Boys Swimming: Tigers seventh at Apple Valley Invite

Nick Stephan
9th 100 butterfly; 10th 200 freestyle relay

The Tigers returned to the pool with a seventh place finish in the nine-team Apple Valley Invitational held Friday, Dec. 30.

State power Stillwater won the team title with 2342 points. Lakeville South placed second at 1971, followed by Anoka 1820, Lakeville North 1815, Cretin-Derham-Hall 1721, Eau Claire North 1694, Farmington 1525, Rochester Mayo 1340 and Apple Valley 1018.

"We swam what we expected," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said. "The boys are still working hard in preparation for the end of the season.

"Those who dropped times did so primarily because they are focusing on how to swim their races better. We still have preparation to do as all the swimmers are working on fine tuning their swims.."

Evan Carufel had the highest individual finish for the Tigers, ranking fourth in the one-meter diving competition.

Nick Stephan took ninth in the 100 breaststroke and Zach Holton placed 11th and 12th respectively in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley.

The 400 freestyle relay team of Aaron Lane, Holton, Cameron Molnar and Conner Kealy checked in ninth and the 200 medley relay foursome of Lane, Stephan, Holton and Tyler Lerbakken ranked tenth.

The Tigers start the new year with a Missota Conference dual meet with Red Wing Thursday, Jan. 6, at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 31, 2011

Boys Hockey
Farmington 5 Shakopee 1

Boys Swimming
Apple Valley Invitational
Stillwater 2342, Lakeville South 1971, Anoka 1820, Lakeville North 1815, Cretin-Derham-Hall 1721, Eau Claire North 1694, Farmington 1525, Rochester Mayo 1340, Apple Valley 1018

Wrestling
Rumble on the Red (Fargo, North Dakota)
Farmington 52nd out of 60 teams; 23.5 points

Boys Basketball: Beenken's 34 points lead Tigers past Burnsville 79-68

Darren Beenken 34 points
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Darren Beenken exploded for 34 points as the Tigers downed Burnsville 79-68 Thursday afternoon in the third place game of the Hastings Holiday Classic tournament.

Farmington led by as many as eight points in a fast-paced first half but by intermission the Blaze had come all the way back to forge a 41-41 tie.

"It's been something that has happened to us a lot this season," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "We are not used to playing with a lead and sometimes that shows."

Beenken went on a one-man scoring binge to open the second half and in the end that was the difference in the ball game.

After scoring 12 points in the opening half, The junior forward scored 18 of Farmington's first 20 points after the break to give his team a 61-52 lead. Included in the flurry were four three-pointers and a dunk.

"Darren had a great night," Wyandt said. "He came out shooting like that in the first half of the game against Mahtomedi yesterday but tonight he just kept it up...We ran just about every play we had trying to get him the ball."

The Tigers kept their lead near double digits most of the second period before the Blaze put on a closing rush to pull within four points in the final two minutes.

Senior forward Jacob Hanson came up big down the stretch, scoring six critical points, including draining four of five clutch free throws. Alex Chadwick and Johnny Dittman also hit a pair of free throws apiece in the closing seconds.

"Jake (Hanson) really gave us a lift," Wyandt said. "The big thing about those free throws was that he had missed a couple earlier in the game.

"I think overall the biggest thing to take out of this is that we found a way to close out the game. Once you do that, it's easier to do it next time."

Wyandt added his team still has to do a better job on the defensive end and cut down on its turnovers but the win was a big step in the right direction.

"They are doing what young teams do," he said. "They're learning."

Sophomore center Nick Varner had 15 points and Hanson finished with 10 to join Beenken in double figures for the winners.

Farmington (3-7) will close out its non-conference season the first week of the new year with games against section rivals. Tuesday they travel to Rochester Mayo and Thursday they entertain Owatonna at Tiger Gym.

Girls Basketball: Tigers rebound for 1st win

Dava White (No. 22 shown here in an earlier game)
Career-high 10 points and 11 rebounds
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

In nine straight losses Farmington found itself consistently over-matched in the rebounding department.

That all changed Thursday afternoon as they closed out the 2011 portion of their schedule with a convincing 54-31 triumph over Orono in the third place game of the Orono Holiday Tournament.

"Our aggressive full-court defense forced a number of turnovers, and we pulled down 47 rebounds which is nearly triple our season average to-date," coach Sondra Chadwick said.

"It was because of our aggressiveness on defense and on the boards that we were able to get out in transition and get some higher percentage shots."

Farmington broke another bad habit in the victory, namely getting off to a poor start. The Tigers roared out of the gate and by halftime were sitting on a comfortable 30-11 cushion.

All in all, 10 different Farmignton players got into the scoring act with senior Dava White netting a career-high 10 points. White also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds to post a statistical double-double.

"Dava has been battling her way into the lineup after an injury earlier in the season," Chadwick said. "She played a terrific game."

Isis Alexander finished with eight points as did Allie Rice who had a strong effort off the bench. Mariah Mincke, Sofia Chadwick and Desiree Loftus each added six points for the winners.

"I was very happy with how the girls performed," Chadwick said. "They should build on this as we enter into our conference play after the new year."

The Tigers open 2012 with a Missota Conference road game at Red Wing, Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 30, 2011

Boys Basketball
Hastings Holiday Tournament--3rd place game
Farmington 79 Burnsville 68

Girls Basketball
Orono Tournament--3rd place game
Farmington 54 Orono 31

Girls Hockey
Louis Schmitz Holiday Classic--7th place game
Hastings 4 Farmington 2

Gymnastics
Farmington at Rosemount

Girls Hockey: Park ekes out 3-2 win

by Nate Rowan

Haleigh Zwart
Goal, Assist vs. Park
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Park of Cottage Grove scored two unanswered third period goals and beat Farmington, 3-2, Wednesday in the Louis Schmitz Holiday Classic consolation semifinals at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The two teams traded first period goals. The Wolfpack (8-6-0) took the lead on a goal from Mary Turitto. The Tigers (4-9-0) answered on Grace Gavin’s power play tally.

After a scoreless second period, Haleigh Zwart gave Farmington the lead at the 11:14 mark of the third. Haley Doll added an assist and leads the team with seven points. Park would add goals from Caitlin Quinn and Madison Nelson to take the lead and cap the scoring.

Jessica Erchul stopped 40 shots for the Tigers and Allie Morse stopped 24 for the Wolfpack.

Farmington will now face Hastings at 1 p.m. at Schmitz-Maki Arena in the seventh place game. Earlier this season, the Raiders beat the Tigers 3-2 in Hastings. Lakeville North will take on Rosemount for the tournament championship at 7 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Tigers fall to once-beaten Mahtomedi

Darren Beenken 17 points
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington (2-7) stuck with once-beaten Mahtomedi for a half but in the end ice-cold second half shooting combined with a strong effort on the offensive glass by the Zephyrs led to a 73-49 loss in the opening round of the Hastings Holiday Tournament.

"We played a pretty good first half but they hurt us inside in the second," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "They have some wide bodies up front and I think they wore us down a little...It didn't help that we couldn't hit a shot in the second half either."

Farmington also went with an unfamiliar starting line-up due to a couple of players missing practice(s) early in the week.

The first half was a highly competitive one with the Zephyrs heading to the break with a 39-33 advantage.

"We battled hard," Wyandt said. "We knew that one of the keys for us was controlling our defensive board and for the most part we did a good job of that."

The second half was another story, however, as Mahtomedi (4-1) gradually extended its lead on the back of a strong inside game.

Darren Beenken came off the bench to lead the Farmington offense with 17 points. Alex Chadwick chipped in with eight but no other Tiger managed more than five points.

The Tigers will play Burnsville in the tournament's third place game Thursday (Dec. 29) evening at 5:00 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Silver linings in 61-51 loss to Sartell-St. Stephen

Mariah Mincke
Career-high 17 points
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Mariah Mincke scored a career-high 17 points and the Tigers scored the most points in a game this season but it wasn't quite enough to post their first win in a 61-51 loss to Sartell-St. Stephen Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the Orono Holiday Tournament.

"Although it’s difficult to face another loss, I thought that this was the best the team has played overall this season," Tiger coach Sondra Chadwick said. "We played them even in the second half. We forced a number of turnovers due to our full-court pressure, and we shot the ball very well."

A rash of first half turnovers cost the Tigers, resulting in a 34-23 deficit at intermission. The teams played to a 28-28 draw in the second half.

Mincke paced the Tiger offense with Isis Alexander and Jeanna Gaalswyk adding nine points apiece. Sofia Chadwick scored four points and led the team in assists (6) and rebounds (5).

"If we had cut down on the turnovers in the first half and kept them off the line, this game could have gone our way," coach Chadwick said. "I am pleased with the level of aggressiveness the girls showed, and it was a true team effort."

The Tigers play host Orono in Thursday's third place game. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 29, 2011

Girls Hockey
Louis Schmitz Holiday Classic (second round)
Park of Cottage Grove 3 Farmington 2

Boys Basketball
Hastings Holiday Classic
Mahtomedi 73 Farmington 49

Girls Basketball
Orono Tournament
Sartell-St.Stephen 61 Farmington 51

Tiger Scoreboard: December 28, 2011

Girls Hockey
Louis Schmitz Holiday Classic
Eastview 2 Farmington 0

Girls Hockey: Lightning strike Tigers 2-0 in Schmitz Classic opener

by Nate Rowan

Jessica Erchul 37 saves
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Despite 32 shots on net, Farmington fell in the opening round of the Louis Schmitz Holiday Classic, 2-0, to Eastview Tuesday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena.
The Lightning (6-6-1) received goals from Taylor Tvedt and Erika Geary in the win. Courtney Companion earned the shutout for Eastview

The Tigers (4-8-0) continue to receive solid play between the pipes from Jessica Erchul. The senior goaltender stopped 37 shots and now sports a 2.44 goals against average and a 93.3% save percentage.

In other tournament action, Rosemount beat Sartell/Sauk Rapids in the opening game, Apple Valley knocked off Hastings and Lakeville North squeaked by Park of Cottage Grove.

Farmington will take on Park of Cottage in the second consolation semifinal today at 3 p.m. at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

10 Tiger Tales from 2011

by Pat Rupp

2011 provided another plentiful year of highlights for Farmington High School athletics. In chronological order here are 10 that rank at the top of the list.
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


Girls Hockey: The Tigers repeated as Missota Conference champions, finishing the league season with a perfect 12-0 record. Farmington also won the Louie Schmitz Holiday Classic and advanced to the Section 1AA championship game.

Senior forwards Krystal Baumann and Hannah Alexander and junior goaltender Jessica Erchul paced the Tigers to their first 20-win season since 2007.


Girls Basketball: For the first time in school history Farmington won a girls' conference title, sharing the crown with Chanhassen and Shakopee with an 11-3 record. During the season, the Tigers reeled off 11 straight wins and they advanced to the Section 1 finals for the second time in three years.

Junior forward Taylor Meyer, who led the team in scoring (14+ points per game) and rebounding (8), passed the 1000-carer point mark.


Wrestling: Senior Carl Elmer closed out his distinguished high school career with a 36-9 season and won four of six matches at the Class AAA state meet to finish fifth in the 140 lbs. wight class. Elmer finished his career with a record of 116 wins and 39 losses.


Gymnastics: The Tigers qualified three individuals for the state meet for the first time in school history. At state, Kiana Lord ranked sixth on the balance beam and 19th in the all-round competition while teammates Nadia Lorenz and Terra Klima placed 10th and 26th respectively in vaulting and the uneven bars.


Boys Swimming: 2011 was a championship season as for the first time in program history the Tigers won Missota Conference and Section 1AA True Team honors.

Farmington also excelled at the Class AA state meet where Tyler Magalis became the second Tiger to win the one-meter diving championship and Brian Huls turned in three top-ten performances in swimming events.

Head Coach Ryan Hamen and diving coach Greg Rappe each received Section 1AA Coach of the Year honors.


Girls Track: The Tigers broke eight school records on the way to the most successful season in school history. Farmington showed its strength at the Class AA State Championships where it amassed 34 team points and finished an all-time best fourth in the final team standings.

Individually, Nadia Lorenz finished second in the 100-meter hurdles and long jump; Alyssa Parco ranked third in the 300-meter hurdles and the foursome of Parco, Erin Hickey, Maria Kiminksi and Izzie Ferm placed fourth in the 4x400 meter relay.




Athletic Awards: Carl Elmer, now a member of the St. Olaf College wrestling team and Devyn Alberts, a freshman who played on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women's soccer team this fall, were named the 2011 male and female Athletes of the Year.

Elmer who wrestled and also ran track and cross country finished fifth in his weight class at the 2011 state wrestling meet and Alberts, a soccer player and track runner, garnered all-state soccer honors.















Boys Lacrosse: It took more than a season to achieve, but on April 29, 2011, the Tigers recorded their first-ever varsity win with a 12-4 triumph over Owatonna. In the historic win, Mitch Collier scored five goals and assisted on another while teammate Trevor Howard scored once and added three assists.


Girls Swimming: After a record-breaking 2010 season, the Tigers roared to even more success in 2011. During the season they set new records in eight of 12 events and at the Class AA state meet turned in their best performance ever, scoring 72 points and placing 13th in the team standings.

Four Farmington swimmers earned all-state status: Kaitlyn O'Reilly (3 events); Zoe Avestruz (2), Abby Haugen and Kirsten Kracke. The 200 medley relay team of O'Reilly, Avestruz, Haugen and Kracke became the first Tiger relay team ever to earn all-state honors.


Boys Soccer: The 2011 season was a season of firsts for the Tigers. They finished above the .500 mark (8-7-2) and at 4-2 ranked in the upper division of the Missota Conference, both program milestones. During the regular season Farmington also put together a four-game win streak, its longest ever.

Individually, coach Julian Buss was voted Section 1AA Coach of the Year by his peers and senior tri-captain Sam Leske received second-team all-state recognition.

Girls Hockey: Tigers blank Owatonna for second straight win

by Nate Rowan

Betsy Anderson
2 goals and an assist
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Betsy Anderson scored twice and Jessica Erchul made 23 saves as Farmington rolled over section 1AA opponent Owatonna 3-0 Thursday at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The Tigers (4-7-0) scored three goals in a game for the first time this season. Grace Gavin also scored for Farmington.

The Huskies (5-5-0) finished 0-for-6 on the power play.

“We played solid on the penalty kill and did not give up any good chances,” Farmington head coach Jon Holmes said. “They got plenty of shots toward the net on their power plays but we kept them from the outside for the most part.”

Grace Gavin
1st goal of the season
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Gavin’s goal and Anderson’s first were both on the power play for Farmington. The Tigers finished 2-for-6 with the player advantage.

“When we did score and when we did have some good opportunities it seemed to come off of faceoffs,” Holmes said. “We put some good time in this week on organizing ourselves on faceoffs and it was extremely rewarding to see their efforts hit pay day.“

Farmington will host its annual Christmas tournament, the Louis Schmitz Holiday Classic, Dec. 27-Dec. 29. The Tigers will open with Eastview on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

“We will be facing off against some top teams in the metro and state,” Holmes said. “We will need to be ready to play from the first drop of the puck until the last buzzer.”

Boys Hockey: Last minute letdown

by Nate Rowan

Dan Block
1st varsity goal

Joey Pierre scored his second goal of the game with 12 seconds to play and Park of Cottage Grove upended Farmington 3-2 in boys’ hockey action Thursday night in Cottage Grove.

Despite being outshot 17-1 in the first period, the Tigers (3-4-1) kept the game scoreless thanks in large part to Victor Simones. In all, the senior netminder would make 47 saves in the loss.

“Over this past week, our best defensive player was between the pipes,” Farmington head coach Keith Revels said. “Victor was very solid again.”

The Wolfpack (4-3-1) controlled play in the first and third periods, but it was the Tigers who struck first on back-to-back power play goals in the second by Dan Block at 3:47 and Blake Weinand at 8:48. For Block, it was his first varsity goal.

Park would add a power play tally with less than two minutes to play in the period by Luke Nelson to cut the Farmington lead in half entering the third.

Pierre added his first goal at 2:15 to tie the score and his second with 12 seconds to play gave Park the win.

“Just like Tuesday [against Hastings] we hung in there and gave ourselves a chance to win,” Revels said. “Both games are good preparation for the start of Missota games next week.”

Farmington returns to action December 30 when they open conference play at Shakopee. Puck drops at 6 p.m.

Boys Swimming: Hopkins downs Tigers 100-86

Connor Kealy
First: 200 freestyle relay
Second: 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly

Host Hopkins won eight of 12 events on the way to a 100-86 dual meet win over the Tigers Thursday night at Hopkins North Junior High School.

"We still had a lot of guys swim in some different events but we kept it competitive," Farmington coach Ryan Hamen said. "A lot of the newer guys are swimming in different events to get experience and many are showing some great promise in different strokes.

"Our upper swimmers are really proud of some of the things they are doing but still not satisfied with where they want to go."

Farmington scored three firsts in swimming events with Christopher Kirchmann (50 freestyle) and Zach Holton (100 freestyle) capturing individual races. Kirchmann, Connor Kealy, Christian Bell and Evan Carufel scored the other victory in the 200 freestyle relay.

Carufel provided the other first place points by winning the one-meter diving competition.

Kealy added a pair of second place finishes (100 butterfly and 200 freestyle) to his night's work. Carufel took second in the 50 freestyle and Aaron Lane finished runner-up in the 100 backstroke.

Four other Tigers turned in third place performances: Cameron Molnar (100 butterfly); Austin Kueck (500 freestyle); Holton (100 backstroke) and Kirchmann (100 breaststroke).

The Tigers get back in the pool Friday, Dec. 30, with an appearance at the Apple Valley Invitational.

Boys Basketball: Tigers fall to red-hot Simley

Darren Beenken 24 points, 6 rebounds
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Farmington road woes continued Thursday night as the Tigers dropped a 87-70 decision to hot-shooting Simley in a non-conference contest in Inver Grove Heights. Farmington (2-6) has lost all all four of its road games this season.

The outcome was decided early as the Spartans piled up a 19-0 lead in a run where the ice-cold Tigers missed their first 12 shots from the floor.

"Part of the reason they (Simley) shot so well was that we let them get good looks by not running the floor," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said.

"Later, when we started playing harder, they seemed to knock everything down. Whether they had a hand in their face or took a bad shot it seemed to go in."

The stats bear out Wyandt's contention. The Spartans shot a blistering 72 percent from the field for the game, including a nine-for 12 night from beyond the three-point line.

If there was a silver lining in the loss, it came from the visitors outscoring Simley 45-41 after intermission.

"I can't explain why we come out not ready to compete on the road," Wyandt said. "We seem to let the home team jump out early. Sometimes it looks like we are playing scared."

The trio of Darren Beenken, Nick Varner and Mackinley Bassett provided most of the offense for the Tigers.

Beenken had a game-high 24 points and also pulled down six rebounds. Varner finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Bassett hit double figures for the second straight game with 12 points.

Next on the schedule for the Tigers is the four-team Hastings Holiday Tournament Dec. 28-29. They open play at 5:00 p.m. on the 28th against Mahtomedi.

Wrestling: Tigers roll by South 57-14 for fifth straight win

106-pounder Taylor Venz moved to 12-1 with a technical fall
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers delighted a Farmington Youth Wrestling Night crowd with a dominating 57-14 dual meet win over Lakeville South Thursday night at the FHS auxiliary gym.

The win was the fifth straight for Farmington, the longest dual meet win streak since the Tri-Metro Conference days in the mid-1990's.

"Our lower weights got us off to a fast start again and it became contagious," Tiger coach Chad Olson said. "We had a couple of matches where we could have done better but overall it was a great night for our team. I like where we are at this point of the season."

Taylor Venz, 12-1 for the season, scored a technical fall in the 106 lbs. bout and Jacob Goddard registered a fall at 113 lbs. for a quick 11-0 Tiger lead.

Kyle Benjamin lost by pin at 120 lbs. but from there, Farmington rattled off eight straight wins and 40 points for a lopsided 51-6 lead.

Jake Rudeen scored a fall in the 138 lbs. bout
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


During the blitz, Jake Rudeen, Chris McCue (145) and Joe Hoeve (160) scored pins; Trevor Breezley (170) and Tyler Engel (182) won three-point decisions and Brayden Champan recorded a four-point major decision. Matt Rustad (126) and Ridge Raddatz (152) each picked up six points via forfeit.

Dakoda Louis-Dupay added the icing on the victory cake with the final Farmington win with a pin in the 220 lbs. match.

"I expected us to win tonight, but not by such a large margin," Olson said. "We showed more balance in our lineup tonight."

Next up for the Tigers is a long road trip to Fargo, North Dakota Dec. 29-30 where they will joint 55 other teams for the annual, multi-state Rumble on the Red at the Fargodome.

"This will be a real learning experience for our wrestlers," Olson said. "The competition will be tough and the lower weights are really stacked with good wrestlers. We're looking forward to it."

Girls Basketball: Tigers can't hold the Mayo

Desiree Loftus drives to the basket
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Rochester Mayo held Farmington without a field goal for seven-plus minutes to open the second half and rolled to a 60-36 non-conference win Thursday night at Tiger Gym.

"We showed some positives in spurts but then turned around and had stretches where we made a lot of mistakes," Tiger coach Sondra Chadwick said. "We had a poor start again and that has been something that has bothered us all year."

Each team had six field goals in the first half but the Spartans led 21-13 at intermission thanks to a 9-1 advantage at the foul line.

"As a team we are not very big," Chadwick said, "so we have to learn to to block out and rebound better. They got a lot of points in the paint."

Mayo put the game away early in the second period with an opening 21-4 spurt. The Tigers didn't record their first second half basket until 10:55 remained in the game.

Sofia Chadwick and Isis Alexander shared scoring honors for Farmington with nine points apiece. Chadwick added three assists and Alexander had three rebounds.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 0-8 for the season but brought them a game closer to the return of all-Missota Conference forward Taylor Meyer, out since July after undergoing knee surgery for a torn ACL.

"Having Taylor back will give us an inside scoring presence," Chadwick said, "but just as importantly, she will open up opportunities for other players. She will make everyone better."

Depending on the results of tests scheduled for next week, Meyer could be back on the court for the conference opener at Red Wing on Jan. 6.

In the meantime, the Tigers travel to Orono for a four-team tournament, Dec. 28-29. They open tourney play against Sartell at 5:00 p.m. on the 28th.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 23, 2011

Wrestling
Farmington 57 Lakeville South 14

Girls Hockey
Farmington 3 Owatonna 0

Boys Basketball
Simley 87 Farmington 70

Girls Basketball
Rochester Mayo 60 Farmington 36

Boys Hockey
Park of Cottage Grove 3 Farmington 2

Boys Swimming
Hopkins 100 Farmington 86

Boys Hockey: Short-handed goals costly in 3-1 loss to Hastings

by Nate Rowan

Victor Simones 41 saves
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington surrendered two shorthanded goals Tuesday night and fell to Hastings, 3-1, at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The Tigers (3-3-1) have now lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The start of the game was delayed due to shattered glass behind Farmington’s night during warm ups. The glass was replaced by plywood and had no major effect on the game.

After a scoreless first period of the team’s feeling each other out, the second began with physical play both ways. Head coach Keith Revels said that is the kind of game his team needs to play if they want to have success.

“We need to be physical any time there is an opportunity to be,” he said. “We aren’t going to have the style points. We just need to outwork teams.”

The Raiders (3-5-0) received their first shorthanded marker from Mark Huneke at 2:46 of the second period to open the scoring. The score remained that way entering the third period.

The third began with Hastings clamping down on the Farmington breakout and did not let them escape the zone with possession of the puck. That allowed them to hold a 20-6 advantage in shots in the final period.

“They made us one dimensional in the breakout,” Revels said. “We did a better job of covering the point tonight, but the turnovers the last few games are [hurting] us.”

Hastings added to their lead at 7:50 of the third on a shorthanded goal from Zach Mellick. John Donnelly of the Tigers answered at 9:46, unassisted, to cut the deficit in half. The Raiders would add a third goal with under a minute to play from Nate Flynn to seal the win.

Farmington received a solid performance in net from Victor Simones. The senior goaltender stopped 41 of 44 shots.

“He was certainly busy,” Revels said of Simones. “I wouldn’t call him conventional. He just does what he needs to do to keep us in the game.”

The Tigers will travel to Park of Cottage Grove to face the Wolfpack Thursday night at Cottage Grove Ice Arena. Puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

Boys Swimming: Lakers sink Tigers 94-83

Evan Carufel
1st place one-meter diving

Powerful Prior Lake won seven of the first nine events and cruised to a 94-83 dual meet win over the Tigers Tuesday night at Hidden Oaks Middle School. The Lakers, who built a 94-45 cushion, swam the meet's final three events in exhibition status.

"The boys had a pretty tough meet," coach Ryan Hamen said. "Prior Lake has a lot of good swimmers so I told the boys to use the clock as their reward, perform the way they have been practicing and earn good times...They have been pushing themselves in practice and it showed in last night’s meet."

Evan Carufel and Christopher Kirchmann provided the only Farmington firsts with Carufel winning the one-meter diving competition and Kirchmann leading the pack in the 100 freestyle.

Nick Stephan had the second-fastest time in the 100 breaststroke and Kirchmann was runner-up in the 200 individual medley race.

Zach Holton scored third place finishes in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle while Jonathan Bovee ranked third on the one-meter board.

Hamen said he placed several of his swimmers in events other than their strengths, producing mixed results.

"Some athletes did very well for themselves," Hamen said, "while others were quite disappointed and want to get back to practice and continue to work on what they need to in order to achieve the successes they have set out to do."

Next up for the Tigers is a dual meet Thursday night, Dec. 22, at Hopkins.

Girls Basketball: Another slow start

Jeanna Gaalswyk
8 points, 5 rebounds off the bench

Farmington got off to another sluggish start and could never quite recover in a 50-35 non-conference road loss Tuesday night to Hudson, Wisconsin. With the loss the Tigers season record dropped to 0-7.

"We came out flat and once again found ourselves in a hole," coach Sondra Chadwick said. "The second half we came out with more intensity, but we need to be able to play a full game.

"We are making things entirely too hard for ourselves by letting teams jump out on us. I think this was a good learning experience to show the girls they need to show up at the tip-off."

Hudson scored the game's first nine points and took a 24-17 advantage to the halftime break.

Chadwick said despite the loss the trip to Wisconsin wasn't without its moments.

"We cut our turnovers in half (27 to 14) from the Lakeville South game last week," she said, "and Jeanna Gaalswyk, Gabby White and Allie Rice come off the bench and gave us some good minutes."

Sofia Chadwick paced the offense with 10 points and also chipped in with three assists and three steals. Gaalswyk added eight points and a team-high five rebounds. Isis Alexander netted seven and she and White each dished out four assists.

The Tigers return home Thursday night to close out the pre-holiday portion of their schedule with a non-conference game against Section 1 rival Rochester Mayo.

Harrington coming home as softball coach

Paul Harrington has been the face of Farmington men's fastpitch softball since shortly after his graduation from FHS in 1974. This spring he will bring his experience and talents to the Tiger girls' program.

Farmington athletic director Jon Summer announced last week that Harrington will replace Rob Laden on the Tiger bench. Laden leaves the program after a two-year stint where he compiled a 24-22 win-loss record.

Harrington, a three-sport athlete during his playing days at FHS and a long-time employee of the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis, has a rich fastpitch background both as a player and a coach.

His Farmington and West St. Paul amateur teams won state championships in 1992 and 1999 and six other times finished as state runners-up. They made seven national tournament appearances and won a host of league and tournament titles.

Harrington began his high school coaching career at St. Louis Park in 1994 where he helped that school become competitive in the talent-filled Classic Lake Conference.

After seven years there, Harrington moved to Totino Grace in Fridley where he put that school's program on the state softball map. During his 10-year run as head coach, the Eagles won five North Suburban Conference titles; advanced to the section finals seven times and played in five state tournaments. His coaching record at Grace was an impressive 190 wins and 87 losses.

Harrington said leaving Grace was a difficult decision but he found the Farmington position especially appealing.

"I've been running the men's league here since 1976 and Farmington has a lot of fastpitch history," he said. "It's close to home and it's an opportunity to coach at my alma mater."

The former Tiger said he looks forward to working with the summer and middle school programs in building a feeder system, a luxury he didn't have at a private school like Totino Grace.

"I want to give the kids a great high school softball experience," he said. "I want to build the reputation of the Farmington program and make it one that helps prepares the girls for life after softball."

Harrington said he expects some early challenges with a new conference and a new section to learn.

"And it's always difficult to learn the abilities of 50 or 60 girls in such a short period of time," he said. "We'll have to put in some overtime, so we'll be ready to go for the first game of the season."

Spring practice begins Monday, Mar. 12, with the first game scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 5.

Boys Basketball: Tigers rain treys on Park

Mackinley Bassett
Career-high 17 points

After making just one of 14 three-point shots at Target Center last Friday night against Zimmerman the Tigers returned home Tuesday and found their long range touch in a 79-45 thumping of Park Of Cottage Grove.

Three of Farmington's first four field goals of the game came from behind the arc and by halftime the Tigers had drained nine three-point bombs on the way to a commanding 47-22 lead.

"The way we played tonight was the way we thought we could play," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "I was pleased with just about every aspect of our game.

"We made the extra pass, got good shots and then knocked them down. We took care of the ball and forced them (Park) into mistakes. Our depth was good. We just played like a team tonight."

By intermission three Tigers--Johnny Dittman (11), Derek Beenken (10) and Mackinley Bassett (10) had combined for 31 points, nine more than the opposition.

Park made a brief run early in the second half but only once did the visitors manage to cut their deficit below 20 points.

Johnny Dittman
Career-high 14 points
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Beenken and Bassett topped the Farmington scoring charts with 18 and 17 points respectively. Bassett's was a varsity career-high as was Dittman's 14.

All in all, 11 different Tigers dented the scoring column. Thirty-three of the Farmington points came from behind the three-point stripe.

"We went to the bench early and played a lot of people," Wyandt said. "The good thing was that we didn't miss a beat. Everyone contributed."

The win raised Farmignton's overall record to 2-5 and 2-2 at Tiger Gym. Thursday the Tigers will be looking for their first road when they close out the pre-holiday portion of their schedule with a non-conference contest at Simley. An early 5:30 tip-off is scheduled.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 21, 2011

Boys Basketball
Farmington 79 Park of Cottage Grove 45

Boys Hockey
Hastings 3 Farmington 1

Girls Basketball
Hudson (WI) 50 Farmington 35

Dance Team
Farmington 4th place at Missota Conference Jazz competition

Boys Swimming
Prior Lake 94 Farmington 83

Tiger Scoreboard: December 18, 2011

Boys Hockey
Rochester Mayo 3 Farmington 2

Boys Hockey: Big second period carries Mayo past Tigers 3-2

by Nate Rowan

Blake Weinand power play goal

Farmington surrendered three second period goals and fell, 3-2, to Rochester Mayo Saturday night at Graham Arena.

The Tigers (3-2-1) struggled the entire second period according to head coach Keith Revels.

“Had pretty tough time in the second,” Revels said. “We still had our looks but allowed three point shots to get to our net, two on redirection and another off rebound. It has been an area of focus but not an area that we were not very successful at in the second period.”

The Spartans (4-2-0) received goals from Nolan Edwards, Adam Alcott and Max Whitney. Mayo held a 15-8 shot advantage in the second period.

Farmington controlled most of the third period according to their head coach. Blake Weinand, unassisted and Jack Erickson, from John Donnelly and Andrew Peterson, both netted power play goals but the comeback fell just short.

“There were long stretches where they could not escape their end,” Revels said. “And we were changing lines while holding the zone and forcing multiple icings.”

The Tigers took a penalty in the final three minutes which hurt their chances of netting the equalizer, according to Revels.

Farmington will now host Hastings on Tuesday at Schmitz-Maki Arena. Game time is 7:15 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Off-target at Target Center

Nick Varner 11 points at Target Center
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Less than 24 hours after posting a hard-earned three-point win over St. Paul Harding at Tiger Gym, Farmington invaded the Target Center looking for an encore performance against Zimmerman.

What they got instead was a Timberwolves-like outcome in a 68-46 non-conference loss to the Thunder.

Zimmerman rolled to 34-18 advantage in the opening half on the way to its second win in four games this season. The loss dropped the Tigers to 1-5.

Farmington played much more competitively after intermission, getting outscored 34-28 after the break.

Nick Varner was the only Tiger to score in double digits on the big stage, finishing with 11 points. Darren Beenken added nine, McKinley Bassett eight and Tom Sell six.

Tuesday, December 20, the Tigers play host to Park of Cottage Grove before clsoing out their pre-holiday portion of their schedule Thursday at Simley. Thursday's contest has an unusual start time of 5:30 p.m.

Girls Hockey: Tigers nip Shakopee 2-1

by Nate Rowan

Betsy Anderson scores the 1st Tiger goal (upper right corner)
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Haley Doll scored the game-winner in the second period and Farmington picked up their first conference victory of the season, 2-1, over Shakopee Friday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The Tigers (3-7-0) received 25 saves from Jessica Erchul in the win.

Betsy Anderson opened the scoring in the first at 12:35. Chloe Batta picked up the lone assist on the goal. For Anderson, it was her first goal since moving from defense to forward.

“Her goal helped her get acclimated,” head coach Jon Holmes said of Anderson. “The rest of the defensive corps stepped up to the plate with her migration to forward and we played tough in the [defensive] zone again.”

Farmington pushed the lead to 2-0 on the eventual game-winner by Doll at 8:03 of the second period. Haleigh Zwart and Grace Gavin earned assists.

The Sabers (2-9-1) cut the deficit in half at 13:45 of the second on a power play goal from Nicole Vogel. Amy Menke was credited with the only assist.

The game was the first since Dec. 8 for the Tigers and Holmes said the extra practice time between games helped in several different areas.

“The girls worked hard all week at the new concepts and we did a nice job of implementing them,” Holmes said. “We also made a couple changes in our lines trying to make us more solid in attempts to play 3 lines all game to give us an advantage in terms of having fresh legs throughout the game.”

One change that it’s clear won’t take place is between the pipes. Erchul, despite having just three wins, holds one of the top save percentages in the entire state.

“She had a couple monster saves on breakaways versus their top scorer [Menke], who is a top metro player to watch," Holmes said.

Farmington will have almost a week off before returning to action Thursday, Dec. 22 when they host Owatonna at Schmitz-Maki Arena. Puck drops at 6:00 p.m.

Boys Swimming: Tigers win Missota opener

Farmington opened its 2011-12 Missota Conference season with a solid 94-87 dual meet win over Northfield Thursday, Dec. 15, in Northfield.

"Our varsity athletes showed a little more improvement from our invite in Prior Lake," coach Ryan Hamen said. "Most swimmers are working very hard in order to achieve their goals.

"Practices have gotten more rigorous, and although the swimmers are having to get used to them, they are stepping up at meet time to perform."

Farmington won six of the first 10 events and piled up a big advantage in other place points before swimming the final two events in exhibition status.

Christopher Kirchammn was a double winner for the Tigers capturing the 50 and 100 freestyle races. Aaron Lane won the 100 backstroke and and Zach Holton led the field in the 100 butterfly.

Evan Carufel won the one-meter diving competition and the 200 medley relay quartet of Lane, Nick Stephan, Holton and Conner Kealy opened the meet with a victory.

Second place Farmington finishers included Holton (200 individual medley); Christian Bell (50 freestyle); Eric Schimmel (200 freestyle); Jonathan Bovee (diving) and Kealy (500 freestyle).

The Tigers scored third place points in five events: Cameron Molnar (100 backstroke and 500 freestyle); Lane (100 butterfly and 100 freestyle) and Derek Anderson (200 freestyle).

"We did very well but we're still not satisfied," Hamen said. "We set some great goals this year and the boys are staying focused on what they have to do in order to get their performances better."

The Tigers have two road meets in the final week before the holiday break. Tuesday they head to Prior Lake and Thursday they travel to Hopkins.

Girls Basketball: Washburn pulls away late

Sofia Chadwick (below) 14 points, 3 assists, 3 steals
Aly Grebner (left) 11 points
(photos by Jim Lindquist)

The offense provided its biggest output of the young season but it wasn't enough to produce a win as the Tigers dropped their sixth straight, a 57-50 decision to Minneapolis Washburn Friday night at Tiger Gym.

"The girls were much more productive on offense and executed much better than they had in previous games," coach Sondra Chadwick said. "However, we needed to be stronger on the boards. We gave up a lot of second chance points."

Washburn jumped to a quick 9-2 lead but the Tigers battled back to make it a one possession game at the halftime break.

The teams battled back and forth through the second half with the Minneapolis City Conference school gradually pulling away on its advantage on the glass. The Tigers finished the night with just 12 team rebounds.

Freshman point guard Sofia Chadwick totaled 14 points, three assists and three steals and sophomore Aly Grebner cracked double figures with 11 points to lead the Tigers. Isis Alexander added nine points and three rebounds and Mariah Mincke chipped in with seven points.

"I am encouraged by our progress and am looking forward to our game on Tuesday," coach Chadwick said. "I think the girls are beginning to understand what they need to focus on in order to get that elusive win.

"We are a very inexperienced team in terms of varsity playing time. We are figuring out the speed of the varsity game, as well as a new system and expectations. That takes time to learn, but I am optimistic that we are getting there."

Farmington travels to Hudson, Wisconsin, Tuesday night, December 20, before closing out its pre-holiday schedule on Thursday with a home contest against Rochester Mayo.

Wrestling: Tigers stretch win streak to four

Kyle Benjamin
3 falls helped Tigers win 3 straight

After a middle-of-the-pack finish in a season-opening tournament and four straight dual meet losses to state-ranked teams, the Tigers are on a roll.

This week they ran their winning streak to four with wins over Eastview, Richfield/Edina and Minnetonka to even their season record at 4-4.

"It is fun to watch how contagious winning and wrestling with aggression and attitude can be," Tiger coach Chad Olson said.

Thursday night at Eastview the score couldn't have been any closer as the the Tigers and Lightning finished the match deadlocked in a 37-37 tie. Farmington got the win on a tie-breaker.

"They had to go to the eighth tie-breaker to decide the winner which was total first points scored," Olson said.

Thirty of the Farmington points came on pins by Taylor Venz (106), Kyle Benjamin (120), John Walz (126), Joe Liden (132) and Dakoda Louis-Dupay (220). Jacob Goddard added a major decision at 113 lbs. and Bret Hoffman scored a 3-2 decision in the 285 lbs. bout.

A day later at the Richfield Triangular the Tigers opened with a 39-34 verdict over the host Spartans. A major decision by Venz followed by consecutive falls by Benjamim, Goddard and Walls and a technical fall by Brayden Chapman provided a 27-0 lead. Later, Joe Hoeve (165) and Louis-Dupay added pins to ice the victory.

"We did not wrestle great vs Richfield/Edina," Olson said, "but we came back with great intensity against Minnetonka."

The lower weights again provided an early cushion in the 55-24 win over the Skippers with the Tigers winning the first six matches to spurt to a 35-0 lead. Venz, Benjamin, Walz, Liden and Jake Rudeen (138) all posted pins with Gabbard adding a technical fall.

In the upper weights Tyler Engel (195) and Louis-Dupay registered falls; Hoeve (152) won by technical fall and Ridge Raddatz (160) claimed a three-point decision.

"The wrestlers are understanding great wrestlers win big and most of our wins were by bonus points," Olson said.

The early season individual records reflect the current four-match winning streak. Venz leads the way with an 11-1 mark. Gabbard is 6-2, Benjamin 5-1, Walz 7-4 and Hoeve 6-5.

"I am going to have to go through the history of Farmington wrestling to see when the last time we won four duals in a row," Olson said. "I think it must be about 10 years."

The Tigers will be looking to make it five in a row Thursday, Dec. 22, when they entertain Lakeville South at the FHS auxiliary gym.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 17, 2011

Wrestling
Richfield Triangular
Farmington 40 Richfield 34
Farmington 42 Minnetonka 24

Girls Hockey
Farmington 2 Shakopee 1

Girls Basketball
Minneapolis Washburn 58 Farmington 50

Boys Basketball
Zimmerman 68 Farmington 46

Tiger Scoreboard: December 16, 2011

Boys Basketball
Farmington 66 St. Paul Harding 63

Boy Swimming
Farmington 94 Northfield 87

Wrestling
Farmington 38 Eastview 37

Dance Team
Farmington 5th place at Missota Conference kick meet

Boys Basketball: Tigers hold off Harding

Austin Bassett
6 free throws in final 2:49
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

It wasn't exactly a work of art but the Tigers overcame a rash of turnovers and a furious St. Paul Harding rally to defeat the Knights 66-63 Thursday night at Tiger Gym for their first win of the season.

The two teams combined for 47 turnovers in the contest, 25 of them by the home team.

"Sometimes that first win comes hard for a young team and I think that was the case tonight," coach Shane Wyandt said. "We didn't take very good care of the basketball and we have to do that better if we are going to win basketball games.

"The best thing about this game is that we found a way to win in the end. We'll take it for what it is and move forward."

In the early going, the Tigers looked like they would run away and hide from the St. Paul City Conference school after an early 14-4 spurt produced a 28-11 lead.

But the visitors responded with a 9-0 of their own run to cut the deficit in half. Farmington led 36-22 at intermission.

The Tiger advantage swelled to 19 points at 47-29 early in the second period on Johnny Dittman's three-pointer but from there on the Knights gradually pecked away at the lead.

The spread was still 11 points with 3:00 minutes to play before things began to unravel for the home team as Harding closed on 15-7 run.

Austin Bassett made six of eight free throws over the final 2:49, including four straight in the last 16 seconds, to finally seal the deal.

Nick Varner
13 points, 14 rebounds
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Bassett and Nick Varner, who also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, shared Farmington scoring honors with 13 points apiece. Mackinley Bassett added 10 for the winners.

Other than the final outcome, Wyandt said there weren't a lot of memorable moments for the locals.

"I thought Jacob Hansen gave us some good minutes off the bench and Nick (Varner) and Tom (Sell) did a nice job on the boards in the second half," he said. "Like I said, we'll take the win, learn from it and move on."

The Tigers don't have much time to rest as they bounce back into action Friday night against Zimmerman at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Gymnastics: Trojans vault by Tigers

Kylie Wharton performs on the uneven bars
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Kiana Lord won the individual battle but New Prague took team honors in a 141.575-131.375 dual meet decision over the Tigers Tuesday night, Dec. 13, at the District Service Center.

"We didn't have a full squad," Tiger coach Lynn Bauman said, "and right now we seem to be stuck on our team score. We just haven't hit our routines yet. When we do it will be amazing!"

Lord took the all-around title for the second straight meet with a 35.3 point total. She finished first in vault and floor exercise, fourth on the balance beam and fifth on the uneven bars.

"Kiana had a good meet, especially considering she had two falls," Bauman said. "Her floor exercise was very good. She is really coming along there."

Kylie Wharton placed in two events, taking third on the beam and fifth in floor exercise. Tahra Eckert ranked third in all-around and placed fifth in vaulting. Kathryn Beckett finished fifth in the all-around standings.

"Tahra only had one fall," Bauman said, "and she was the only varsity girl to stick her beam routine."

Bauman also praised the effort of junior varsity performers Leah Rohde and Taylor Schmaltz.

"They both had an awesome night," she said.

The Tigers will have plenty of time to polish up their routines as their next meet isn't scheduled until Dec. 29 when they travel to Rosemount for a non-conference dual with the Irish.

Boys Hockey: Tigers rout Dodge County 9-1

by Nate Rowan

Sean Johnson attacks the Dodge County goal
(pohto by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington had three players score their first varsity goals and Andrew Peterson added a hat trick as the Tigers rolled over Dodge County 9-1 Tuesday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Jordan Lugowski, Michael Giebel and Zach Colaw tallied their first varsity markers in the rout, which saw the Tigers (3-1-1) score seven goals in the first two periods.

Andrew Peterson 3 goals, 2 shorthanded
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Jack Buss and Jake Eldred, who scored twice, also added goals along with Peterson’s three, who notched his second hat trick of the season and leads the team with 10 goals.

Head coach Keith Revels said he was happy with his team’s play, especially the special teams units. The power play finished 3-for-3 while the penalty kill shut down all seven of the Wildcats (0-3-0) opportunities. The Tigers are now 33.3% (5-15) on the power play this season and 88% (22-25) on the penalty kill.

“We accomplished what we set out to do,” Revels said. “We played pretty well defensively and called off the dogs a bit in the third.”

Farmington held a 35-9 shot advantage after two periods.

Victor Simones made eight saves through two periods and Nick Schoening, who entered to start the third, stopped all five Dodge County shots he faced.

The goals by Lugowski, Giebel and Colaw marked the fourth-straight game a Tigers player has recorded his first varsity goal.

Farmington will travel to Rochester on Saturday, Dec. 17 to take on Rochester Mayo at Graham Arena. Puck drops at 7:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Tigers go to South and suffer cold spell

Aly Grebner
Team-high eight points vs. South

Farmington took its game to Lakeville South Tuesday night and although the weather outside was quite delightful, the shooting inside was a bit on the dreadful side.

The Tigers scored just 13 first half points and made only 10 of 38 field goal attempts for the game in a 64-34 loss to the Cougars. The defeat was the fifth straight for Farmington (0-5) and its most one-sided of the season.

"It was a tough night," coach Sondra Chadwick said. "We knew going into the season we would struggle with consistency and that was the case last night.

"We had been improving game after game, but last night we seemed to take a step back in terms of executing our offense. Too many turnovers resulted in many uncontested lay-ups."

South raced to an early lead and by halftime was sitting on 37-13 cushion. Farmington performed much more competitively after intermission, playing the Cougars to within six points.

Ally Grebner had eight points and Isis Alexander six to lead the Tiger scorers. Alexander and Desiree Loftus topped the Farmington rebound charts. Sofia Chadwick chipped in with three assists before leaving in the first half due to illness.

After three straight road losses the girls return home Friday, Dec. 16, to take on Minneapolis Washburn. Tip is 7:30 at Tiger Gym.

Boys Basketball: Tigers fall short in 69-65 loss to Spring Lake Park

Coach Shane Wyandt and the Tiger bench tell the story of the final minute
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Tiger coach Shane Wyandt was none too pleased with the way his team frittered away a nine-point second half lead in a 62-55 loss at Hastings last Friday night.

Tuesday night's non-conference home game with 11th-rated Spring Lake Park provided a similar result but this time Wyandt saw a little light at the end of the tunnel in a 69-65 defeat.

"Against Hastings we crumbled when they made a run," Wyandt said. "Tonight we didn't quit and we came back with a run of our own against a good team.

"The next thing we need to learn is how to close things out. To make the clutch shot, to hit the big free throw or make the good pass when the game is on the line. We made some positive steps but we still need to do more."

The visitors drained six of their game total of 10 three-pointers in the first half but only led by a bucket at intermission 34-32. The Tigers stayed close thanks to a three-man scoring binge by Nick Varner (14 points), Darren Beenken (11) and Alex Chadwick (7) who combined for all of the offense.

The Panthers hit four more three's to open the second half on a 15-6 run that upped their lead to 11 and threatened to blow the game open.

But the Tigers keep pecking away and finally pulled to within three at 64-61 with 1:20 remaining.

"When we look at the tape we are going to see some key turnovers and missed lay-ups that we would like to have back," Wyandt said. "The game was there for the taking."

Alex Chadwick 11 points off the bench
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Beenken and Varner, each averaging 14-plus points over the first three games, finished with 22 and 21 respectively to pace the Tigers. Chadwick, who saw major floor time filling in for the foul-plagued Johnny Dittman, chipped in with with 11.

The contest was the first in a busy week for the Tigers. Thursday night they entertain St. Paul Harding at Tiger Gym and Friday they take on Zimmerman at Target Center.

Tiger Scoreboard: December 14, 2011

Boys Hockey
Farmington 9 Dodge County 1

Gymnastics
New Prague 141.575 Farmington 131.375

Boys Basketball
Spring Lake Park 69 Farmington 65

Girls Basketball
Lakeville South 64 Farmington 34

Another record-breaking swim season

Coming into the 2011 season the Tigers knew they had a tough act to follow. The 2010 team broke eight school records and achieved new school bests in both points (43) and team standing (17th) at the Class AA state meet.

As it turned out the 2012 team will be the one with the tough assignment, namely trying to match the accomplishments of this year's squad that set eight more school records and scored 72 points (13th place) in the state meet.

"The successes the team experienced in the water speak for themselves," coach Jen Marshall said. "What's not as easy to see is how this group of girls respected, encouraged and supported each other. They were true a delight to coach."

In addition to all of the new school records, Marshall said the 2011 season was filled with highlights, including winning the Kennedy Invitational team title; having four athletes (in four events) earn all-state status and traveling to the University of North Dakota for a multi-state meet.

"All of that and this team had the most cohesiveness of any I have had the privilege of working with," Marshall said.

Marshall and her staff awarded varsity letters to 29 athletes at the team's post-season banquet, including seven seniors: Jade Alm, Ashton DeFusco, Abby Haugen, Sarah O'Reilly, Victoria Resch, Samm Smith and Nichole Smithson.

Underclassmen receiving letters included juniors Maddie Alexander, Melanie Brothers, Robin Ellis and Delaney Wright; sophomores Katie Aaron, Nikki Cayard, Brooke Christenson, Sydney Geiger, Chloe Holton, Sara Kintner, Courtney L'Heureux, Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Cora Ruzicka and Hannah Seitzinger; freshmen Zoe Avestruz, Katie King, Kirsten Kracke, Kendall Novak, Ellie Sundet and Hanna Sundt and eighth-graders Chelsea Gehrke and Tori Sontag.

Kaitlyn O'Reilly
MVP, all-state (3 events), all-Missota Conference


MVP Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Avestruz, Kracke and Ruzicka all earned all-Missota Conference honors while Haugen and Seitzinger garnered all-league honorable mention. O'Reilly (3 events), Avestruz (2), Haugen and Kracke each received all-state recognition.

Avestruz took home the Rookie of the Year award and Ruzicka was named the team's hardest worker. Christenson and L"Heureux shared the Most Improved award while Holton was the winner of the Tiger Award.

Even with the loss of seven seniors the Farmington swimming and diving cupboard is hardly bare with three of the four all-state performers having two or more years of competition remaining.

"We will lose some talented swimmers," Marshall said, "but there will be a core group of driven athletes who will work hard to achieve their goals."

As for the senior class, Marshall said it is a group of whom she is extremely proud.

"They all came from differing backgrounds and found a common ground," she said. "They are strong young women who will accomplish much in life.

"I appreciate all they've shared with me and I'm honored to have had the opportunity to work with them and watch them grow into amazing young women."

School records established in 2011:
200 medley relay: K. O'Reilly, Haugen, Avestruz and Kirsten Kracke
200 individual medley: K. O'Reilly
50 freestyle: Avestruz
100 butterfly: Avestruz
100 freestyle: K. O'Reilly
500 freestyle: Ruzicka
100 backstroke: K. O'Reilly
400 freestyle relay: Kracke, Ruzicka, K. O'Reilly and Avestruz

Gymnastics: Tigers win Missota opener

Kiana Lord
1st in vault, bars, floor and all-around
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Kiana Lord finished first in three of four events and won the all-around competition as the Tigers rolled by Red Wing 133.275-121.425 Friday night, Dec. 9, at the District Service Center.

Lord won the vault (9.2), uneven bars (8.45) and floor exercise (91.5) and ranked fourth on the balance beam (7.475) for a winning all-around total of 34.275.

Tahra Eckert placed in all four events and ranked second in all-around with 33.475 points. Eckert placed second in floor and third in vault, bars and beam.

Kyle Wharton also had a productive all-around night for the Tigers, finishing second on beam and bars and third in floor. Her all-around score of 33.075 earned her a third place finish.

Kathryn Beckett placed second in vaulting and Nadia Lorencz was fourth in floor and fifth on both bars and beam.

"We had small improvements from the first meet," coach Lynn Bauman said. "Our weakness is on bars and beam. We need to stay on the beam! What we have for beam routines is great; we just need to stay up there. Bars just need more polishing.

"Our team has a lot of potential. We will definitely reach it with determination and dedication."

The Tigers will look to keep improving Tuesday night, Dec. 13, when they entertain Missota Conference rival New Prague at the District Service Center.