's first 19 shots.
"To be honest, the girls played great," coach Rob Carpentier said. "We just couldn't finish."
Midway through the second period Miranda Larson tied the game at 1-1 with her varsity goal on an assist from Alex Frost, her first as a varsity player.
With just three minutes left in regulation Kelly Kornmann gave the Tigers the victory with her first career goal. Hannah Miller assisted on the game-winner.
Ashley Becker worked the nets for the Tigers and recorded her first-ever varsity win.
The Tigers (5-4) won't have much time to dwell on their win as Saturday they travel to Rochester to take on Section 1AA rival Mayo.
"Mayo will be tough," Carpentier said. "That's a very important game for us."