Boys Hockey: Park pins 8-2 loss on Tigers

Tyler Grubb
14th goal of the season

After three-plus weeks of solid hockey the Tigers hit a big speed bump in Cottage Grove, dropping a lopsided 8-2 decision to Park Thursday, Dec. 30, at Cottage Grove Arena.
The Wolfpack came out hungry in the opening period, connecting on four of its 13 shots while keeping the visitors off the board.
"It was a wild and woolly period," coach Keith Revels said. "We had great chances to stay in the game. The difference was that they did a much better job of finishing."
Things didn't get much better in the second stanza as Park tacked on three more scores before Kevin Olund finally got the visitors on the scoreboard.
Tyler Grubb (from John Donnelly) netted the second Farmington goal of the night and his 14th of the season to close out the Tiger scoring in the final period.
Victor Simones who entered the night with a sub-2.00 goals against average worked the nets for the first two periods and surrendered seven scores. Aaron Dahl took over in the third period and gave up the final Park goal.
The non-conference loss was the second in a row for Farmington (6-5) after six wins in the previous seven starts.
"No doubt we have hit a little rough spot," Revels said. "but we need to play through the adversity. We have to re-group and get back to playing better defensively and converting offensively."
The Tigers first game of 2011 will be a tough one, a Jan. 4 date with perennial Missota Confeernce champion Holy Angels at Richfield Arena.

Gymnastics:Tigers squeak by Irish by .15

Nadia Lorencz (left) 1st in vault; 6th in floor and all-around (tie)
Tahra Eckert 4th on beam and floor; 6th in all-around (tie)
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


For the first time all season the Tigers failed to bump up their team score, but in the end they did just well enough to win their second dual meet in three tries, a 136.75-136.0 squeaker over Rosemount Thursday, Dec. 30, in Rosemount.
"Well, it wasn't our best meet by far," Tiger coach Lynn Bauman said, "but it was a win. This is the first time we have ever beaten Rosemount."
Farmington won two individual events with Nadia Lorencz taking top honors in vaulting with a 9.3 mark and Terra Klima winning on the uneven bars with a score of 8.75.
"The highlight of the meet for us was Nadia on vault," Bauman said. "She was amazing."
Two Tigers tied for second in the all-around competition with Kiana Lord and Kylie Wharton posting identical 33.95 scores.
Wharton finished third on the balance beam (8.85) and unevens (8.35) while Lord scored a third in the vault (9.0).
Two other Farmington performers turned in fourth place efforts: Tahra Eckert on beam (8.65) and floor exercise (8.55) and Kathryn Beckett in vault (8.6).
Beckett ranked fifth on the beam (8.5) while Eckert and Lorencz tied for sixth in all-around with a total of 33.45 points.
The Tigers kick off the 2011 part of their schedule Tuesday, January 11, when defending Class AA state champion Northfield comes to town for a Missota Conference dual meet.

Girls Hockey: Tigers handle Hastings, claim Schmitz title

2010 Louis Schmitz Holiday Classic Champions
(all photos by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington scored the first five goals and cruised by Hastings 6-2 to claim the championship trophy at the sixth annual Louis Schmitz Holiday Classic played Dec. 28-30 at Schmitz-Maki Arena.
The tourney title was was the first for the Tigers since 2005, the year they began hosting the eight-team holiday get-together.
"We had a very good tournament," a happy coach Jon Holmes said. "We started to put the puck away. We got great goaltending and tonight especially our defense did a great job. We didn't allow many rebounds, something that hurt us in some earlier games."
The first line continued its recent dominant play, with tournament MVP Krystal Baumann and all-tournament sidekick Hannah Alexander each scoring a pair of goals. Alexander and defender Betsy Anderson each added a pair of assists. Chloe Batta also had an assist for the winners.
Hannah Alexander, All-Tournament
(2 goals, 2 assists)

Tournament MVP Krystal Baumann (2 goals)

But the Tigers also got some offensive help from other sources. Katie Burgess notched her first goal of the season on a long shot from outside the left circle and defender Rachel Peroutky netted her first of the year on a laser beam from the left wing in the third period.
Farmington led 5-0 after two periods before Hastings got on the board twice in the final three and a half minutes, the last one coming on a penalty shot.
By that time, Tiger goalie Jessica Erchul had taken a well-deserved seat on the bench. Erchul, the third Tiger to receive all-tournament honors, allowed just two goals in three games, stopping 71 of 73 shots for a save percentage of .973.

All-Tournament goalie Jessica Erchul
25 saves
(all photos by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers edged the Raiders 29-28 in shots on goals, a fact that didn't escape Holmes.
"Really the two teams were very equal," he said. "Hastings has a nice club. The only difference tonight was on the scoreboard."
The Tigers outscored the opposition 13-3 in the three-game tournament run and Holmes said he likes where his team is at this point in time. Fact is, it might be a little ahead of schedule.
"Winning this tournament was one of our pre-season goals," he said. "Now we want to win the conference and the section...Recordwise I was looking at being a game or two above.500 at this time, so at 9-5, I'm very pleased."
The Tigers resume play Tuesday, Jan. 4, when they entertain Missota Conference archrival Holy Angels at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 31, 2010

Girls Hockey
Louie Schmitz Holiday Classic
Championship
Farmington 6 Hastings 2

Boys Hockey
Park of Cottage Grove 8 Farmington 2

Wrestling
Rumble on the Red (Fargo, North Dakota)
Farmington 16 points
Carl Elmer 8th place (145 lbs.)

Gymnastics
Farmington 136.75 Rosemount 136.6

Boys Swimming and Diving
Farmington at Apple Valley Invitational

Wrestling: Tigers enter new world at Rumble on the Red

Carl Elmer
Eighth place winner at 145 lbs.

After competing in a couple of relatively mid-sized tournaments and a pair of dual meets to start the season, the young and mostly inexperienced Farmington squad stepped into another world with an appearance at the 56-team tri-state Rumble on the Red tournament held Dec. 29-30 at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.
Not surprisingly, the Tigers didn't challenge for team honors, but according to coach Chad Olson other than getting stranded in Fargo for an extra day due to weather, the experience was a valuable one.
"We had some our kids wrestle national team wrestlers and all-americans," Olson said. "Our inexperienced wrestlers learned a lot by just watching."
Senior Carl Elmer provided 12 of the 16 Farmington team points with an eighth place finish in the 145 lbs. class. Elmer split six matches to move his record to 15-5 heading into the 2011 portion of the season.
"The last four guys Carl wrestled were state-ranked, two were state place-winners, one was a state champion and the other was a state qualifier," Olson said. "It really helped show Carl what he needs to improve on for the rest of the year."
The other Tiger points came from Kyle Benajamin who went 1-2 in the 103 lbs. weight class.
Other Tigers wrestling in the varsity meet included Matt Rustad (112), Joe Liden (125), Josh Iverson (130). Chris McCue (140), Joe Hoeve (152) and Tyler Beckett (171).
The Tigers open the post-holiday part of their schedule Thursday, Jan. 6, when they travel to Faribault for a dual meet with the Falcons.

Boys Basketball: Tigers third at Hastings Shootout

Sebren Baer 14 points, 4 assists vs. Hastings
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Alex Michels poured in 23 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked seven shots to lead the Tigers to a 71-51 win over host Hastings to win the third place game at the Hastings Holiday Shootout Wednesday, Dec. 30, in Hastings.
The victory, the second of the season over the Raiders, raised Farmington's record to 3-4; Hastings dropped to 1-5.
"Hastings had two starters out when we played them earlier in the season," coach Shane Wyandt, "so I told our guys we wold be facing a different team.
"We played a very good first half. Our defense did a good job of starting our offense and we shot the ball well. Those are the things we need to keep doing."
The Tigers roared to their best half of the season, piling up 45 points over the first 18 minutes to forge a commanding 45-23 lead.
The visitors suffered a little letdown in he second stanza but the Raiders could never cut their deficit under double digits.
"We had a little lull in the second half when we got careless and started to turn the ball over," Wyandt said, "but the good thing is that we were able to compose ourselves down the stretch and get it back up to 20."
Sebren Baer was the only Tiger to join Michels in double figures with 14 points as 10 different Farmignton players dented the scoring column. Freshman Nick Varner had nine points and Elliot Fenske seven. Baer led in assists with four and Fenske had four steals.
"Seb (Baer) played a lot of minutes for us and did a nice job," Wyandt said. "He had to play more minutes at the point after Elliot (Fenske) went down with what we hope is a minor knee injury."
The Tigers face a busy opening week of the 2011 portion of their schedule, traveling to North St. Paul Tuesday, St. Paul Harding Thursday and Spring Lake Park Saturday.

Girls Hockey: Tigers blank Park; reach finals of Schmitz Classic

Jessica Erchul makes one of her 26 saves (below left)
Krystal Baumann, 3 goals, 1 assist vs. Park
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


Farmington blanked Park of Cottage Grove 5-0 Wednesday night, Dec. 29, to advance to the finals of the eight-team Louis Schmitz Holiday Classic played at Schmitz-Maki Arena.
The Tigers will play Hastings in the title game. Face-off is scheduled for 7:00 Thursday night.
Krystal Baumann collected her third hat trick of the season and also had an assist to pace the Tigers to the win over Park (7-5-1).
The first line of Baumann, Hannah Alexander and Chloe Batta accounted for all of the Farmington goals. Alexander had a goal and two assists while Batta scored one goal and assisted on another. Rachel Peroutky and Betsy Anderson also had assists for the winners.
"Park is a solid team and this was a big win for us in many ways," coach Jon Holmes said. "In the past couple of games we had played well in every way except scoring. Tonight we added the scoring factor against a good team and a good goaltender."
Holmes praised the production of his potent top line but was quick to point out two other factors that played heavily into the impressive win.
"Our other lines are playing very well and Jessica Erchul had an outstanding game," he said. "If she wouldn't have been locked in, the game would have been much closer."
Erchul finished with 26 saves in a busy night between the pipe. The Tiger junior has allowed just two goals in her last three starts.
The Tigers (8-5) will face another quality team in Hastings (8-4) in the championship game. The Raiders advanced to the finals with a pair of one-goal wins, 2-1 over Rosemount and 3-2 over Lakeville North.

Girls Basketball: Eight in a row

Jordan Bridges
22 points, 6 rebounds vs. Ellsworth
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington (8-0) moved to within a game of the school record for consecutive wins Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 29, with a convincing 58-31 road victory over Ellsworth, Wisconsin.
The Battle of the Coaching Bergs, Farmington's Jason vs. Ellsworth's Dave (Jason's father) was no contest with the Tigers shooting a blistering 71 percent in the first half (15 of 21) to build an insurmountable 35-11 lead.
The game was tied early at 4-4 before the visitors put together a 15-2 run to take control. Ellsworth made just four of 18 first half shots against the stout Farmington defense.
Jordan Bridges (13 points) and Elena Koch (8) combined to score 21 of their team's first half points.
"We played some of our best basketball of the year in the first half," coach Berg said. "We got a lot of contributions from a lot of different people during that run."
Bridges went on to score a game-high 22 points on 9-11 shooting while Koch netted 12, hitting six of nine shots from the floor. Mariah Mincke and Paige Steele each added seven.
Leading scorer Taylor Meyer played sparingly after missing almost a week of practice due to a family emergency and finished with four points.
The Tigers dominated in every statistic, outrebounding Ellsworth 33-19. They forced 21 turnovers and committed 15. The winners finished with 17 assists and 14 steals.
Bridges also led the team in rebounds with six; Sarah Silber and Jamie Kenealy added five apiece. Shelby Calhoun had a team-best four steals.
The Tigers look to break the school mark for consecutive wins when they entertain Fariabult, Tuesday, Jan. 4, at Tiger Gym. Two nights later Red Wing (9-1) comes to town for the Missota Conferene opener.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 30, 2010

Girls Hockey
Louie Schmitz Holiday Classic
Semifinals
Farmington 5 Park of Cottage Grove 0

Boys Basketball
Hastings Holiday Shootout
Third Place
Farmington 71 Hastings 51

Girls Basketball
Farmington 58 Ellsworth (Wisconsin) 31

Wrestling
Farmington at Rumble on the Red in Fargo

Girls Hockey: Alexander scores another game-winner in 2-1 win over Apple Valley

Chloe Batta (No. 7) scored first goal in second period
Hannah Alexander (No. 15) scored the game-winner in the third period
(photos by Jim Lundquist)


Hannah Alexander liked the spotlight so well she stepped back into it again to provide the winning goal in Farmington's 2-1 win over Apple Valley Tuesday, Dec. 28, in the opening round of the Louie Schmitz Holiday Classic at Schmitz-Maki Arena.
The game-winner was the second in four games for Alexander whose overtime goal gave her team a a 3-2 win over section rival Owatonna on Dec. 10.
"Hannah has been an outright rock star when it comes to consistency," coach Jon Holmes said. "She comes everyday ready to work hard in the corners, crash the net, and be a leader. She is a very instinctive player and does a fantastic job exploiting an opposing team's defense when they double team or pay all their attention to Krystal (Baumann)."
In what has become a trend, the Tigers dominated play but had trouble putting the puck away. Farmington outshot the Eagles 38-20 in the contest but couldn't forge its first lead until Alexander's score 32 seconds into the final period.
Valley led 1-0 after one period with the Tigers pulling even midway through the second period on Chloe Batta's (from Alexander) fifth goal of the season.
Alexander notched the game-winner from the slot on a nifty 180 degree turn after winning a scrum in front of the Valley goal. Baumann earned an assist on the goal.
"It (the winning goal) was a product of good old fashioned hard work," coach Jon Holmes said. "Hannah's line was cycling and moving the puck well the entire night. She spun to her forehand and got her head up to catch a look at the open twine on the short side."
Lost in Alexander's heroics was another solid outing by goaltender Jessica Erchul who came up with 19 saves in posting her seventh win of the season. The Tiger junior has allowed just seven goals in her last four starts.
With the win the Tigers (7-5) advance to Wednesday's championship semifinals against Park of Cottage Grove, a 5-1 winner of Eastview in the opening round. Apple Valley moves to the consolation bracket and a match-up with crosstown rival Eastview.

Boys Hockey: Sabers edge Tigers 2-1 in OT

Victor Simones
27 saves vs. Shakopee
(photo by Jim Lundquist)

Shakopee scored the winning goal late in overtime to defeat the Tigers 2-1 Tuesday, Dec. 28, at Shakopee Arena.
The loss snapped Farmington's four-game winning streak and gave the Sabers some consolation after the Tigers 6-1 win when the two teams squared off earlier this month.
"The upside is that we played well enough to win," coach Keith Revels said. "The downside is that it's a conference loss and gives us a split with Shakopee.
"We worked hard but the puck was not going to bounce our way. Three or four times we had the puck dancing on their goal line but were just short of getting it across."
Shakopee's Davis Madren's first period goal held up until fewer than seevn minutes remained in regulation when John Donnelly picked up a loose puck at the point and one-timed it by Saber goalie Richard Suel to knot the score. Donnelly's goal was the first of his varsity career.
The teams battled evenly through most of the extra period until Farmington's Tyler Grubb was whistled for high-sticking with just 45 seconds to play. Five seconds later, Danile Hespenheide scored the game-winner on the power play.
The penalty call appeared controversial as it was the only infraction of the overtime period and came after Grubb had his legs kicked out from under him.
"Officially, I have no comment about putting one team at a man-disadvantage with 45 seconds left in overtime," Revels said. "I do have an opinion on what should have transpired, but I'll keep that to myself."
Tiger goalie Victor Simones came up with another big performance in the losing effort, stopping 27 of 29 shots.
"Victor was fantastic," Revels said. "He got us to overtime with some third period heroics and he made some great stops in overtime as well."
The Tigers are 5-2 with Simones in the nets this season. Both of the losses have been by 2-1 scores.
The loss dropped the Tigers season mark to 6-4 and 1-1 in Missota Conference play. Shakopee moved to 2-5-1 and 1-1.
Next up for Farmington is a non-conference contest against Park of Cottage Grove Wednesday, Dec. 30, at Cottage Grove Arena.

Boys Basketball: Tigers fall to No. 5 Eastview

Alex Michels
19 points, 3 blocks vs. Eastview

Fifth-ranked Eastview's pressure defense and rebounding muscle sparked the Lightning to a 73-45 victory over the Tigers in the opening round of the Hastings Holiday Shootout Tuesday, Dec. 28, in Hastings.
Farmington scored the first five points of the game and trailed 25-20 late in the first half before Eastview closed on a 6-2 run to take a nine-point halftime lead.
The game would have been closer had the Tigers taken advantage of their free throw opportunities. They made just six of 12 in the opening half.
"The positive to take out of this is that our kids didn't back down from a top-rated team," coach Shane Wyandt said. "In the past we would have been intimidated but we took the game to them, especially in the first half.
"We had some success with mixing up zones and we forced them into some mistakes. We just didn't shoot the ball very well and they handled us on the boards."
The second half was all Eastview as the Lightning opened on a 26-9 run with Alex Michels scoring all nine of the Tiger points.
"Al can play with the big boys." Wyandt said. "We didn't give him much help offensively tonight."
Farmington played the second half without the services of starting guard Darren Beenken who watched from the stands due to illness.
Michels finished with 19 points to lead the Tigers in scoring. Sebren Baer added eight and Beenken six. Point guard Elliot Fenske had a team-high seven steals and Baer came up with four. Michels had three blocks.
The loss dropped Farmington (2-4) into the third place game with host Hastings on Wednesday evening, Dec. 29 at 5:00 p.m.. The Tigers downed the Raiders 70-48 earlier this season at Tiger Gym.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 29, 2010

Girls Hockey
Louie Schmitz Holiday Classic
Farmington 2 Apple Valley 1

Boys Hockey
Shakopee 2 Farmington 1

Boys Basketball
Hastings Holiday Shootout
Eastview 73 Farmington 45

Top 10 FHS sports stories of 2010

2010 Missota Conference Girls Hockey Champions (top)
2010 Section 1AA True Team Swimming & Diving Champions (below)


The first year of the second decade of the 21st century brought its share of Farmington High School sports highlights. Listed in chronological order below are several of the most memorable.

2009-10 Winter Season
Hockey girls back on top:: Led by senior captain Angie Schull, the scoring duo of juniors Krystal Baumann and Hannah Alexander and sophomore goaltender Jessica Erchul, the Tigers returned to the top of the Missota Conference standings, finishing 12-2 in league play and 18-8-1 overall.
Adrian consolation champ at state wrestling meet: Senior Eric Adrian capped his successful FHS career by finishing fifth in the 160 lbs. division of the Class AAA state wrestling tournament. Senior Nick Albano and junior Carl Elmer also qualified for the state tournament.
Magalis sixth at state meet: Junior diver Tyler Magalis placed sixth on the one-meter board at the Class AA state swimming and diving championships at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center.

2010 Spring Season:
Hussung state discus champion: Senior Logan Hussung scored all of his team's 22 points at the Class AA State Track and Field Championships held at Hamline University. The University of Minnesota recruit won the discus title and finished second in the shot put.
Jensen earns all-state honors: Sam Jensen topped off her four-year varsity career by being named to the all-Missota Conference, all-Metro and all-State teams.
Two relay teams place at state meet: Both the 4x100 and 4x200 girls relay teams finished in seventh place at the 2010 Class AA State Track and Field Championships at Hamline University.
New additions to the Tiger sport menu:' The number of varsity sports at FHS swelled to 25 with the addition of boys and girls lacrosse.

2010 Fall Season
Swimmers and divers have unprecedented year: The Tigers won their first-ever True Team section championship, placed second in both the Missota Conference and Section 1AA meets and scored a school record 43 points at the Class AA State Championships at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center. Senior Elizabeth Wolfe and freshman Kaitlyn O'Reilly each earned all-state honors at the state finals.
Fenske returns to state Senior Elliot Fenske earned his second straight trip to the Class AA State Cross Country Championships held at St. Olaf College where he finished 40th in a field of more than 150 runners.
Habeck, Alberts make all-state:: Senior volleyball hitter Katie Habeck and senior soccer midfielder Devyn Alberts landed spots on multiple all-state teams. Alberts has made a commitment to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Habeck will play next year for NCAA Division II national champion Concordia University-St. Paul.

Boys Hockey: Tigers spank Spartans 10-2

More to celebrate for Tyler Grubb (No. 17)
4 goals, 2 assists vs. Simley

Farmington scored four unanswered goals in the first eight minutes and cruised to a 10-2 win over Simley Thursday night, Dec. 23, at Vet's Arena in Inver Grove Heights.
The early Christmas present for the streaking Tigers was their sixth win in the last seven outings and unlike the last two victories it did not take a third period rally to seal the deal.
"Simley has been taking its lumps over the last couple of years," Tiger coach Keith Revels said, " but they are just the type of team that has given us troubles in the past. It was clear early on that wasn't going be the case."
The visitors led 5-1 after the first period and from there on Revels used four lines. The winners added two more scores in the second period and tacked on three more for good measure in the third.
Since starting the season with back-to-back losses to Hastings and Rochester John Marshall, the Tiger offense has averaged an eye-catching 6.3 goals a game.
The blowout featured another outstanding performance by senior captain Tyler Grubb who scored four goals and added a pair of assists to run his season numbers to 13 goals and 11 assists.
"Tyler is big, fast, nifty with the puck and has a big shot," Revels said. "He has brought his game to a new level this year.
"As a sophomore he led the team in penalty minutes, but this year he has a measly two minutes in nine games. He's playing through the attention he gets as a proven scorer. He's being the captain that we need him to be."
Grubb wasn't the only one to fill up the stat sheet. Andrew Peterson and Quinn Malcolm each scored a pair of goals and Dan Handberg registered four assists. Trevor Hockert, coming back from a high ankle sprain, and Zak Payne also scored for the Tigers.
Back-up goalie Aaron Dahl worked the nets and stopped 22 of 24 shots to earn his first win of the season.
"Aaron did what he needed to do for his team tonight," Revels said. "We need to get him minutes and keep him sharp."
The Tigers return to the ice Tuesday, Dec. 28, when they travel to Shakopee for a re-match with the Sabers. Farmington won 6-1 in the first of the two-game conference set played last week at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Wrestling: Tigers learn lesson at Prior Lake

After three straight strong showings in individual tournaments, the Tigers got taught a competitive lesson at a triangular meet Tuesday night, Dec. 21, at Prior Lake.
Pine Island downed the inexperienced and shorthanded Tigers 59-16 and pre-season Section 2AAA favorite Prior Lake laid a 69-0 goose egg on their guests.
"We were missing four starters and the scores reflected it," first-year Tiger coach Chad Olson said. "I think the guys learned something about preparation and what it takes to be a varsity wrestler."
John Walz scored a pin in the 119-pound match against Pine Island and Taylor Venz recorded a 12-3 major decision in the 103-pound bout. The Tigers' other six points came in the 145-pound bracket where Carl Elmer won by forfeit.
Farmington is off the competitive mat until Dec. 28-29 when they journey to Fargo, North Dakota for the Rumble on the Red, a big inter-state tournament held at the Fargodome.

Girls Basketball: Tigers roll by Mayo 63-38; Win streak hits seven

"Mariah Mincke had her best game as a varsity player..."
Coach Jason Berg

Farmington rolled over Mayo 63-38 in Rochester Tuesday, Dec. 21, to run its unbeaten streak to seven games and its record against Section 1 opponents to 3-0.
The Tigers used their superior size and signature stingy defense to overcome an early deficit and build a 25-16 lead at intermission.
The victory pulled the Tigers within a game of matching the school record for consecutive wins first set in 1985-86 and matched in 2006-07.
Mayo pulled to within four points early in the second half, but the deep Farmington bench proved too much for the Spartans as 11 different Tiger players scored.
"We got in a little foul trouble," coach Jason Berg said, "but our depth played
a huge role in our winning. Mariah Mincke had her best game as a varsity player. She hit a big three and really played good defense."
The defense did its customary job of shutting down the opposition. Mayo's 38 points marked the third consecutive game the Tigers have allowed fewer than 40 points. They are giving up an average of just 40.2 points a night.
Leading the offense was junior guard Isis Alexander who netted a season-high 14 points, including eight during a 14-2 first half run that stretched the Tiger lead. Taylor Meyer had 11 and Elena Koch scored 10.
Koch made it a double-double by adding a team-high 10 rebounds. Meyer pulled down seven boards and Jordan Bridges had six. Shelby Calhoun chimed in with four assists and three steals.
The Tigers are off until Wednesday, Dec. 29, when they cross the state line to take on Ellsworth, Wisconsin, a team coached by Berg's father, Dave Berg. Farmington won the holiday Battle of the Bergs 54-43 last Dec. 30 at Tiger Gym.

Boys Basketball: Flat start proves costly in 72-68 loss to Mayo

Josh Ruthenbeck
11 points, 10 rebounds vs. Mayo

Farmington fans watching their team's 72-68 loss to Rochester Mayo Tuesday, Dec. 21, at Tiger Gym had to be thinking that at any moment their team would put together a little run and pull out a victory over their Section 1 rivals.
But every time the locals looked like they would make that surge, including when they took their only lead of the game at 37-36 on Elliott Fenske's runner in the lane, the Spartans had an answer.
Sometimes it was a lay-up behind the Tiger defense. Other times it was an offensive rebound or a timely three-pointer. Down the stretch it was string of free throws. It was always something.
"That's the first time this season that I've been really disappointed in our play," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "I think our kids will tell you they were flat in the first half. No energy. No aggressiveness.
"We played hard, especially in the second half, but the three things we know we have to be good at to be successful--shooting the ball, taking care of the ball and controlling the defensive boards--we didn't do well tonight."
The Tigers were slow out of the gate, falling behind by as many as seven points, before pulling to within four at 32-28 at intermission on Darren Beenken's three-pointer and Alex Michels' put-back at the end of the half.
Fenske's go-ahead basket with 14 minutes to play brought the Tigers all the way back but on the return trip down the floor Mayo's Michael Idso drained a three-pointer to give the visitors a lead they would never surrender.
"We gave them too many easy baskets and turned the ball over too many times," Wyandt said. "We knew this was going to be a dog fight and that's exactly what it was."
Farmington cut the Mayo lead to four points several times over the final three minutes but the Spartans eventually sealed the win from the foul line where they scored their last eight points.
Free throw opportunities proved to be another sore point for the home team. Mayo made 16 of 29 at the line while the Tigers had only six attempts, making three.
Michels finished with a season-high 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead Farmington. Josh Ruthenbeck also put together a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Austin Bassett and Beenken each chipped in with nine points and Fenske added seven for the Tigers who lost for the third time in five games.
The Tigers resume play after Christmas when they take on state-rated Eastview Tuesday, Dec. 28, in the opening round of the four-team Hastings Holiday Tournament. Host Hastings and Mahtomedi also play in the two-day tourney.

Girls Hockey: Shots won't fall in 1-0 loss to Mayo

Jessica Erchul
13 saves in 1-0 loss

On the surface one would think that Farmington's 1-0 loss at Rochester Mayo, Tuesday, Dec. 21, would have given Tiger coach Jon Holmes a few gray hairs. To the contrary, he said that other than doing a better job of putting the puck away, he wouldn't change much about his team's play.
"It was one of those games where if you've been around hockey long enough, you've seen teams just not having any luck finding the twine," he said. "We outshot them 53-14 and I think the 14 for them was a bit generous.
"We played well. Our defensive end didn't need to even be resurfaced after each period because the puck was in their end of the rink almost the whole time."
Mayo scored the only goal of the night in the second period on a double deflection and at the time Holmes said it was of little concern.
"We didn't realize until half way through the third period how important it really was," he said.
Holmes credited Mayo goalie Rebecca Graham for her work (53 saves) and said the Spartan defenders did a good job of clearing the rebounds.
Still, he wonders how his team managed so many shots without a single score.
"There's not much we could have changed in our play," he said. "It's a head scratcher."

Boys Hockey: Tigers beat Mayo 8-1 for fifth win in last six starts

Tyler Grubb
Third period pure hat trick

For the second game in a row the Tigers broke open a close game with a third period offensive explosion. This time it came in an 8-1 win over Rochester Mayo, Tuesday, Dec. 21. at Schmitz-Maki Arena.
The victory was the fifth in the last six starts for Farmington (5-3) who has outscored its last two opponents by an outlandish 11-1 in the third period.
"We were a bit off early," coach Keith Revels said, "but we stuck with it, maintained our focus and didn't get frustrated.
"It was nice to see us respond to some adversity when the puck wasn't bouncing our way. It was even better to see us rewarded for doing so."
Jack Buss' shot from the point gave the Tigers an early lead but Mayo came back and tied the score after the opening period.
Kevin Olund provided the only score of the second period to set up what looked to be a nail-biter of a final period. Instead it was a laugher.
Andrew Peterson stretched the Tiger lead to two goals early in the third and then with fewer than seven minutes to play in regulation, the goals started coming in bunches.
Tyler Grubb who has now scored 12 points in his last three games rattled off three straight goals in a span of 3:44 for a pure hat trick to all but put the game away. The three-goal performance was Grubb's second of the season.
Quinn Malcolm and Matt Provost also found the net in the closing minutes for the winners.
"Like Shakopee, I think Mayo got worn down in the third period because we were able to go with our three lines," Revels said. "Our depth and physical play have been wearing teams down."
All three lines contributed at least a goal. The Grubb-Peterson-Dan Handberg line had four scores; the Blake Weinand-Provost-Malcolm trio three and the Olund-Zack Payne-Grant Hauswirth line one.
Victor Simones continued to have the magic touch in goal for the Tigers, stopping 16 of 17 shots and upping his season record to a lofty 5-1.
"Victor continues to be steady and playing fundamentally solid," Revels said.
Revels also lauded the play of his defensivecorp--Buss, Jake Sorenson, Johsn Donnelly. Quinn Eden and Justin Rees--that allowed the Spartans just 17 shots on goal.
"They did a nice job of getting the puck out of our end." he said.
The Tigers don't have much time to savor their win as they close out the pre-Christmas portion of their schedule with a trip to Inver Grove Heights Thursday night, Dec. 23, for a non-conference game with Simley.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 22, 2010

Girls Basketball
Farmington 63 Rochester Mayo 38

Boys Basketball
Rochester Mayo 72 Farmington 68

Boys Hockey
Farmington 8 Rochester Mayo 1

Girls Hockey
Rochester Mayo 1 Farmington 0

Wrestling
Pine Island 59 Farmington 16
Prior Lake 69 Farmington 0

Tigers rank among state stat leaders

Tyler Magalis
Second ranked one-meter diver

Several FHS winter sports athletes ranked among the state's leaders in their respective sports in statistics published in the Tuesday, Dec. 21, edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Two Tiger boys' swimming relay teams made the weekly honor roll. The 200 freestyle team had the state's fastest time and the 400 freestyle foursome ranked seventh.
Several individual swimmers and divers were also among state leaders. Diver Tyler Magalis had the highest rating with the second best point total in Minnesota. Brian Huls ranked among the top ten in two events, seventh in the 50 freestyle and 10th in the 100 backstroke. Zach Holton was seventh in the 100 butterfly and Allen Berg eighth in the 500 freestyle.
In girls basketball, junior Taylor Meyer ranked 19th in scoring with a per game average of 18.0 points and Elena Koch stood 13th in rebounding at 8.2 caroms per game.
Senior linemates Krystal Baumann (17 goals, 4 assists) and Hannah Alexander (8 goals, 12 assists) were the 31st and 32nd top girls hockey scorers in the state with 21 and 20 points respectively.
In boys hockey, sophomore goalie Victor Simones owned the 17th lowest goals-against average at 1.46 and his .930 save percentage ranked 21st. Tyler Grubb's 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists) sat in the No. 33 position.
Senior wrestler Carl Elmer (10-1) was the fifth-rated individual in the state Class AAA 145 lbs. division rankings published by Guillotine Magazine

Tiger Scoreboard: December 19, 2010

Gymnastics
Annandale Invitational
Big Lake 143.4, Farmington 140.3, Delano 133.5, Maple Lake 127.6, Annandale 126.75, Minneapolis Southwest 125.35, St. Michael-Albertville 124.9, Litchfield 124.65

Wrestling
Redwood River Riot Invitational (Redwood Falls)
Farmington 58 points; 20th of 24 teams
Carl Elmer 145 lbs. champion

Wrestling: Elmer champ at Redwood Falls

Carl Elmer (10-1)
145 lbs. Champion

Carl Elmer swept four matches to win the 145 lbs. bracket at the 24-team Redwood River Riot held Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16-17, at Redwood Falls.
The Tigers entered varsity wrestlers in nine weight categories and tallied 58 points to rank 20th in the final team standings.
"We saw there were a lot of good teams in this meet so we thought it would be good to see teams and different styles of wrestling that we don't see during the year," Tiger coach Chad Olson said.
"The tournament also had a junior varsity bracket and we thought it would be a good opportunity to bring everyone."
Olson also wanted to keep Elmer matched up against quality competition and the state's fifth-ranked 145-pounder seemed more than up for the task.
Elmer (10-1) pinned his first three opponents and then after falling behind St. James' Giovanni Alverado 2-0 in the finals, rallied for a 3-2 victory.
"Carl's opponent eventually lost three points for stalling," Olson said. "He couldn't keep up with Carl's pace. That's two tournaments in a row that he has faced good competition and responded. He is really wrestling well."
Eighth-grader Kyle Benjamin made a big splash in his varsity debut, splitting six matches and finishing sixth at 103 lbs.
Seniors Josh Iverson (135) and Tyler Beckett (171) each ranked eighth in their weight class.
Eighth-grader Brayden Chapman won two of three matches at 119 lbs. before suffering an injury and having to sit out the remainder of the meet.
Some of the best news from the two-day meet for Farmington came out of the junior varsity meet where the Tigers had no less than nine grapplers score first place finishes.
The nine champions included Trevor Breezley, Tyler Engel, Jamin DeLuc. Victor Gliva, Taylor Venz, John Walz. Trevor Frost, Kelvin O'Brien and Jacob Gabbard.
Five other Farmington entrants finished second: Joe Ciotti, Ridge Raddatz, Joe Rucci, Donnie Drewery and Godfrey Mpetey.
"Overall, I was real happy with how we wrestled," Olson said. "For the third week in a row we improved."
The Tigers travel to Prior Lake Tuesday, Dec. 21, for a triangular with the Section 2AAA favorite Lakers and Pine Island. Over the holidays they make the long trek to Fargo, North Dakota for a big multi-state meet at the Fargodome.

Gymnastics: Tigers take second at Annandale Invitational

Farmington made its first apperance at the Annandale Invitational a successful one, taking second place in the eight-team meet held Saturday, Dec. 18, in Annandale.
Becker won the team title with 143.4 points, followed by Farmington 140.3, Delano 133.5, Maple Lake 127.6, Annandale 126.75, Minneapolis Southwest 125.35, St. Michael-Albertville 124.9 and Litchfield 124.65.
The Tiger team score jumped for the third consecutive meet and the move upward seemed to sit well with coach Lynn Bauman.
"We had a great meet even though we had to make some lineup changes because of Erin Hickey's hand injury," she said. "Nadia Lorencz stepped up on the bars and the beam and became an all-around competitor.
"We only had two falls in six beam routines. We just need to stay positive, confident and motivated. We will go places with this team."
Kiana Lord provided the only Tiger first place finish of the day with a 9.4 score on the balance beam. That number equaled the school record held jointly by coach Bauman and 2010 graduate Haley Luhman.
Lord also ranked fourth in floor exercise (9.2) and finished fifth in the all-around competition (34.5).
Lorencz made her debut as an all-around performer and took fourth with a score of 35.05. The talented freshman took second in both vaulting (9.25) and floor exercise (9.25).
Terra Klima fashioned a third place performance on the uneven bars (9.0) and Kathryn Beckett finished sixth in vaulting (8.6).
Kylie Wharton finished fifth and sixth respectively on the bars (8.7) and beam (8.55) and her all-around total of 34.25 placed seventh.
The Tigers are off until Thursday, Dec. 30, when they travel to Rosemount for a non-conference dual meet but the big date circled on Bauman's calendar is Tuesday, Jan. 11, when defending state Class A champion Northfield comes to the District Service Center for a dual meet.
"That's our first home meet of the season," Bauman said, "so we need fans in the stands to keep us pumped up."

Boys Hockey: Big third period fuels 6-1 win over Shakopee in Missota opener

Andrew Peterson (No. 7)
First career hat trick
Dan Handberg (below)
3rd period goal gave Tigers the lead
(photos by Jim Lindquist)




Farmington scored five unanswered goals in a wild and woolly third period for a 6-1 win over Shakopee Friday night, Dec. 17, at Schmitz-Maki Arena.
The win was the third in four starts for the Tigers who raised their season record to 4-3; 1-0 in the Missota Conference.
"We had a great outing," coach Keith Revels said. "We played 51 minutes with high energy, moved the puck well and played solid defensively. Overall we made good decisions and stayed focused on the task at hand."
The game was a lot closer than the final score indicated with neither team finding the net in the opening period.
Andrew Peterson scored the first of his three goals to break the scoring ice 10 seconds in the second but the Sabers answered two minutes later to tie the score heading into the final period.
Dan Handberg opened the scoring floodgates with a power play goal four minutes into the third period and before the final horn sounded Peterson and Zach Payne each scored twice to account for the final margin of victory.
Two of the final four scores came via the power play; one was short-handed and the other was an empty-netter.
"Shakopee has a nice club," Revels said. "I think the difference was that we were able to play two and three lines all night. All of our lines seem to be gelling. We're moving the puck well and attacking the net for second chances."
Sophomore goaltender Victor Simones continued to shine, stopping 25 of 26 shots in recording his third victory in four starts.
"Victor has made the most of his opportunities," Revels said. "He is controlling rebounds and sending them to the corner and covering those left in front. The one goal he allowed slipped down his arm and dribbled into the net."
Peterson's hat trick was the first of his career and seemed to indicate his recent move from defense was a positive one. Linemate Tyler Grubb ran his two-game point total to nine with four assists.
The Tigers have two more games on the docket before the Christmas break. Tuesday, Dec. 21, they entertain section Rival Rochester Mayo, and two days later they travel to Veterans Arena in Inver Grove Heights for a date with Simley.

Alumni Tracker: Eich's late interception helps give UMD second national title in three years

Cody Eich
Interception with 1:52 remaining set up winning field goal

For the third time in the 2010 NCAA Division II playoffs former Tiger Cody Eich stepped into the spotlight for the University of Minnesota-Duluth football team.
In the Bulldogs opening round 20-17 win over St. Cloud State, he blocked a punt to set up the go-ahead touchdown.
In the national semifinals, the ex-Tiger picked off two passes from his strong safety position to help preserve a 17-13 win over defending champion Northwest Missouri State.
The Bulldog junior saved his best for last, however. In last Saturday's 20-17 last second win over Delta State University (Mississippi) in Florence, Alabama, his leaping interception and 20-yard return in the final two minutes of regulation led to the Bulldogs winning field goal.
The national championship is the second for Eich who was a special teams player for UMD when it ruled the Division II roost in 2008. In his three years on the varsity team UMD is a remarkable 42-2.
Eich finished the 2010 season as the third leading tackler for the Bulldogs with 69. He also intercepted three passes, broke up four and recovered a fumble. For his efforts he landed a berth on the all-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team.

Girls Basketball: Tigers win sixth straight with 62-35 rout of Washburn

The 6-0 start is the second best in school history
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Friday night's 62-35 win at Minneapolis Washburn wasn't always a thing of beauty but in the end it was exactly what coach Jason Berg was looking for, namely the Tigers sixth straight victory.
"There wasn't much rhythm to the game," Berg said. "It had a lot to do with getting the big early lead but the officiating was inconsistent and they (Washburn) play a different style than we're used to seeing.
"When we focused on what we wanted to do, we played pretty well. There were times, especially late in the first half, where we just got away from what we were trying to do. In the second half, we let them take those questionable shots and went and got the rebound."
Neither team scored a field goal until almost three minutes into the game and Washburn didn't hit its first shot until 9:27 remained in the opening half.
By the time the Millers did finally make their first basket Farmington had been whistled for 10 fouls and Washburn one.
At one point the visitors led 22-5 but Washburn closed the half on a mini 13-8 spurt to cut the halftime deficit to 30-18.
Washburn twice trimmed the lead to 10 points early in the second half but thanks to the Triple Towers of Jordan Bridges, Taylor Meyer and Elena Koch wiping the backboards clean (39-19 advantage) and a more patient half-court offense the Tigers began to pull away.
For the second straight game Bridges lit up the scoreboard in the second half, netting 15 of her game-high 21 points, making eight of nine shots from the floor. Meyer finished with 18 to give the two leading Tiger scorers a combined 39 points, four more than the entire Miller team. Koch and Paige Steele each added six points for Farmington.
Koch hit double digits in rebounding with 11; Meyer added seven boards and six assists. Steele had five assists and a trio of steals and Isis Alexander chipped in with four assists.
Tuesday night Dec. 21, the Tigers chase their seventh straight win when they travel to Rochester Mayo to battle the Spartans. Wednesday, Dec. 29, they venture to Ellsworth, Wisconsin for another non-conference contest.

Boys Basketball: Rally falls short in 61-59 loss to Century

Alex Michels, 15 points, 9 rebounds
Elliot Fenske (below) hits a jumper
Photos by Jim Lindquist


Turnovers, missed lay-ups and a long night at the free throw line cost the Tigers dearly in a 61-59 loss to unbeaten Rochester Century (4-0) Friday night, Dec. 17, at Tiger Gym.
Farmington pulled itself out of a a nine-point hole with six minutes to play to lead 57-56 with two minutes left in regulation but couldn't find the winning combination down the stretch.
"We were talking about last season and the half dozen games we lost like this last year," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "We're still searching for that guy to go to at the end of the game when things are on the line.
"Tonight our kids picked themselves up off the floor and hustled their way back into the game. I think we gained Century's respect. We gave them more than they were looking for."
First half Farmington turnovers, mostly in the half-court game, led to a 36-27 deficit at intermission.
Errors plagued both teams in the second half but it was Farmington that came up with most of the hustle plays and made the extra effort to get to the loose balls. The result was the late rally that fell agonizingly short.
"We forced them into 27 turnovers but we had 28 ourselves," Wyandt said. "We need to slow things down and find a way to seal the deal."
The Tigers hurt themselves in the shooting department, finishing in the mid-30's in field goal percentage and converting just nine of 20 attempts from the free throw line.
The Farmington defense also had no answer for the Panthers Ater Manyang who exploded for 28 points on 13 of 18 shooting.
Alex Michels was the only Farmington player in double figures, finishing with 15 points. Michels also had a team-high nine rebounds. Josh Ruthenbeck had nine points and Elliot Fenske eight for the Tigers.
Farmington (2-2) hopes to finish the pre-holiday portion of its schedule with a victory when they entertain Section 1 rival Rochester Mayo Tuesday night, Dec. 21, at Tiger Gym.
"Century beat Mayo by two, so it should be another good match-up," Wyandt said.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 18, 2010

Girls Basketball
Farmington 63 Minneapolis Washburn 35

Boys Basketball
Rochester Century 61 Farmington 59

Boys Hockey
Farmington 6 Shakopee 1

Wrestling
Redwood Invitational (Day 1)
Farmington 24 points (17th of 24 teams)

Boys Swimming: Lakers depth too much for Tigers in 92-89 loss

Prior Lake used its superior depth to score a 92-89 win over the Tigers Thursday night, Dec. 16, at the Dodge Middle School pool.
The Lakers won just four of the meet's 12 events but piled up other place points to build a 92-64 lead before swimming the last two events in exhibition mode.
One pool record fell with Prior Lake junior Kyle Robrock breaking the old mark in the 100 backstroke with a clocking of 52.60.
"We had some good swims, but they had more depth," Farmington coach Ryan Hamen said. "Our new swimmers are getting used to the competition and making great improvements with their form.
"Most of the veterans are about two months ahead of their times from last year. That gives us a lot of things to look forward to in the near future."
Tyler Magalis and Allen Berg each won two individual events and swam on two winning relay teams for Farmington. Magalis won top honors in the 50 freestyle and one-meter dive while Berg was victorious in the 200 and 500 freestyle races.
Brain Huls and Loren Hatten also won individual races, Huls the 100 freestyle and Hatten the 100 breaststroke.
The Tigers took first in two relays: the 200 freestyle (Huls, Hatten, Conner Kealy, Berg) and the 400 freestyle (Zach Holton, Matthew Stephan, Magalis, Berg).
Three Tigers finished second: Zach Holton in the 200 butterfly; Huls in the 100 backstroke and Nick Stephan in the 100 breaststroke. Holton took third in the 200 individual medley and Benjamin Cohoon ranked third in the 100 breaststroke.
The Tigers take a break from formal competition until the Apple Valley Invitational meet scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 30.

Girls Hockey: Tigers power past Shakopee 7-3; remain unbeaten in Missota

Rachel Peroutky
2 assists

The Tigers put the power in the power play, scoring five times with a player advantage, to down Shakopee 7-3 Tuesday night, December 16, at Shakopee Arena.
"We by no means played our best game," Tiger coach Jon Holmes said, "but we did a good job of staying away from the chippy play and taking advantage of the opportunities we had."
The Sabers struck first with a goal midway through the opening period but after that Hannah Alexander scored two power play goals and Chloe Batta added an even-handed score for a 3-1 lead heading into the second period.
"We could have been behind 3-1 if it wasn't for our goalie (Jessica Erchul)," Holmes said. "We gift wrapped about six breakaways for them, but Erch shut them down."
Each team scored a pair of goals in the second period with Baumann netting her 17th of the year on the power play and Emily Severson recording her second in the past three games.
The visitors put some icing on the victory cake with two more power play goals in the third period. Alexander completed her hat trick and Batta added her second of the night.
All in all, the potent first line of Alexnader, Baumann and Batta produced six goals and 11 points. Alexander finished with a five-point night (3 goals, 2 assists) while Batta (2 goals, assist) and Baumann (goal, 2 assists) each tallied three.
"Hannah has played well all season and it's good to see her rewarded for her efforts the last couple of games," Holmes said. "She is such a solid hockey player."
Holmes stressed that although the second and third lines, consisting of combinations of Severson, Doll, Haleigh Zwart, Grace Gavin, Emily Johnson, Maddie Strid and Sydney Shoenecker, only scored one of the goals, they too played an important role in the win.
"They have really started to gel over the past two games," he said. "Hopefully they will continue to grow as we head toward the playoffs where we will need them to step up in a big way."
Rachel Peroutky added a pair of assists and Haley Doll had one for the winners.
Erchul posted her sixth win of the season, turning away 22 of the 25 shots she faced. The Tigers outshot the Sabers by a decisive 40-25.
The win boosted the Farmington season record to 6-4 and a perfect 4-0 in Missota Conference play. Shakopee dropped to 6-5-1 overall and 1-2 in the league.
The Tigers close out the pre-holiday portion of their schedule with a trip to Section 1AA rival Rochester Mayo on Tuesday, Dec. 21, and then start preparing for their holiday tournament (Dec. 28-30) that boasts four of the top 15 Class AA teams in the state.

Tiger Scoreboard: December, 17, 2010

Girls Hockey
Farmington 7 Shakopee 3

Boys Swimming
Prior Lake 92 Farmington 89

Boys Swimming and Diving: Tigers fly by Hopkins 101-83 in season opener

Brian Huls and Tyler Magalis each piled up four first place finishes to pace the Tigers to an impressive 101-83 dual met win over Hopkins in their season opener Tuesday night, Dec. 14, at the Dodge Middle School pool.
Farmingon actually placed first in just seven of the 12 events but won by such a large margin thanks to a deep lineup that scored multiple places in almost every competition.
"The boys did well for the first meet," coach Ryan Hamen said. "Many swam times they were swimming at the conference meet last year. Hopefully that is a sign of good things to come."
Huls and Magalis combined with Loren Hatten and Zach Holton to win the meet-opening 200 medley relay relay and later joined forces with Hatten and Allen Berg to claim the 200 freestyle relay.
In between the all-Missota Conference performers each won a pair of individual events, Huls the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly and Magalis the 50 freestyle and one-meter dive.
Berg had the other Farmington first, taking top honors in the 200 freestyle. Berg also placed second in the 500 freestyle.
Hatten added second place finishes in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke to his leg on the winning 200 freestyle relay team and Derek Anderson took second in the 200 freestyle.
Holton claimed second in the 100 freestyle and third in the 200 freestyle while diver Evan Carufel finished second behind Magalis on the one-meter board.
Andrew Cayard added a pair of third place efforts in the 50 and 100 freestyle races and Nick Stephan placed third in the 100 breaststroke.
Other Farmington points scorers:
4th place: Cameron Molnar, 200 freestyle; Conner Kealy, 200 individual medley; Mitch Haugen, 100 freestyle; Matthew Clark, 500 freestyle and Matthew Stephan, 100 breaststroke.
5th place: M. Stephan, 100 butterfly; N. Stephan, 100 butterfly; Molnar, 500 freestyle and Anderson, 100 backstroke.
6th place: Eric Schimmel, 100 backstroke.
The Tigers don't have much time to savor their season-opening win as they jump back into the Dodge pool Thursday night, Dec. 16, for a dual meet with former Missota Conference rival Prior Lake.

Gymnastics: New Prague topples Tigers

Jade Alm performs on the balance beam

Farmington's team score continued to trend upward but it wasn't enough to beat New Prague in a 141.85-138.1 loss to the Trojans Tuesday night, Dec. 14, in New Prague.
"The girls had a good meet," coach Lynn Bauman said. "We just keep getting better...We still have a few falls we could do without but I enjoyed watching the girls support each other through the whole meet."
Terra Klima provided the only Farmington individual win, capturing the uneven bars title with a mark of 8.625.
Kiana Lord took second in all-around with a 35.075 point total and Nadia Lorencz ranked second in vaulting at 9.05.
Lord placed third on the balance beam (9.025); fourth in vaulting (8.9) and fifth on the unevens (8.2).
Kylie Wharton placed fourth in floor exercise (9.05) and third in all-around (34.4). Kathryn Beckett finished fourth in all-around with a 32.325 total.
Saturday, Dec. 18, the girls travel to Annandale for a multiple school meet that Bauman said will be good for her team.
"We are really looking forward to it," she said. "There will be a lot of teams there that we usually don't see."

Girls Basketball: Second half spurt carries Tigers past South for fifth straight

Jordan Bridges scores on the rebound (left)
Jamie Kenealy goes strong to the basket
Photos by Jim Lindquist



Farmington overcame a sluggish first half to hold Lakeville South to just 14 second half points in a 63-39 non-conference victory Tuesday night, Dec. 14, at Tiger Gym.
The win pushed the unbeaten Tigers season record to 5-0; the loss dropped South to 1-3.
"We simply didn't play well in the first half," coach Jason Berg said. "They beat us to all the loose balls and defensively we were out of position way too much. South is a very physical team and they took it to us."
The game was a back-and-forth affair through much of the first half before the Tigers put together a late 7-0 spurt to take a 31-25 lead to the halftime break.
Taylor Meyer and Elena Koch provided most of the Farmington offense with a dozen points apiece.
Farmington seemed to get its game legs after intermission, running its offense more patiently and ramping up the pressure on the defensive end of the court.
"I've said all along we are as good as our defense," Berg said. "Once we started contesting shots and getting to the boards we became better offensively.
"We quit dribbling so much and ran our half court offense much better. When we do those things we are fine."
Jordan Bridges who went scoreless in the first half dominated the paint in the second, scoring all 13 of her points after intermission.
Meyer finished with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds and Koch had a season-high 17 points and 10 rebounds to give the front line 50 of the team's 63 points.
"Taylor and Jordan have been steady scorers in every game," Berg said, "and Elena is very capable of putting the ball in the basket. She averaged eight points a game last year."
Perhaps the most important stat came on defense where the Tigers held the Cougars to just 26 percent shooting from the field.
The Tigers will be looking for win No. 6, Friday night, Dec. 17, when they travel to the city for a non-conference game with Minneapolis Washburn. Tuesday, Dec. 21, they wrap up the pre-holiday portion of their schedule with a road contest at Section 1 rival Rochester Mayo.

Boys Hockey: Tigers blank Dodge County

Jake Sorensen leads the defense
Photo by Jim Lindquist

Tyler Grubb put together a five-point night and six different players scored goals as the Tigers shutout Dodge County 7-0 Tuesday night, Dec. 14, at Schmitz-Maki Arena.
The win over its Section 1AA rival raised Farmington's early season record to 3-3.
"We stayed focused for the whole game with very little let down," coach Keith Revels said. "We need to play with that kind of focus and intensity as the season progresses."
Farmington outshout its guests 13-5 in the opening period but managed just one score, a power play goal by Dan Handberg on a 5-on-3 advantage.
"We needed to stay focused on defense but also convert in our offensive end," Revels said, "and in the second period we did just that."
The Tigers rung up four goals in the second stanza, one apiece by Grubb, Andrew Peterson, Matt Provost and Justin Rees, to take a comfortable five-goal advantage into the final period.
"It was good to see us go for the knockout blow," Revels said. "We have let teams back in the game in the past."
Grubb's second goal of the night early in the final period pushed the margin to six and started running time. Eden Quinn's score with four minutes to play put an exclamation point on the non-conference victory.
Tiger goalie Victor Simones stopped 18 shots to earn his first varsity shutout and run his season record to 3-1. Simones has allowed just seven goals in four starts for a goals-against average of 1.75; his save percentage stands at .920.
The shutout victory was also the first for Revels since he moved over from the Tiger girls program for the 2008-09 season.
The competition kicks up a notch Friday night, Dec. 17, when Shakopee (1-3-1) comes to town for the Missota Conference opener. Face-off is 7:15 at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 15, 2010

Girls Basketball
Farmington 63 Lakeville South 49
Lakeville South 25-14 39
Farmington 31-32 63
Farmington scoring: Meyer 20, Koch 17, Bridges 13, Calhoun 5, Steel 4, Gaalswyk 2, Loftus 2

Boys Hockey
Farmington 7 Dodge County 0
Dodge County 0-0-0 0
Farmington 1-4-2 7
Farmington goals: Grubb 2, Handberg, Provost, Peterson, Payne, Quinn
Farmington assists: Grubb 3, Peterson 2, Rees, Handberg, Payne, Eden, Hauswirth

Boys Swimming
Farmington 101 Hopkins 83

Gymnastics
New Prague 141.85 Farmington 138.1

Boys Basketball
Farmington at St. Paul Harding postponed; St. Paul Schools closed

Alumni Tracker: Eich to play in national title game this Saturday

Cody Eich (FHS Class of 2007)

Former Tiger Cody Eich played on a couple of Missota Conference championship teams during his high school playing days and when he moved on to the University of Minnesota-Duluth the winning ways went with him.
After a redshirt season, Eich played on special teams for the Bulldogs who finished a perfect 15-0 and won the NCAA Division national championship. Last season as a sophomore the ex-Tiger moved into the starting line-up, made the all-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSIC) second team as a strong safety while helping UMD to the NSIC title and another playoff berth.
Eich's junior season has been even better. He made the all-NSIC first team and in the NCAA Division II playoffs has been a major contributor for a Bulldog team that stands 14-0 and will play Delate State in the national title game this Saturday, Dec. 18, in Florence, Alabama.
In UMD's first post-season game, Eich blocked a punt that set up the go-ahead touchdown in a 20-17 overtime win over St. Cloud State and in last week's semifinals he picked off a pair of passes in a 17-13 victory over defending champion Northwest Missouri State.
Look for Eich (No.7) to be in the middle of the action in Saturday's championship game that will air on ESPN2 at 10:00 am.
Eich isn't the only former Tiger on the UMD roster, either. Otimio Masso, who ran on the Class AA state track meet qualifying 800-meter relay team, is a freshman defensive back.
2009 FHS male Athlete of the Year Derek Waldbillig saw his sophomore dream season with Bethel University come to an end last week when the Royals lost to Mount Union (Ohio) 34-14 in the NCAA Division III semifinals. Waldbillig had a busy day against the small college power, returning six kickoffs for 113 yards, including a season best 37-yarder...Former Tiger Bubba Friedlund of the class of 2010 is a freshman offensive lineman for Bethel.
Through eight games, former Tiger Abby Kenealy leads Southwest State University's women's basketball team in scoring with an 11.9 points per game average and ranks second in rebounding with 4.3 per game.
Kelli Johnson of the FHS class of 2007 picked up her fourth assist of the season for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's hockey team in its 3-3 overtime tie with the University of Wisconsin-Superior last weekend...After her first two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference hockey games, former Tiger goaltender Erin McNamara, a senior at St. Olaf College, owns a 1.44 goals against average and a save percentage of .925.
Luke Jones of the Tiger class of 2001 who went on to play basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville is a civil engineer with MSA-Professional Services in Oakdale...Sister Erin Jones, who later played volleyball at Carleton College, recently returned to Minnesota after working three years on the east coast for a health economic consulting firm. She and another former Tiger, Jessica Tate, teamed up to coach the seventh grade volleyball team at Dodge Middle School this past fall...
Al Erickson, son of former FHS boys basketball coach Randy Erickson and ex-Tiger athlete Jill Horstman, is a senior guard on the Lakeville North boys basketball team...Former Tiger athlete Randy Schmitz is back as coach of the Lakeville North boys hockey team this winter ... Chelsea Laden, Lakeville South's standout girls hockey goalie, is the daughter of FHS softball coach Rob Laden.

Girls Hockey: Alexander's OT goal the difference in 3-2 win over Owatonna

Hannah Alexander

Hannah Alexander's overtime goal gave the Tigers a hard-fought 3-2 win over Section 1AA rival Owatonna Friday night, Dec. 10, at Four Seasons Arena.
"All but five of their shots came on the power play," coach Jon Holmes said, "so we controlled the puck and played pretty well.
"The game was one of those where you were getting nervous because we were outshooting them so bad but not getting any goals and pulling away."
Farmington outshot Owatonna 42-17 for the night. The Tigers allowed just five shots when the teams were playing five-on-five.
But the victory didn't come easily. Owatonna led 1-0 after the opening period before Haley Doll's power play goal, her first of the season, evened things out early in the second.
The tie didn't last long, however, as Payton Noble's power play score in the final minute of the second period gave the Huskies a 2-1 edge at the second intermission.
Krystal Baumann's unassisted goal, her team-leading 16th of year, knotted the score at 2-2 early in the third.
Both teams had scoring opportunities down the stretch, including multiple power play opportunities, but neither produced the deciding goal.
Alexander sent the Tigers home happy with her fifth goal of the season early in the extra eight-minute session. Rachel Peroutky assisted on the game-winner, her second assist of the night.
The victory raised Farmington's season record to 5-4. The Tigers are a perfect 3-0 in Missota Conference play.
They return to conference play Thursday, Dec. 16, when they travel to Shakopee to take on the Sabers who have started the year 6-3-1 and 1-1 in the conference.

Girls Basketball: Tigers tame Irish 54-42 for fourth straight

Taylor Meyer 18 points, 8 rebounds
Jordan Bridges (below) 11 points, 15 rebounds



The unbeaten Tigers used another strong performance by their Twin Towers of Taylor Meyer and Jordan Bridges and a suffocating defense to down Rosemount 52-44 Friday, Dec, 10, at Tiger Gym.
The victory was the fourth straight for Farmington; Rosemount is 3-3.
Meyer scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the first half as the Tigers took a slim 28-25 lead to the halftime break.
The first eight minutes of the second half proved to be the turning point as the sticky Farmington defense limited the Irish to just three points while the offense stretched the lead to double digits.
Bridges keyed the offense in the second period, netting nine of her 11 markers after intermission. Shelby Calhoun and Paige Steele also played key roles in the second half surge, scoring five points apiece.
The efficient Tigers made half of their 46 field goal tries while holding the opposition to just 27 percent shooting (12 for 44).
"We made it hard for them to get good looks at the basket," coach Jason Berg said, "especially their best player (Rachel Hoeppner). We also did a good job of rebounding again."
The Tiger defense limited Hoeppner to 12 points, six below her season average and fewer than half of the 25 she put up in her last game against Rochester Mayo.
Bridges had a monster night on the boards with 15 rebounds as the Tigers ourebounded their guests by a 40-25 count. Meyer added eight caroms and Elena Koch pulled down seven. Koch also dished out a team-high four assists and had a pair of blocks.
"The kids are playing very unselfish basketball and they are playing to their strengths," Berg said. "They really don't care who does what. They are just trying to help the team have a chance to win."
Tuesday, Dec. 14, the Tigers entertain Lakeville South and Friday they travel to Minneapolis for a non-conference clash with Washburn.

Wrestling: Big strides at Big Lake

10 Farmington place winners at Big Lake Invitational

A week after placing 10th at the Lakeville Invitational the Tigers took a big step forward with a fifth place finish at the Big Lake Hornet Invitational held Friday, Dec. 10.
Monticello won the team title at the eight-team meet with 247 points. North Branch took second with 193, followed by Big Lake 169.5, St. Cloud Apollo 155, Farmington 138, Sartell-St. Stephan 133, Spectrum Legacy 62.5 and Rush City 40.
Farmington had a great first round, racking up 66 points, but managed just five in the second. The Tigers bounced back the rest of the day, however, and won nine of 10 bouts in the placing matches.
"The young men on this team are surprising us with how well they are handling themselves," coach Chad Olson said. "We have a lot of depth (45 wrestlers) on this team for the first time in a long time and it shows when we compete because with depth comes competition in the wrestling room."
Freshman Jacob Gabbard made his varsity debut and brought home the highest Tiger finish of the meet by winning two of three matches, both by pin, in the 103 lbs. class to take second.
"Jacob was leading in the championship match before he got caught and lost by pin," Olson said.
Five Tigers earned third place medals, including Josh Iverson (135), Carl Elmer (145), Joe Hoeve (152), Tyler Beckett (171) and Dakota Louis-Dupay (215). Iverson, Elmer, Hoeve and Beckett each finished 3-1; Louis-Dupay won two of three matches.
Elmer, the fifth-rated Class AAA 145-pounder in the state, lost 7-5 to No. 8 ranked Patrick Mork of North Branch in the second round, his first defeat of the season, but came back to decision fourth-ranked Jake Schmitz of Monticello 6-2 in the third place bout.
Four more Farmington entrants turned in fifth place performances, including John Waltz (112); Brayden Chapman (119); Jake Rudeen (130) and Chris McCue (140). Each split four matches.
Heavyweight Jamie Scavone was injured in his first match and couldn't continue but still managed a sixth place finish.
"The biggest highlight of the day was winning nine out of 10 placing matches," Olson said. "We also had 24 wrestlers competing in the junior varsity meet. That's the second week in a row where we have had the most wrestlers in a tournament."
This Friday, Dec. 17, the Tigers hit the road again for the two-day Redwood Valley Invitational at Redwood Falls.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 11, 2010

Girls Basketball
Farmington 54 Rosemount 42

Girls Hockey
Farmington 3 Owatonna 2 (OT)

Wrestling
Big Lake Hornet Invitational
1. Monticello 247
2. North Branch 193
3. Big Lake 169.5
4. St. Cloud Apollo 155
5. Farmington 138
6. Sartell 133
7. Spectrum Legacy 62.5
8. Rush City 40

Gymnastics: Injury, illness no problem in dual meet win over Wingers

Farmington overcame an injury to one starter and a meet-ending illness to another to score a 136.675-124.125 win over Red Wing in its Missota Conference opener Thursday, Dec. 9, at the Red Wing Gymnastics Center.
"We really had a good meet considering we had to pull Erin Hickey because of a sprained finger and Kathryn Beckett because of sickness," coach Lynn Bauman said. "Nadia Lorencz, another one of our starters, was under the weather although she still competed."
"The girls were really supportive of each other with all of last minute changes. I am very proud of them."
Kiana Lord put together another stellar performance for the Tigers, taking top honors in floor exercise (9.10) and the balance beam (9.25); second in vaulting (8.5) and third on the bars (8.15). Lord won the all-around competition with a personal-best 35.00 tally.
"Kiana is moving up the scoring line," Bauman said. "She had a great meet and she still has room for improvement."
The Tigers also scored firsts in the other two events. Terra Klima earned a 9.1 to win the uneven bars and Lorencz showed little effect from the flu bug, claiming the vault with a score of 8.55.
Kylie Wharton garnered a pair of seconds on the bar and beam and a fourth on floor. Her all-around score of 33.95 was good enough for second place.
Other Farmington place-scorers included Beckett and Hickey-4th (tie) in vaulting; Tahra Eckert 4th and Beckett 5th on bars; Eckert 4th and Beckett 5th on the beam and Brianna Ruiz fourth and Beckett 5th on floor.
The news was also good from the junior varsity meet where Farmington rolled to a 121.95-59.7 victory over the Wingers.
The Tigers will attempt to move their team score up again Tuesday, Dec. 14, when they travel to New Prague for another Missota Conference dual meet.
"Bars is still a challenge for us," Bauman said. "We need to add some more difficulty to our routines."

Boys Hockey: Fluke goal gives Owatonna 2-1 win

Quinn Eden
1st period goal gave Tigers 1-0 lead

Sometimes hockey can be a frustrating game. Take Farmington's 2-1 loss to Owatonna Thursday night, December 9, at Schmitz-Maki Arena, for example.
In a sluggish first period that saw the puck almost exclusively in the Tiger end of the rink, the home team managed to forge a 1-0 lead thanks to a back-hander by Quinn Eden on an assist from Quinn Malcolm just 62 seconds into the game.
"It was by far our worst period of the night," coach Keith Revels said. "We were running around losing most of the races to the puck. Some good goaltending and luck gave us the lead."
Over the final two periods the Tigers got the better of the play, outshooting Owatonna by a 19-14 margin, but couldn't find the net.
The Huskies tied the count in the second period on Jesse Ebeling's goal and then won it with just 2:22 remaining in regulation when a blind pass bounced off a skate and just beyond the reach of Tiger netminder Victor Simones.
The Tigers pulled Simones who lost for the the first time in three starts, for a late offensive rush but couldn't find the tying formula.
"That's a hard one for our boys to take," Revels said. "We played great over the last two periods. We kept our composure and played hard. It was just not going our way. Hockey is a strange game sometimes."
The Tigers played the game short-handed with Jack Buss (shoulder) and Blake Weinand (stitches in forehead) joining Trevor Hockert (ankle sprain) and Jake Eldred (collarbone) on the shelf.
Revels is hoping to have Buss and Weinand back on the ice next Tuesday, Dec. 14, when the Tigers entertain Dodge County.

Boys Basketball: Tigers rebound from Owatonna loss; down Hastings 70-48

Zach Wallace for two (top)
Alex Michels attacks the basket (below)


Tiger coach Shane Wyandt had some questions as to how his team would react after committing a whopping 35 turnovers in an 80-55 loss at Owatonna Tuesday night, Dec. 7. He got the answers he wanted two nights later in a convincing 70-48 win over Hastings at Tiger Gym.
"I thought this game would tell us a lot about who were were," Wyandt said. "We still made some mistakes, but we are going to do that, especially early in the season."
"Overall I was pleased with our effort. I thought our defense did a lot of good things for us. Anytime you can have wins of 31 (74-43 over Rochester John Marshall) and 22 points, you take them."
Farmington jumped to a quick 11-3 lead and although Hastings came back to make it close early, the Tigers went on a late first half run to take a 36-24 lead to the halftime break.
Darren Beenken provided the spark in the first half, scoring 13 of his game-high 22 points.
"Darren had a rough outing against JM," Wyandt said, "but he has come back tough the last two games."
The Tigers continued to build their lead over the final 18 minutes as Wyandt substituted liberally, giving many of his younger players some valuable court time.
Alex Michels and Josh Ruthenbeck joined Beenken in double figures with 14 and 10 points respectively. Austin Bassett added eight, including a pair of three-pointers.
Beenken not only led the way in scoring but he also pulled own a team-high nine rebounds and recorded five steals and four assists. Michels added six boards and four assists. Sebren Baer also had four assists for the winners.
At Owatonna, the Tigers piled up turnovers like cord wood in the first half and although they reduced a 26-point deficit to 10 midway through the second half could never fully recover.
"We did a lot of things well," Wyandt said. "We outshot them. We outrebounded them and we forced them into 20 turnovers. That goes to show how important it is to take care of the basketball."
Michels had 12 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort. Beenken and Baer added nine apiece and Ruthenbeck yanked down a team-high 10 rebounds.
Farmington, 2-1, all against Section 1 opposition, returns to action Tuesday night, Dec. 14, with a road game at St. Paul Harding.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 10, 2010

Boys Basketball
Farmington 70 Hastings 48

Boys Hockey
Owatonna 2 Farmington 1

Gymnastics
Farmington 136.675 Red Wing 124.125

Tiger swim coaches reap Section 1AA honors

The FHS girls swimming and diving team finished a school-best second at this fall's Section 1AA meet and were rewarded by qualifying five entrants for the state championships.
Those state qualifiers weren't the only Farmingtonians to receive section recognition, however. Head coach Jen Marshall and assistant Joe Velaski won the Section 1AA Coach and Assistant Coach of the Year awards for their efforts in guiding the Tigers to the best season in the 12-year history of the program.
Marshall and Velaski, a 1994 FHS grad and former state meet qualifier for the Tiger boys team, have been coaching partners for three seasons and not surprisingly, it was a swimming connection that brought them together.
"We were both attending Mandy Rappe and Jordan Pack's (both former Tiger swimmers) wedding and Jen told me there was an opening for an assistant coach," Velaski said. "She wanted to know if I would be interested."
Velaski, a part-time student at the University of Minnesota majoring in mathematics, jumped at the chance and has been working with the program ever since.
"This program has the same foundation that it had in the beginning when I was swimming," Velaski said. "For me coaching is an opportunity to take what I have learned and pass it on to others."
The Section 1AA honor was the first for the third-year assistant and though he called the award "nice", he downplayed its significance, noting he was far more concerned one of his swimmers, freshmen standout Kaitlyn O'Reilly, did not receive the section Swimmer of the Year award.
Marshall who has collected section coaching honors like seashells since taking over the program in 2003, took her sixth recognition in stride.
"It's an honor because it comes from a vote of the coaches," she said. "We're in a section with all Big Nine schools but I think the coaches handle it in a professional manner.
"It's really all about the girls. The teams who come into the section on fire and dropping their times like crazy at that time of the season do all of the work. Their coaches get carried along for the ride."
Marshall said that she and Velaski work well together because they share a passion for the strategy involved in coaching their sport.
"I like to watch other teams as well as our girls," she said. "When we won the section True Team this year I think we did it by putting the best individuals in the best events at the right time."
"That's right," echoed her assistant. "Sometimes we'll take a girl who has never been in a certain event and put her in it just to see how she does. Sometimes that gets surprising results."
The coaching partners also complement each other with Marshall handling the basics and general operation of the program and Velaski tuning into finer points like starts, timing and use of technology, especially the underwater camera.
Call them the Dynamic Duo or perhaps an aquatic Dr. Frankenstein and assistant. Or maybe just keep it simple and call them 2010 Section 1AA Swimming and Diving Coaches of the Year.