31 January 2012

Tiger Scoreboard: February 1, 2012

Boys Basketball
Chanhassen 77 Farmington 55

Girls Basketball
Chaska 68 Farmington 60

Boys Hockey
Holy Angels 3 Farmington 2

Girls Hockey
Holy Angels 2 Farmington 0

Boys Swimming
Rochester Mayo 89 Farmington 79

29 January 2012

Boys Hockey: Tucker's' first goal a winner


by Nate Rowan


Dallas Tucker
1st career goal was game-winner

Dallas Tucker’s first varsity goal proved to be the game-winner as Farmington defeated Shakopee, 4-2, Friday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The four goals for the Tigers (6-10-2, 3-4-1) matched the previous five-game goal total.

“Nice to see the boys’ hard work pay off,” head coach Keith Revels said. “Especially in the scoring department.”

Farmington allowed just 22 shots in the game and only 12 over the final two periods. Victor Simones made 20 stops.

“Also we played a penalty free game for the first time that I can remember,” Revels said.

Shakopee opened the scoring at 15:51 of the first period and took that lead to the first intermission. The Tigers were outshot 10-7 in the opening 17 minutes.

Zach Colaw tied the score just four minutes into the second period. Andrew Peterson and Grant Hauswirth picked up assists on the goal. Hauswirth and Peterson teamed up again to put the Tigers on top, 2-1.

“Grant Hauswirth came alive in second period,” Revels said. “He netted a goal going hard to the net after beating a defender wide.”

The game remained the same until Shakopee tied things up at 10:28 of the third period. That set the stage for Tucker who, with help from Blake Weinand and Kevin Olund, netted the game-winner. John Donnelly would add an unassisted goal to cap the scoring.

Tucker’s goal marks the 10th time this season that a Farmington skater has netted their first varsity goal.

The Tigers travel to Richfield Tuesday to take on Holy Angels at 7:30 p.m.

Gymnastics: Tigers hold their own against No. 1 Northfield

Nadia Lorencz
1st in vault and floor exercise
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Northfield, the defending state Class AA champions and the top-ranked team in Minnesota, paid a visit to Farmington Thursday night and although the Raiders lived up to their billing, the local team held its own.

The unbeaten Raiders left town with a 149.225-138.625 win. The Tigers' point total was their second highest of the season.

"The girls are really starting to improve," Tiger coach Lynn Bauman said. "We were without one varsity member (Kathryn Beckett) due to sickness. We're looking forward to having a healthy team next week."

Nadia Lorencz had a big night against Northfield, winning the vault (9.65) and floor exercise (9.5) events. She also took fifth on the uneven bars (8.85) and her all-around total of 36.975 points placed second.

Kylie Wharton
5th on balance beam
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Kiana Lord scored fifth place finishes in vaulting (9.175) and floor (9.2) and also placed fifth in all-around with 34.575 points. Kylie Wharton earned fifth place points on the balance beam with a score of 9.05.

Northfield won the junior varsity competition 133.8-121.3. Racquel Beckett finished runner-up on beam and in floor exercise to pace Farmington.

The Tiger JV scored its highest team score of the season (125.80) Saturday at a four-team meet in Cottage Grove. Rachel Kiminski and Tori Sontag finished second and third respectively in vaulting and Gina Mercution took fifth in floor exercise to lead the Farmington effort.

The Tigers vauslt back into action Friday night, Feb. 3, when they host Chaska/Chanhassen at the District Service Center.

28 January 2012

Boys Basketball: Short-handed Tigers fall at New Prague

Austin Bassett
Team-high 11 points
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

New Prague used its superior size and the absence of two Farmington starters to post a 52-37 Missota Conference win Friday night in New Prague.

Daren Beenken (ankle) and Mackinley Bassett (knee), two of the top three Tiger scorers for the season, missed the contest with injuries.

"New Prague (12-5; 4-1) has been ranked in Class 3A this season," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "They are big, physical and talented, but overall, I thought we gave them a pretty good game.

"They beat us up on the boards a little, but the effort was there. We played hard the entire game."

The Trojans led 22-17 at the end of the low-scoring first half and Wyandt was pleased with his team's defensive effort.

"To hold a team like that to 22 points in a half was outstanding," he said. "We just couldn't generate much at the other end."

Austin Bassett paced the Tigers with 11 points. Alex Chadwick, Jake Hanson and Zach Speikers each added six.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Tigers (6-11; 2-3). Tuesday night they entertain league-leading Chanhassen (13-4; 5-0). Tip-off is 7:30 at Tiger Gym.

Wrestling: Down to the wire in Faribault

Brayden Chapman
3-2 winner in 132 lbs. bout
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington built an early 14-0 lead but Faribault rallied with three pins in the final four matches to pull out a 36-26 dual meet victory Friday night in Faribault.

The non-conference loss evened the Tigers' season dual record at 8-8.

Taylor Venz (21-3) continued his winning ways by claiming the 106 lbs. match on a technical fall. Jacob Gabbard (15-3) followed with a decision at 113 lbs. and Matt Rustad added a pin in the 120 lbs. bout to build the early advantage.

After a loss by a fall at 126 lbs., Farmington's Brayden Chapman made it 17-6 for the visitors before the Falcons won three straight to forge their first lead at 18-17.

Joe Hoeve (18-9) scored a decision in the 160 lbs. match to give the Tigers back the edge before back-to-back falls gave Faribault a 10-point lead with two bouts to go.

Dakoda Louis-Dupay
1st period pin in 220-pound match

Dakoda Louis-Dupay made it interesting with a six-point fall at 220 lbs. but Cody Mach scored a second period pin of Bret Hoffman in the final match to ice things for the Falcons.

"It was a great dual and our wrestlers competed well," coach Chad Olson said. "We had opportunities for bonus point wins and did not get them. Faribault took advantage of their opportunities for bonus points and ultimately that was the difference."

Next Tuesday the Tigers return to Missota Conference action with a home dual meet with New Prague. Thursday they entertain Chaska/Chanhassen in another conference match-up and Friday they make the short trip to Lakeville for the Panther Duals.

Girls Basketball: Trojans snap Tiger win streak with late rally

Desiree Loftus
10 straight points in the second half vs. New Prague
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

With seven minutes to play Friday night at Tiger Gym Farmington held a 51-43 lead over New Prague and all indications pointed to the resurgent Tigers running their winning streak to four games.

The Trojans spoiled the happy ending, however, holding the home team to one field goal the rest of the way on the way to a 59-56 win. New Prague closed the night on a 16-5 run.

"They ramped up the pressure and we helped them by taking some shots we shouldn't have," Farmington coach Sondra Chadwick. "The shots we did get we couldn't get to fall."

Early foul trouble again plagued the Tigers. Starters Taylor Meyer and Mariah Mincke both had to sit a long stretch of the first half with two personals. New Prague hit 10 of 16 free throws in the first 18 minutes while Farmington went to the stripe just once.

But even with its post players out, Farmington kept it close. Guards Isis Alexander (9 points) and Sofia Chadwick (8) combined for 17 first half points as New Prague led 29-23 at intermission.

Farmington scored the first seven points of the second half and thanks to a personal 10-0 run by Desiree Loftus midway through the period built a 47-35 cushion with nine minutes remaining.

"Desiree provided a big spark for us off the bench on the second half," Chadwick said.

New Prague finally tied the game at 52-52 with 2:12 to play and eventually clinched it from the free throw line. Meyer's three-pointer cut the deficit to 57-56 with 17 seconds left but a turnover and two more free throws sealed the deal for the visitors.

The Tigers finished with 23 field goals made, five more than the opposition, but the Trojans outscored them from the line by a dominating 23-9.

Taylor Meyer
14 points, 12 rebounds
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Meyer racked up her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Alexander netted 12 and dished out six assists. Loftus also had a dozen and Chadwick recorded 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Despite the outcome, coach Chadwick said there were some clear positives to take away from the loss.

"I thought we handled the ball well and we had no problem with their press," she said. "Overall I was proud of the girls and I told them we just need to focus on our next game and work on what we need to do as individuals to keep ourselves out of foul trouble."

The Tigers return to Missota Conference play Tuesday, Jan. 31. with a road game at Chaska.

27 January 2012

Tiger Scoreboard: January 28, 2012

Boys Hockey
Farmington 4 Shakopee 2

Girls Basketball
New Prague 59 Farmington 56

Boys Basketball
New Prague 52 Farmington 37

Wrestling
Faribault 36 Farmington 26

Girls Hockey: Slow start burns Tigers in 4-2 loss to Shakopee

Grace Vincent
1st career goal

Farmington spotted host Shakopee three first period goals and could never come all the way back in a 4-2 Missota Conference loss Thursday night at Shakopee Arena.

"We really came out flat in the first period," coach Jon Holmes said. "We just were not ready to push ourselves out of a comfort zone to match their two all stars.

"After a somewhat embarrassing first period in regards to how we approached our own power play and getting scored on twice while they were shorthanded, we really turned it around in the second and third periods. We out scored them and I would say out hustled them."

The Sabers netted their first goal 5:30 after the opening face-off and then burned the Tigers with two short-handed scores in a 57-second span late in the period.

Haleigh Zwart put the visitors on the board early in the second stanza with a short-handed goal of her own but the Sabers responded in kind with 11 seconds to go in the period to make it a three-goal game heading into the final 17 minutes.

Grace Vincent provided the only scoring of the final period with her first career goal. Breanna Raske recorded her first career point with an assist.

Senior goaltender Jessica Erchul had another busy night in the nets for the Tigers with 38 saves. Shakopee outshot Farmington 42-23 in the contest.

The loss dropped the Tigers season record to 8-14 overall and 4-6 in conference play. Tuesday they entertain Holy Angels at Schmitz-Maki Arena and Thursday close the books on the regular season with a road contest at Northfield. Section 1AA post-season play begins Wednesday, Feb. 6.

"It is now crunch time with the playoffs right around the corner and hopefully we will get the bugs worked out in our last week of the regular season," Holmes said.

"It was really nice to see our young players that have not seen a lot of varsity time also step up and play well against Shakopee. This is a phenomenal sign not only for playoffs but for next year as well."

Tiger Scoreboard: January 27, 2012

Girls Hockey
Shakopee 4 Farmington 2

Gymnastics
No.1AA Northfield 149.225 Farmington 138.625

25 January 2012

Boys Hockey: Kennedy edges Tigers 2-1

by Nate Rowan

Jack Buss--power play goal

Bloomington Kennedy scored a power play goal with 9:45 to play and squeaked by Farmington, 2-1, Tuesday night at Bloomington Ice Gardens.

The Tigers (5-10-2) are in the midst of a season-high five game losing streak. During that stretch, the team has been shutout once and scored just one goal in each of the other four contests.

“We are trying some different players and combinations up front to spark some offense,” head coach Keith Revels said. “Still looking for an answer.”

The Eagles scored the only goal of the opening period to take a 1-0 lead to the break on David Johnson’s tally. The teams skated to a scoreless second period and Kennedy took a one-goal lead to the final frame.

Jack Buss brought Farmington even with a power play goal at 3:32 of the third. Jordan Lugowski and Grant Hauswirth earned assists on the second Buss goal of the season.

Jordan Peer’s power play goal 3:33 later proved to be the game-winner.

Victor Simones made 22 saves as the Tigers outshot Kennedy 27-24.

To begin the season, the Farmington power play was firing on all cylinders at over 30 percent. In recent weeks, that percentage has dropped nearly 10 points.

“Power play has taken a big hit lately,” Revels said. “We are going to keep fighting and trying get things back on track.”

The Tigers return to action Friday as they host Shakopee at Schmitz-Maki Arena. Puck drops at 7:15 p.m.

Girls Basketball: It's all in the numbers

Sofia Chadwick
26 points, 7 assists, 5 steals
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The numbers from the Tigers non-conference game at Faribault Tuesday night tell the story.

Seventy-six points scored (highest of the year). 26 points allowed (fewest of the year). 61 percent shooting from the field (season-best). 42 turnovers forced (most this season). 10 turnovers (season-low). Four players in double figures (tied season-high).

Add them up and the final result was a resounding 50-point victory, the third straight for coach Sondra Chadwick's squad that won just once in its first 10 games.

"What I was most happy with was how we played aggressive defense without fouling," Chadwick said. "We only had one foul in the second half and that is a big accomplishment for a team that typically finds itself in foul trouble."

The Tigers pressing defense produced a rash of first half turnovers by the winless Falcons (0-16) gave the visitors a lead they would build to a commanding 41-15 by halftime.

"We had balanced scoring and our big lead gave all of our players a chance to get on the floor," Chadwick said.

Sofia Chadwick matched Faribault's team total with a a career-high 26 points. The freshman point guard also had five rebounds and a trio of steals.

Isis Alexander hit double figures for the second straight game with 12 points and also recorded seven assists and five steals. Taylor Meyer added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Gabby White finished with 10 points and seven assists.

The competition level will ratchet up several notches on Friday when New Prague invades Tiger Gym for a Missota Conference game. Tip-off is slated for 7:30.

Boys Swimming: Raiders down Tigers 96-84

Andy Morris competes in the JV 100 freestyle

Hastings won nine of 12 events and downed the Tigers 96-84 in a non-conference dual meet Tuesday night at the Dodge Middle School pool.

"It was a very exciting meet," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said. "I was hoping to finish with more two, three and four places but for a small team, Hastings has some very strong young swimmers who held on to the lead all meet...I was very pleased because we had so many season-best as well as personal-best times."

The Tiger wins came from Evan Carufel (diving), Zach Holton (200 freestyle) and the 400 freestyle relay team of Conner Kealy, Christopher Kirchmann, Aaron Lane and Holton.

Six Farmington individuals scored second place points: Kirchmann (200 individual medley and 100 freestyle); Kealy (50 freestyle); Lane (100 backstroke); Eric Schimmel (500 freestyle) and Jonathan Bovee (diving).

The 200 medley (Cameron Molnar, Nick Stephan, Tyler Lerbakken, Carufel) and the 400 freestyle (Kirchmann, Lane, Holton, Kealy) relay teams each finished second.

Five more Tigers turned in third place efforts: Schimmel (50 freestyle); Kealy (100 freestyle); Holton (100 butterfly); Stephan (100 breaststroke) and Austin Kueck (500 freestyle).

Hamen also recognized the performances of a trio of junior varsity swimmers--Brock Lange, Caleb Poissant and Dan Berg--who showed big time drops in their respective events.

The Tigers return to action Thursday, Jan. 31, when they venture to Rochester for a dual meet with Section 1AA Rochester Mayo.

Gymnastics: Tigers set season-high at New Prague

Nadia Lorencz, All-Around champion (37.075 points)
(photo by Jim Lindquist

The Tigers didn't come home with a win at New Prague but coach Lynn Bauman was more than pleased with her team's final score of 139.225, a new season-high. (New Prague finished at 144.65).

"We were almost at full power," Bauman said. "The girls did their best after all the sickness and injuries they've had.

"We had an amazing meet and believe it or not, we still have a few things we can tweak. We are starting to get excited as our season is coming to an end."

Nadia Lorencz, Kiana Lord and Kylie Wharton were all back in the lineup after missing last Friday's dual at Red Wing and all placed in multiple events.

Lorencz led the way, winning the all-around competition with with a persona best 37.075 points. Lorencz finished second in vault (9.3), uneven bars (9.175) and balance beam (9.35) and tied for fifth in floor exercise (9.25).

Lord placed third in all-around at 33.85, finishing fourth in vault and fifth on beam. Wharton took fourth on beam and tied for fifth in floor. Jade Alm scored 31.30 points to take fifth in all-around.

Thursday the Tigers host defending Class AA state champion Northfield in a Missota Conference dual meet at the District Service Center.

Boys Basketball: Chaska wins battle of the boards, defeats Tigers 76-65

Mackinley Bassett 14 points
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Chaska had its way on the boards and Farmington had no answer for the inside presence of 6-5 sophomore Drew West in a 76-65 Missota Conference loss Tuesday night at Tiger Gym.

West muscled his way inside for a game-high 25 points as the Tigers dropped to 5-10 overall and 2-2 in Missota Conference play.

"We went from our best team rebounding effort of the season at Northfield last Friday to our worst tonight," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "When we don't rebound well as a team we are going to struggle.

"They (Chaska) got so many second chance opportunities and in the second half they started to shoot the ball well. I guess they should have. They had enough practice."

A 9-0 run midway through the first half broke an early 12-12 tie but the Tigers battled back to trail only 33-30 at the halftime break. McKinley Bassett netted 11 of his game total of 14 points in the first half, including a trio of three-pointers.

Nick Varner, Jake Hanson and Tom Sell all picked up three fouls in the half, mostly trying to keep West off the glass. Chaska shot 17 free throws (to Farmington's four)in the first period.

Senior co-captain Jake Hanson scores two
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Chaska blew the game open early in the second half, scoring the first eight points on the way to a 47-27 lead. From there on, the home team could never cut its deficit below double digits.

Three Tigers scored in double figures in the losing effort. Bassett had 14, Varner 13 and Darren Beenken 11.

Next up for Farmington is a Missota Conference road contest Friday at New Prague.

24 January 2012

Tiger Scoreboard: January 25, 2012

Girls Basketball
Farmington 76 Faribault 26

Boys Basketball
Chaska 76 Farmington 65

Gymnastics
New Prague 144.65 Farmington 139.225

Boys Hockey
Bloomington Kennedy 2 Farmington 1

Boys Swimming
Hastings 96 Farmington 84

Tiger Scoreboard: January 24, 2012

Girls Hockey
Maple Grove 4 Farmington 0

Girls Hockey: Tigers shut down by Maple Grove

by Nate Rowan

Jessica Erchul
29 saves vs. Maple Grove
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington gave up three goals in a 58-second span in the third period and fell to Maple Grove, 4-0, Monday at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The Tigers (8-14-0) have now dropped three games in a row, their third losing streak this season of at least three games.

The Crimson had four different goal scorers, including Summer Thibodeau’s game-winner at 13:56 of the first period.

“We gave them a great game for 51 minutes,” head coach Jon Holmes said. “Unfortunately for [58 seconds] in the third period we gave up seven shots and three goals.”

Holmes said the 58 seconds felt like a “bad dream” and that it “left a bad imprint” on his squad.

“We didn’t do the little extras that are a must for every shift,” Holmes said. “We were in the right spots but we didn’t lift a stick, block a shot, angle the shooter or force them out of the rebounding areas.”

With three games remaining in the regular season, all conference games, Holmes said it is important to play well down the stretch to prepare for a playoff run.

Farmington travels to Shakopee on Thursday to take on the Sabers at 7 p.m. at Shakopee Ice Arena.

22 January 2012

Boys Swimming: Tigers 12th at True Team state

Christopher Kirchmann
12th 100 freestyle; 13th 50 freestyle

The Tigers didn't fare as well as they would have liked at last Saturday's True Team Championships at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center but coach Ryan Hamen said it was a good experience nonetheless.

Farmington finished 12th in the 12-team field with 673.5 points. Eden Prairie won the title with a point total of 2157.

"This was a great opportunity for our boys to swim at the University of Minnesota," coach Hamen said. "We had a lot of great times for ourselves while others are still working at improving. Every chance we have to swim at the U is a chance to feel like a great swimmer and earning the spot to attend is always a pleasure.

"At this meet we were encouraged to bring the entire team. We had many swimmers who did not compete but they got to enjoy swimming in the warm-up pool and they got a front row seat to watch most of the best teams in our class in the state. Our score doesn't show the benefits we got from participating in such a great event."

Evan Carufel
12th one-meter diving

Christopher Kirchmann and Evan Carufel tied for the best Tiger finish at the meet. Kirchmann ranked twelfth in the 100 freestyle while Carufel placed twelfth in the one-meter diving competition. Kirchmann added a 13th place effort in the 50 freestyle.

Two Farmington relays teams finished in 20th place, the 200 freestyle foursome of Eric Schimmel, Conner Kealy, Carufel and Kirchmann and the 400 freestyle quartet of Kealy, Kirchmann, Zach Holton and Aaron Lane.

The Tigers dive back into action Tuesday night, Jan. 24, with a dual meet with Hastings at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Wrestling: Gabbard, Hoeve pace Tigers at Eastview

Jacob Gabbard (14-3)
Runner-up at 106 lbs.
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Jacob Gababrd took second in the 106 lbs. division and Joe Hoeve ranked third at 152 lbs. in the Eastiview Invitational held Saturday, Jan. 21.

Hoeve and Gabbard were two of just a handful of varsity regulars who competed in the 12-team tourney. An injury and the state ninth grade tournament in Hastings the same day meant coach Chad Olson had to do a little scrambling to fill out his tournament lineup.

"We didn't have a full lineup and had five junior varsity wrestlers up with us," he said.

Missota Conference power Shakopee won the meet with 210 points. Scott West was runner-up at 196, followed by Rosemount 189, Eastview 143.5, Wayzata 134, Coon Rapids 112.5, Faribault/Faribault Academy 110, Minneapolis South 85.5, Farmington 62.5, River Falls (Wis.) 55, Winona/Winona Cotter 6 and Minneapolis Southwest 3.

Individually, Gabbard (14-3) made it to the finals with a technical fall in the semis over an opponent from Wayzata. He lost a tough 5-2 decision in the finals to the 10th-ranked Class AA wrestler in the state.

Joe Hoeve (17-9)
3rd place at 152 lbs.
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Hoeve lost to the No. 4 Class AA 152-pounder 5-2 in the semifinals before bouncing back to win the third place bout.

"Jacob wrestled really well," Olson said, "and Joe wrestled as well as he has all year."

Two other Tigers found their way to the podium with fifth place finishes, Kelvin O'Brien (who was competing in his first-ever varsity tournament) at 113 lbs. and Chris McCue at 145 lbs.

The ninth grade team had an outstanding day at the state meet, winning four of five matches to claim fifth place. The Tigers defeated Forest Lake 58-19 and Canby 43-12 before falling to St. Francis 43-30 in the quarterfinals. They claimed the consolation title with back-to-back wins over Cambridge-Isanti (39-30) and Centennial (47-29).

"As you can see by who we wrestled, we beat some traditional wrestling powers in Minnesota," Olson said. "I know the wrestlers were really excited by how well they did."

The Tigers hit the mat again Thursday when they host New Prague in a Missota Conference dual. The following night they travel to Faribault for a non-conference match with the Falcons.

Tiger Scoreboard: January 22, 2012

Wrestling
Eastview Invitational
Shakopee 210, Scott West 196, Rosemount 189, Eastview 143.5, Wayzata 134, Coon Rapids 112.5, Faribault/Faribault Academy 110, Minneapolis South 85.5, Farmington 62.5, River Falls (Wis.) 55, Winona/Winona Cotter 6, Minneapolis Southwest 3

Boys Swimming
Class AA Tue Team State Meet
Eden Prairie 2157, Minnetonka 1969.5, Rosemount 1888.5, Stillwater 1791.5, Edina 1757.5, Maple Grove 1475.5, Lakeville North 1334.5, Mounds View 1255.5, Lakeville South 1183.5, Anoka 1069, Cretin-Derham Hall 1008.5, Farmington 673.5

21 January 2012

Alumni Tracker: Mike Markuson coming to the Big 10


Since Mike Markuson graduated from Farmington High School in 1979, football has been in his blood.

He played four years at Hamline University and immediately started pursuing a collegiate coaching career, first as a graduate assistant, including stints with legendary coaches Jimmy Johnson (Oklahoma State) and Lou Holtz (Notre Dame).

For the past two decades he has been a member of Houston Nutt's staff at Murray State, Boise State, Arkansas and most recently, Mississippi.

Next fall he will be coming home, or almost anyway, when he takes over as offensive line coach for the Big Ten champion University of Wisconsin Badgers.

A complete announcement of Markuson's appointment by the University of Wisconsin may be viewed at

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/012112aad.html

Girls Basketball: Two in a row

Isis Alexander
11 points, 4 steals vs. Northfield
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington survived a cold shooting night and a big size disadvantage to score a 47-42 Missota Conference victory over Northfield Friday night at Tiger Gym.

The win was the second in a row for the Tigers (3-12; 2-3) who lost their first nine games but now have split their last six.

"It was a great team effort," Tiger coach Sondra Chadwick said of the win over the Raiders (9-5; 1-3). "We took care of the ball, increased our defensive pressure and overcame a cold shooting night."

The match-up was one of a tall Northfield team and a Tiger squad long on speed and quickness. Those attributes led to a season-high 19 steals that played a big part in the win.

For most of the first half, however, the visitors held the edge. Northfield led 22-12 with just under five minutes to play before an 11-2 closing run by Farmington made it a one-point game at intermission.

The home team started out strong after the break, bursting to a 34-29 lead with 12 minutes to play. But then the shooting went in the deep freeze and with 4:30 to play the teams were deadlocked at 34-34.

Dava White's two free throws gave the Tigers back the lead and then after both Mariah Mincke and Taylor Meyer fouled out, Gabby White came though with six late points off the bench to ice the win.

Farmington shot a frigid 28 percent from the floor (18 for 59) but Chadwick said it wasn't for lack of good shots.

"We got a lot of open looks," she said. "The shots just wouldn't drop,"

Ironically, the locals were red-hot from the foul line where they converted 14 of 17 opportunities.

Isis Alexander led the Tigers with 11 points and four steals. Meyer filled up the stats sheet with nine points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Sofia Chadwick finished with eight points, four assists and a trio of steals.

The Tigers travel to Faribault Tuesday night for a non-conference game before returning home to face Missota Conference rival New Prague on Friday. Tip-off is 7:30 at Tiger Gym.

Gymnastics: Shorthanded Tigers handle Wingers

Kathryn Beckett
2nd in vault, floor and all-around
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

With three varsity starters, including two 2011 state meet performers out due to illness or injury, Tiger coach Lynn Bauman put in a call to a handful of junior varsity athletes to fill out the lineup.

The remaining regulars and the new faces did more than an adequate job of filling the holes left by Nadia Lorencz, Kiana Lord and Kylie Wharton in a 125.325-123.85 victory over Red Wing Friday night at the Red Wing Gymnastics Center.

"We had a fun meet," Bauman said. "Our JV girls stepped up and helped us to the win. Now we are looking forward to everyone returning healthy and strong."

Kathryn Beckett had a big night for the winners, placing second in vault (8.75) and floor exercise ( 8.35) and third on the uneven bars (7.525). Her all-around total of 31.775 ranked second.

Jade Alm
2nd on balance beam and uneven bars
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Jade Alm also played a big part in the victory with second place finishes on both the bars and balance beam.

Three newcomers put together third place efforts: Maddie Timerson, vault; Gina Mercurio, beam and Taylor Schmaltz, floor exercise.

Kendall Novak ranked fifth in vault and Racquel Beckett took fifth on the balance beam.

The Tigers have two Missota Conference dual meets on the docket for next week, Tuesday at New Prague and Thursday against Northfield at the District Service Center.

Girls Hockey: High-scoring Wingers fly by Tigers 9-3

by Nate Rowan

Chloe Batta (No. 7) scored 2 of the 3 Tiger goals
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington allowed a season-high nine goals and fell to Red Wing, 9-3, Friday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The Tigers (8-13-0, 4-5-0) allowed three goals in each period and finished 0-for-7 on the power play.

“We had a rough night,” head coach Jon Holmes said. “In the second it got away from us mentally.”

Emily Stegora recorded a hat trick and also picked up an assist to lead the Wingers who finished 1-for-5 on the power play. The teams combined for 24 penalty minutes.

“We really let the chippiness get to us,” Holmes said. “The good that can sometimes come from being angry about an opponent’s play did not come through.”

Chloe Batta scored twice to lead Farmington. Michaela Tonsager earned an assist on both Batta goals. Haley Doll added the third goal.

Grace Gavin (No. 5) battles two Wingers for the puck
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The loss caps a tough week for the Tigers who were outscored a combined 17-4 in two losses.

“We have to get back to what we do best and that hasn't happened in the last two games,” Holmes said. “Hopefully we can chalk this up to a bad week and rebound on Monday.”

“In all this mess though we did get to see Ashley Corcoran play a couple of periods in the nets and she looked very solid and her growth over the past couple of seasons is definitely noticeable.”

Farmington returns to action Monday as they take on Maple Grove at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Boys Basketball: Developing depth delivers 57-48 win over Northfield

Darren Beenken
Game-high 21 points
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington made it a perfect week with its second straight Missota Conference victory, a 57-48 decision over Northfield Friday night in Northfield.

After a 2-7 start, the Tigers have now won four of their last six and coach Shane Wyandt said that contributions from far corners of the roster have played a big part in the turnaround.

"In the past, we have had a shorter bench," he said, "but in some games this year we have played 10 or 11 guys. As long as they stay mature about spreading it (minutes) around, I think that will be a plus for us."

Friday night Wyandt shuffled nine different players in and out and all made contributions.

Two first half runs, the first an 11-0 spurt after falling behind 12-11, combined to give the visitors a 28-22 lead at halftime in a period dominated by defense.

"I think we took a big step forward tonight as far as defense goes," Wyandt said."

A combination of an aggressive Farmington defense and missed Northfield shots helped stretch the Farmington lead to as many as 14 points in the second half.

The only thing keeping the Raiders in the contest was free throws as the Tigers found themselves over the foul limit for the final 9:57.

The Raiders used their 20 second half free throw opportunities to cut their deficit to six points in the final two minutes before a basket and free throw by Jake Hanson and buckets by Darren Beenken and Mackinley Bassett finally sealed the deal.

Beenken led all scorers with 21 points. Hanson added 10, including five in the final three minutes.

"Jake does a lot of the dirty work for us," Wyandt said. "The coaches have made him a co-captain for his efforts. He plays in games like he does in practice; he gets after it."

Nick Varner, who averages in double figures for the season, had only two points, but led in rebounding with 11. Bassett had eight points and Tom Sell chipped in with six points and six rebounds off the bench.

The Tigers will be looking to make it three in a row when they entertain Chaska Tuesday night, Jan. 24. Tip is 7:30 at Tiger Gym.

Wrestling: Tigers learn from Shakopee loss

Taylor Venz scored 20th win
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington wasn't able to win its second straight Missota Conference dual meet Thursday night against Shakopee but Tiger coach Chad Olson said the loss was a good learning experience for his young squad.

The Sabers, tabbed by Olson as the team to beat in the race for league honors, overcame an early Farmington lead to post a 48-21 victory in Shakopee.

"We wrestled well and we now know what we need to work on to get better and close the gap by the end of the year," Olson said.

Taylor Venz got the Tigers off to a strong start when he posted his 20th win in 23 bouts with a first period pin in the 106 lbs. match.

Jacob Goddard made it a 9-0 with a 6-2 decision at 113 lbs. before the Sabers rattled off five straight wins to pull away.

Joe Hoeve registered a pin in the 152 lbs. bout and Dakoda Louis-Dupay won by forfeit at 220 lbs. to account for the other Tiger victories.

Next up for Farmington is Saturday's Eastview Invitational in Apple Valley. The Tigers resume their dual meet schedule Thursday, Jan. 26, with a Missota Conference encounter with New Prague at FHS.

20 January 2012

Tiger Scoreboard: January 21, 2012

Girls Basketball
Farmington 47 Northfield 42

Boys Basketball
Farmington 57 Northfield 48

Girls Hockey
Red Wing 9 Farmington 3

Girls Hockey: Blake skates by Tigers

by Nate Rowan

Betsy Anderson 6th goal of the season
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Blake scored multiple goals in each period and cruised over Farmington, 8-1, Tuesday night at Blake Ice Arena.

The Bears scored two goals in the first and third period while adding four in the second.

Betsy Anderson scored the only for the Tigers (8-12-0). Chloe Batta earned the lone assist on Anderson’s goal at 3:27 of the second period. Dani Cameranesi scored four goals to lead Blake who outshot Farmington 53-33. Jessica Erchul made 45 stops for the Tigers.

Farmington hosts Red Wing on Friday at Schmitz-Maki Arena. Puck drops at 7:15 p.m.

Boys Hockey: Tigers drop a pair

by Nate Rowan

Zach Colaw
2nd goal of the season vs. Red Wing
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Farmington boys’ hockey team dropped a pair of Missota Conference games this week, falling to Chanhassen, 5-0, Tuesday and Red Wing, 3-1, Thursday.

“[The Storm] are the top of the heap in the Missota and it showed,” head coach Keith Revels said. “At times we matched them but overall they forced us into some mistakes and then capitalized on them rather quickly.”

Chanhassen scored two goals in both the first and second period en route to the shutout. It is the first time this season the Tigers have been shutout. Victor Simones made 32 stops for Farmington.

The offense continued to struggle Thursday night in Red Wing as the Tigers mustered just one goal. Farmington has scored one or less in four straight games. The teams took the game scoreless to the third period before Zach Colaw put the Tigers on top at 2:46. Andrew Peterson picked up the assist. The Wingers went on to score three unanswered goals, the last of which with one second remaining in the game.

Farmington outshot Red Wing 31-30 including 11-3 in the first period. Simones made 27 stops.

The Tigers return to action Tuesday in a non-conference contest at Bloomington Kennedy. Puck drops at 7:15 p.m.

19 January 2012

Boys Basketball: Tigers dim Stars 70-67

Nick Varner 18 points, 11 rebounds
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington celebrated its return to the friendly confines of Tiger Gym with a solid 70-67 Missota Conference win over Holy Angels Tuesday night.

Four players scored in double figures for the winners as they evened their conference record at 1-1.

"Overall, we played good basketball," Farmington coach Shane Wyandt said. "There were times where we didn't react so well to having the lead but we made some plays when we had to and we did a good job of handling their pressure."

The Tigers led by as many as 11 points in the first half on the back of a balanced scoring attack and an ability to deal with the Stars pressure defense. A rash of late turnovers, however, cut that margin almost in half by intermission where Farmington led 36-30.

"When we turn it over it seems to come in rashes," Wyandt said. "Playing with a lead has been an issue for us all season."

The Tigers regained their composure after the break (5 second half turnovers) and held an eight-point lead with a minute and half to to play. Holy Angels canned a late three-pointer and a field goal as time expired to make the final spread a little closer.

Freshman Zach Speikers hit a big front end of a one-and-one opportunity with 90 seconds to play but had to leave the game because of a cut. Sophomore Mackinley Bassett came in off the bench to hit the second to restore the Tigers' eight-point lead.

Nick Varner put together a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Farmington. Darren Beenken scored 15, Alex Chadwick 12 and Bassett 10. Speikers had a season-best nine off the bench.

"Nick (Varner) did a nice job stabilizing us on the defensive glass," Wyandt said. "That was one of the things we knew we were going to have to do to win."

Friday night the Tigers hit the conference trail with a road game at Northfield. Next Tuesday (Jan. 24), they're back home to entertain Chaska.

Alumni Tracker: Kenealy reaches another scoring milestone

Abby Kenealy 1000 career points

In the closing moments of the 2007-08 Tiger senior Abby Kenealy became just the fifth Tiger girls basketball player to ever reach the 1000-point plateau, finishing with 1003 career points.

Last week the senior forward at Southwest State University in Marshall reached another milestone, scoring her 1000th collegiate point in a 69-55 loss to Northern State (South Dakota).

Kenealy is currently tied for 16th on the all-time scoring list at Southwest State with 1014 points with 11 games remaining on the 2011-12 schedule. Kenealy leads the Mustangs in scoring (15.1 per game) and rebounding (4.1 per game) this season.

Elena Koch of the FHS class of 2011 got her first collegiate start Jan. 18 in the College of St. Benedict's 70-60 victory over Augsburg, finishing with three points and five rebounds in 22 minutes of action...

The previous week Koch scored three points off the bench in an 82-75 loss to St. Olaf where 2009 FHS Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty had a strange game for the Oles. Rotty missed all eight of her field goal attempts but made 15 of 16 from the foul line and grabbed 10 rebounds for a statistical double-double.

Carl Elmer-St. Olaf College

After suffering a concussion in an early season bout, 2011 FHS Athlete of the Year Carl Elmer returned to the mat for St. Olaf College at a post-holiday tournament at Central College (Iowa) last weekend. In his return, Elmer won four of six matches and placed fifth in his weight class.

Three former Tigers grace the roster of the University of Minnesota indoor track and field team: Former Athletes of the Year Trey Davis (2007) and Logan Hussung (2010) are throwers for the men's team and Kaitlin Mincke (2009) is a middle distance runner for the women's squad.

Michael Bendix-Minnesota State, Moorhead

Tiger grad Matt Shutey (2010) is a sprinter/hurdler on the University of Wisconsin-River Falls men's track team and Michael Amofah (2009) is a jumper at St. Cloud State. Michael Bendix is a senior jumper at Minnesota State, Moorhead and Trevor Davis (2008) will be a javelin thrower for Hamline University men's outdoor team

Jackie Beckett (2009) is a middle distance runner for Minnesota State, Mankato...Amy Kiminksi (2010) runs sprints for the College of St. Benedict and Erin Hickey (2011) is a sprinter/jumper at Minnesota-Duluth.

2008 Tiger grad Erik Huls placed in four events to help the University of St. Thomas men's swimming and diving team to a 197-102 win over St. John's University in Collegeville. In the meet's final event, his brother, Brian Huls, a 2011 Tiger alum, joined him on the third place 400 freestyle relay team...Former Tigers Nick Haugen and Taylor Trowbridge also swim for the Tommies.

Another former Tiger swimmer, Devon Meeks who later transferred to Rosemount, is a sophomore on the University of Iowa team currently ranked 15th in nation.

Gymnastics: Tigers squeak by Thunderhawks

Kylie Wharton
1st on beam; 2nd in floor exercise; 3rd on bars
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The shorthanded Tigers placed first in all four events and got outstanding individual performances from Nadia Lorencz and Kylie Wharton to squeak by Chaska/Chanhassen 135.575-135.05 Tuesday night, Jan. 17, in a Missota Conference dual meet at Chanhassen.

"The girls did a fabulous job," Tiger coach Lynn Bauman said. "We had quite a few ups and not many downs. We had a long weekend of gymnastics with no real practice since last Thursday, so it was a great meet.

"We were without Kiana Lord due to sickness. Add Kiana back and we really are on our way to the top. I'm very excited for the girls upcoming meets."

Lorencz took top honors in vault (9.7), the uneven bars (8.775) and floor exercise (9.475) and her all-around total of 35.2 led the field.

Wharton claimed the top spot on the balance beam (9.2) and floor exercise and finished runner-up in floor (9.175) and third on the unevens (8.35).

Kathryn Beckett tied for third in vaulting (8.65) and Jade Alm placed fourth on the beam (8.45). Maddie Timerson added a fifth place finish in vault (8.6).

The Tiger junior varsity lost a 118.8-112.3 decision to the Stormhawks with Farmington posting three first place finishes. Racquel Beckett won the vault and bars competitions and also topped the all-around charts. Alm took first in floor exercise.

Friday the Tigers travel to Red Wing for a Missota Conference dual meet at the Red Wing Gymnastics Center.

18 January 2012

Girls Basketball: Tigers post 1st Missota win

Mariah Mincke 19 points on nine of 13 shooting vs. Holy Angels
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Seniors Taylor Meyer and Mariah Mincke combined for 40 points and 15 rebounds and the Tigers held Holy Angels to two-for 21 shooting in the first half in a 60-51 Missota Conference win over Holy Angels Tuesday night in Richfield.

The conference victory was the first in four tries for Farmington who posted it second win of the 2011-12 season.

Tiger coach Sondra Chadwick was pleased with the outcome but noted that her team still has work to do.

"A win is a win and we'll take it," she said, "but we still turned the ball over too much and we got in early foul trouble again."

Neither team took very good care of the ball in the opening half but an aggressive Farmington defense was the difference in the visitors forging a 23-10 halftime advantage.

Meyer scored nine of her game-high 21 points in a first period that saw Holy Angels go the first six minutes without a field goal. The Stars scored six of their first half point total from the foul line.

"Our defense gave them fits," Chadwick said. "However, it also put them at the line very early in the game. We need to ensure we play with aggressiveness, but under control."

Mincke, who sat out most of the first half after picking up two quick fouls, netted 17 of her 19 points after intermission. She finished eight of 11 shooting from the field.

Farmington led by as many as 18 in the second half before Holy Angels (5-10; 0-4) narrowed its final deficit to nine points with a basket at the buzzer.

Meyer grabbed 11 rebounds for her third double-double in four games since returning to action from a knee injury. Sofia Chadwick added six points, six rebounds and four assists. Gabby White chipped in with six points and five steals.

The Tigers will look for a second straight conference win Friday night when they entertain Northfield at Tiger Gym. Game time is 7:30.

Boys Swimming: Panthers outduel Tigers

Ben Cohoon
3rd place 100 breaststroke
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Visiting Rochester Century overcame some strong individual Farmington performances to score a 96-82 dual meet win over the Tigers Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Dodge Middle School pool.

The Panthers built an early lead, winning the first three events before Christopher Kirchmann (50 freestyle) and Evan Carufel (diving) posted back-to-back wins. Century went on to win five straight contests before swimming the final two events in exhibition status.

Nick Stephan (100 breaststroke) and the 400 freestyle relay team of Aaron Lane, Zach Holton, Conner Kealy and Kirchmann recorded wins in the final two events of the meet.

"Century gives us a great view to what to look forward to for our section meet," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said. "They out-swam us in a number of events but we stepped up today and improved in a lot of ways.

"Many swims still need turn work and fine tuning but many are dropping times or getting closer to their personal bests. Kirchmann swam a 49.81 in the fourth leg of the 400 free. Holton swam under 53 seconds, and Conner Kealy got good times after coming back from being sick.

"Dalton Bell dropped some great times in his 50 and 100 free trying to get to the next level of competition and Evan Carufel continues to improve and lead the younger divers."

Four Tigers scored runner-up finishes: Holton (100 butterfly); Jonathan Bovee (diving); Spencer Kabran (100 breaststroke) and Kirchmann (100 freestyle).

Four more Farmington entrants placed third, including Holton (200 freestyle); Andrew Schmidt (diving); Aaron Lane (100 backstroke) and Ben Cohoon (100 breaststroke).

This Saturday, the Tigers who last weekend won the True Team Section 1AA championship, return to the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center for the True Team state meet.

17 January 2012

Tiger Scoreboard: January 18, 2012

Boys Basketball
Farmington 70 Holy Angels 67

Girls Basketball
Farmington 60 Holy Angels 51

Gymnastics
Farmington 137.575 Chaska/Chanhassen 135.05

Boys Swimming
Rochester Century 96 Farmington 82

Girls Hockey
Blake 8 Farmington 1

Boys Hockey
Chanhassen 5 Farmington 0

Gymnastics: Tiger runner-up at Invite

Nadia Lorencz
2nd place all-around, vault and uneven bars
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Kiana Lord
3rd place all-around, vault
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers raised their team score to a season-high while finishing second in the four-team Farmington Invitational held Saturday, Jan. 14, at the District Service Center.

Austin won the team title with a 142.15 point total. Farmington took second at 137.95, followed by Minneapolis South/Roosevelt 126.1 and Farmington junior varsity 118.85.

"The scores are starting to climb," Tiger coach Lynn Bauman said, "and yet there is room for improvement."

Nadia Lorencz led the Tiger effort, placing in three events and finishing runner-up in the all-around standings with 35.65 points. Lorencz ranked second in the vault and uneven bars and fifth on the balance beam.

Kiana Lord placed third in all-around at 35.25 points. Lord finished third in vaulting; fourth in beam and floor exercise and sixth on bars.

Kylie Wharton earned place points in two events, taking second on beam and third in floor exercise. Maddie Timerson finished fourth in vaulting.

Tuesday, Jan. 17, the Tigers head to Chanhassen to compete in what Bauman called the "Cha-Cha" dual meet with Chaska/Chanhassen. Friday their travel to Red Wing for another Missota Conference dual at the Red Wing Gymnastics Center.

15 January 2012

Boys Hockey: Efficient Simley outscores Tigers 4-1

Jack Erickson (No. 26) scored Tiger goal
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Simley made the most of its limited opportunities in a 4-1 non-conference win over the Tigers Saturday afternoon at Schmitz-Maki Arena

The visiting Spartans managed but 15 shots on net in the contest while Farmington finished with a dominating 33.

Simley scored twice in the first 6:26 of the contest on the only two shots it attempted in the opening period, the second coming on the power play.

Jack Erickson pulled the home team to within a goal late in the first on assists from Grant Hauswirth and Andrew Peterson but that would be the last time the Tigers could get the puck past Spartan netminder Luke Beaudoin (32 saves).

Farmington outshot Simley 25-13 over the final two frames. Brandon Reitberger had a hat rick for Simley.

Nick Schoening 11 saves in first start
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The loss spoiled the varsity debut of Tiger sophomore goalie Nick Schoening who finished the contest with 11 stops.

Farmington (5-7-2; 2-2-1) will be looking to get back in the win column Tuesday, Jan. 17, when it resumes Missota Conference action against league-leading Chanhassen (10-2; 5-0). Opening face-off is 7:15 at Schmitz-Maki.

14 January 2012

Boys Swimming: Tigers repeat as Section 1AA True Team champs

Christopher Kirchmann
1st in 50 and 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Last season the Tigers won their first-ever Section 1AA True Team championship by winning a five-team competition. Saturday at the Dodge Middle School pool they made it two in a row with a victory in a three-way meet.

Farmington earned its return trip to the True Team state meet with a point total of 436, 30 more than runner-up Owatonna. Northfield placed a distant third with 316.

"Farmington had a great day," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said. "We missed Conner Kealy, one of our top swimmers, but the boys stepped up and knew they had to swim their best and get the points we needed."

"Christopher Kirchmann, Zach Holton, Nick Stephan and Aaron Lane Lane did great to get close to their personal bests. Austin Kueck and Brock Lange dropped a lot of time in their 500 freestyle so we could earn more points.... We unfortunately lost some points in the 200 free relay with a false start but we fortunately had the depth we rely on for these bigger meets."

Aaron Lane
1st 100 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay

Farmington placed first in four of the 12 events with Kirchmann leading the way with victories in the 50 and 100 freestyle races. Lane provided the other Tiger individual win in the 100 backstroke.

Kirchmann and Lane teamed up with Cameron Molnar and Zach Holton to lead the pack in the 400 freestyle relay.

Holton recorded a pair of second place efforts in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly. Evan Carufel scored second place points in the one-meter diving competition.

Zach Holton
1st 4000 freestyle relay
2nd 200 medley and 100 butterfly

Two relay teams placed second: the 200 medley grouping of Lane, Lane, Carufel and Stephan and the 200 freestyle squad of Carufel, Eric Schimmel, Christian Bell and Tyler Lerbakken.

Three Tigers racked up third place points: Lane in the 200 individual medley; Carufel in the 50 freestyle and Aaron Cochnauer in the 100 butterfly.

Other top five performances:
200 medley relay: 4. Molnar, Spencer Kabran, Aaron Cochnauer, Bell
200 freestyle: 4. Schimmel; 5. Derek Anderson
One-meter diving: 5. Jonathan Bovee
500 freestyle: 4. Austin Kueck; 5. Molnar
200 freestyle relay: 4. Anderson, Mitch Haugen, Brandon Dion, Lerbakken
100 backstroke: 4. Molnar
100 breaststroke: 4. Stephan
400 freestyle relay: 4. Cochnauer, M. Haugen, Schimmel, Garrett Haugen

"Next week at the U of M we will be swimming against the top AA swim teams in the state," Hamen said. "I hope to have a full roster and continue to swim well and enjoy our time."

Girls Basketball: Saber defense stifles Tigers

Isis Alexander
Team-high 5 assists vs. Shakopee
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers turned in one of their best defensive performances of the season, holding Shakopee to just 41 points, but it wasn't enough in an 11-point loss to the Sabers Friday night at Tiger Gym.

The problem came at the offensive end of the floor where the home team scored just 12 first half points on the way to its third straight Missota Conference loss.

"We seemed to take a couple of steps back in terms of our aggressiveness offensively," Farmington coach Sondra Chadwick said. "I give some credit to Shakopee’s defense for that. They wanted to grind it out in a half-court game and it worked.

"The girls have played their best when they are all looking to be an offensive threat, and that wasn’t the case last night. I have some great shooters on this team, but they need to be looking to shoot when they're open."

Shakopee led 20-12 at the halftime break and fought off a second period Farmington rally that brought the Tigers to within eight points with six minutes to play.

"I thought we did a nice job defensively in slowing down their perimeter game, holding their top scorer to only seven points," Chadwick said. "However, we gave up too many points in the paint."

Taylor Meyer and Sofia Chadwick shared scoring honors for Farmington with 10 points apiece. Meyer yanked down 14 rebounds for her second straight double-double; Chadwick added a team-high three steals.

Dava White had six rebounds for the Tigers and Isis Alexander handed out five assists.

"One positive thing for us is that we only had 10 turnovers," Chadwick said.

Farmington (1-12; 0-3) will resume Missota Conference play Tuesday, Jan. 17, with a road game at Holy Angels (5-9;0-3).

Girls Hockey: Tigers pay back New Prague

by Nate Rowan

Haleigh Zwart goal, assist
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Haleigh Zwart had a goal and an assist as Farmington defeated New Prague, 3-1, Friday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The Tigers (8-11-0, 4-4-0) had fallen to the Trojans, 2-0, early in the season and the loss was part of a season-high seven-game losing streak. Farmington was also coming off their third worst defeat of the season, 5-1, Tuesday evening.

“Huge bounce back last night,” head coach Jon Holmes said. “I think the difference in outcome this time is a testament to how much we have grown as a team since the beginning of the year.”

Zwart scored the first goal of the game, unassisted, in the second period to give the Tigers the lead. Holmes said he was happy that Zwart’s hard work before the goal paid off.

“Zwartie had a really nice goal by driving the net hard,” Holmes said. “It was good to see her get rewarded for such an aggressive and smart play.”

Betsy Anderson would extend the lead later in the period but that goal didn’t come without adversity. Just moments before, Anderson thought she increased the lead but the goal was disallowed due to an inadvertent whistle.

“On the very next faceoff…Betsy found the back of the net again but with no premature whistle,” Holmes said. “A call like that might have wrecked us in November or December.”

Michaela Tonsager picked up the lone assist on Anderson’s game-winning tally.

Grace Gavin would push the Farmington lead to three with a goal in the third. Haley Doll and Zwart earned assists. New Prague would add a goal from Kasey Marquardt to round out the scoring.

Jessica Erchul made 19 stops in the victory.

The Tigers travel outside the Missota Conference on Tuesday as they go on the road to take on Blake at 7:30 p.m.

Tiger Scoreboard: January 14, 2012

Girls Hockey
Farmington 3 New Prague 1

Girls Basketball
Shakopee 41 Farmington 30

13 January 2012

Boys Basketball: Road woes continue

Nick Varner 12 points
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The road continued to be an unfriendly place for the Tigers in a 67-45 loss at Shakopee Thursday night in the Missota Conference opener for both teams.

Farmington (4-9) has won but two of eight games on the road this winter, the last a two-point squeaker over Rochester Mayo last week.

"We came out with little intensity or toughness and got the result that it deserved," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said.

"We need to do something better as coaches to figure out why we can play so differently from home to the road. I'm at a loss as to how to get my guys to play with intensity and toughness on the road, but I will keep working on it."

The Sabers got the ball inside for easy baskets on their first two possessions of the night to start a trend that would last the entire 40 minutes.

Shakopee's 6-7 sophomore Jake Maiers owned the paint in the opening half, scoring 15 points before intermission as the Sabers built a comfortable 36-21 lead. The winners shot a blistering 56 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes.

The Tigers made just seven of 24 field goal tries in the first half but four of them were three-pointers, two by Alex Chadwick off the bench.

Nick Varner, who had just two points in the first half, scored the fist five after the break to cut the deficit to 10, but the Sabers responded with six straight of their own and never took the foot off the pedal.

The Farmington book showed ten players in the scoring column in the losing effort but only Varner cracked double figures, finishing with 12. Chadwick added eight. Darren Beenken, the team's leading scorer, was held to six.

Maiers finished with 21 and fellow 6-7 sophomore Tyler Weiss added 17 to lead the Shakopee effort.

The Tigers will look to take advantage of their home court Tuesday, Jan. 17, when the entertain Missota Conference rival Holy Angels (6-3) at Tiger Gym. Tip-off is 7:30.

Boys Hockey: Late goal a heartbreaker

by Nate Rowan

Jake Eldred scored Tiger goal in 2-1 loss to New Prague

Austin Kilian scored with 1:10 to play in the game and New Prague edged Farmington, 2-1, Thursday night in New Prague.

Victor Simones made 33 saves in the loss. The Tigers (5-6-2, 2-2-1) were outshot 35-26 for the game.

“We’re playing good hockey,” head coach Keith Revels said. “Boys are disappointed with late goal to lose this one but bigger picture shows that we continue to be competitive.”

The two teams skated to a scoreless first period and traded goals in the second. Jake Eldred opened the scoring at 3:35 with help from Blake Weinand to put the Tigers on top.

“Eldred had nice quick transition goal that got him behind defenders all alone,” Revels said. “We had some [other] great looks that just would not fall for us.”

The Trojans would tie the score on Kain Wagner’s goal at 9:53. The score remained tied until Kilan’s goal broke the tie at 15:50. Joe Morris made 25 stop for New Prague. The one goal output by Farmington matches a season low.

The Tigers return to action Saturday as they host Simley at 1 p.m. at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Boys Swimming: Tigers splash by Shakopee

Reason to Cheer
(l to r) Aaron Lane, coach Ryan Hamen, Tyler Lerbakken, Brandon Dion and Adam Dougherty
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington raised it Missota Conference dual meet record to 2-1 with a convincing 99-85 win over Shakopee Thursday night at the Dodge Middle School pool.

The Tiger's depth proved the difference as each team won six of the meet's 12 events.
Farmington led 99-73 before swimming the final event in exhibition status.

"The Farmington boys did well," coach Ryan Hamen said. "Several of them had best times. Some stepped up when they needed to and everyone is still working to fine tune what they need to do for True Team meet this Saturday."

Four Tigers won individual events, including Zach Holton (200 freestyle); Christopher Kirchmann (200 medley); Evan Carufel (diving) and Nick Stephan (100 breaststroke).

The quartet of Garrett Haugen, Spencer Kabran, Aaron Cochnauer and Christian Bell won the 200 medley relay and the foursome Carufel, Christian Bell, Dalton Bell and Kirchmann led the field in the 200 freestyle relay.

Six different swimmers scored second place points for Farmington: Aaron Lane (200 freestyle); Cameron Molnar (100 freestyle); Eric Schimmel (500 freestyle); Kabran (100 breaststroke), Bell (50 freestyle) and Kirchmann (100 backstroke).

Six more Tigers turned in third place performances: Tyler Lerbakken (100 butterfly); Austin Kueck (500 freestyle); David Bovee (100 backstroke); Molnar (200 medley); Schimmel (50 freestyle) and Christian Bell (100 freestyle).

This Saturday (Jan. 14) the Tigers play host to the Section 1AA True Team Championships at the Dodge Middle School pool. Farmington won its first-ever True Team section title last season.

Wrestling: A clean sweep

Jacob Gabbard
Pin and major decision at 113 lbs.
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington upped its dual meet record to 8-6 with a sweep of Northfield and Rochester Thursday night in a triangular meet at FHS. The Tigers have now won seven of their last nine dual meet encounters.

Farmington edged Northfield 34-33 in a Missota Conference match-up and routed Century 61-18 in a non-league affair.

The Northfield bout was a re-match of last Saturday's contest in the Tiger Classic Duals won by Farmington 40-21.

"This one was a lot closer," Farmington coach Chad Olson said. "We had a few starters out but some of our replacements did a great job filling in. Wins by Brian Caravantes and Kirk Knapp sealed the match."

Knapp scored a pin in the 195 lbs. match and three other Tigers scored six-point falls: Taylor Venz (106); Jacob Goddard (113) and Joe Hoeve (160).

John Walz added a four-point major decision at 126 lbs. and Caravantes (138) and Bret Hoffman (285) each won by decision. Caravantes' victory was his first as a varsity wrestler.

"That was a big one for the team," Olson said.

In the one-sided win over Century, the Tigers scored 30 points by forfeit and 24 more by fall. Tigers scoring pins included Venz, Hoeve, Matt Rustad (120) and Brayden Chapman (138).

The win by Venz raised his team-leading record to a lofty 19-3.

Gabbard won a major decision at 113 lbs. and Trevor Breezley added a decision in the 170 lbs. match to account for the other Tiger points.

Thursday, Jan. 19, the Tigers travel to Shakopee for a conference meet with the Sabers and next Saturday they return to tournament action with an appearance at the Eastview Invitational.