Alumni Tracker: Ex-Tiger tracksters still shining at next level

Trey Davis
5th place in shot put at Big Ten Championships

2007 FHS male Athlete of the Year and former state champion Trey Davis placed fifth in the shot put at the Big Ten Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships held last weekend at the University of Illinois. Davis tossed the 16-pound ball 59-5.5 to help the University of Minnesota to its third straight Big Ten indoor title.
Ex-Tiger Michael Bendix cleared the high jump bar at 6-4 3/4 to finish second at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Indoor Championships held last weekend at Bemidji State University. The Minnesota State, Moorhead junior's eight-team points helped the Dragons to the NSIC championship.
At the same meet, former Tiger Michael Amofah hit 22-2 1/4 in the long jump. Amofah is a sophomore at St. Cloud State University.
Jackie Beckett, who ran in two state meets during her Tiger career, competed in the 800-meter run for Minnesota State, Mankato at the NSIC meet.
Former Tiger Isaiah Rockett had a busy day at the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Indoor Championships held at St. Scolastica College in Duluth last weekend. Rockett, a sophomore at North Central University in Minneapolis, ran a leg on the winning distance medley and fourth place 4x400 meter relay teams and also took seventh in the 400-meter dash and 11th in the 800-meter run.
Matt Shutey, a member of the FHS Class of 2010, ran the 55-meter hurdles for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference indoor meet held last weekend at the Univesrity of Wisconsin-Stout.

Boys Swimming and Diving: Tigers take 2nd in section; qualify for state in 6 events

(photo submitted by Joanie Holton)

Tyler Magalis 1st place: one-meter dive

Brian Huls 1st place: 50 and 100 freestyle


An already outstanding season got even better for the Tiger swimmers and divers at the Section 1AA Championships held last Saturday in Rochester.
Farmington not only placed placed second in the eight-team meet but also qualified for this week's Class AA state meet in six of the 12 events.
To add an exclamation point to the day's happenings, Ryan Hamen was selected as the Section 1AA Coach of the Year; Gregg Rappe was named Diving Coach of the Year and senior Tyler Magalis was selected Diver of the Year.
"The boys went into this meet optimistic," Hamen said, "but they knew they had to put in the work. It was their goal to win and with the effort they put in, it feels like they won. I am very proud of them."
Rochester Century took home the section team title with 397 points. The Tigers finished with 322, followed by Rochester Mayo 248, Northfield 235, Hastings 234, Rochester John Marshall 230, Owatonna 214 and Winona 174.
Leading the way for the Tigers was the senior duo of Brian Huls and Magalis who combined to earn seven state qualifications.
Huls won both the 50 and 100 freestyle races and in the process broke his brother Erik's school record in both. He also swam a leg on the state-qualifying 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams.
For his part, Magalis won the one-meter diving competition by almost 100 points and his 496.75 point total eclipsed the old school mark owned by 2005 state champion RJ Rappe. Magalis also qualified in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.
Loren Hatten and Zach Holton teamed up with Huls and Magalis in the 200 medley relay while Allen Berg and Christopher Kirchmann filled out the 200 freestyle lineup headed to state.
Berg provided the other Tiger state-qualifying performance when he broke his own school record in the 500 freestyle. In the preliminaries, Berg also surpassed Devon Meeks old school mark in the 200 freestyle.
Hamen was pleased with his state qualifiers but was quick to point out many other highlights from the section meet.
"Conner Kealy (500 freestyle), Aaron Lane (200 medley), Matt Stephan (200 medley and 100 breaststroke), Tyler Lerbakken (500 freestyle), Cameron Cain (100 backstroke), Loren Hatten (100 breaststroke) and Nick Stephan (100 breaststroke) all dropped times," he said, "and assistant coach Amy Stoks was instrumental in helping our breaststrokers drop their times."
The Class AA state meet begins this Friday, March 3, at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Gymnastics: Lord 6th on beam; Lorencz 10th in vault at state gymnastics meet

(l to r) Nadia Lorencz, Kiana Lord and Terra Klima
Class AA State Meet Gymnasts

Kiana Lord didn't seem to mind the pressure of her first state gymnastics meet.
The talented Tiger sophomore scored 9.40 for her balance beam routine and earned all-state honors with a sixth place finish at the Class AA State Gymnastics Championships held Saturday night, Feb. 26, at the University of Minnesota Sports Pavilion.
Lord, who also qualified for the state finals in all-around, accumulated a personal best score of 36.675 to finish 19th in that category.
Nadia Lorencz, another Tiger sophomore, scored a top 10 finish at state, placing tenth in the vault competition with a 9.60 mark that broke her own school record.
Senior Terra Klima, who ranked sixth among uneven bars performers at state last season, registered a score of 8.55 in the event this year to finish 26th in the final rankings.
"Terra was struggling due to injuries," coach Lynn Bauman said, "but the positive was that she was able to return to state and have the amazing opportunity to compete with Minnesota's best high school gymnasts."
The state meet performances capped a stellar season for the Tigers who won the Austin and Farmington Invitational meets, placed second at the Section 1AA Championships, set a new team scoring mark and erased several school records in individual events.
"It was a long and very late meet for the girls and we are very proud of them," Bauman said of the state meet experience. "It was very rewarding to see three talented girls representing Farmington at the state tournament."

Boys Basketball: Cold first half costs Tigers in 53-45 loss at New Prague

Austin Bassett 10 points

The line score tells the story of the Tigers 53-45 loss at New Prague Friday night. Each team scored 31 points in a competitive second half but the visitors managed just 14 in the opening 18 minutes on the way to an eight-point halftime deficit.
The loss was the third straight in Missota Conference play for Farmington and dropped its league record to 3-9 with two games remaining on the schedule. The Tigers stand 9-15 for the season.
Alex Michels and Austin Bassett each scored 10 points for Farmington. Sebren Baer added eight and Darren Beenken chipped in with six.
The Tigers resume Missota Conference play Tuesday, Mar. 1, with a home game with Chanhassen before closing out regular season play Friday night at Red Wing. Section 1AA play begins next week.

Boys Hockey: South snaps Tiger win streak; advances to section finals

Farmington's five-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt Saturday afternoon, Feb. 26, when Lakeville South blanked the Tigers 7-0 in the Section 1AA semifinals at the Rochester Recreation Center.
The victory vaulted the Cougars into Friday's championship game with crosstown rival Lakeville North back in Rochester. Farmington's loss closed the books on its season with the locals finishing at 14-13.
South took the game to the locals in the opening period, outshooting them by a one-sided 25-2 count on the way to a 3-0 lead.
The Cougars added three more scores in the second period and one more in the third to boost their record to 16-8-2.
"We played hard," Tiger coach Keith Revels said. "But we were not very composed with the puck and we got into penalty trouble early and paid dearly (3 power play goals).
"The positive thing is that we we stayed together as a team even with the dire circumstances. We played to the end against a very good team. They just took it too us."
Revels noted that despite the final score, goalies Victor Simones (2 periods) and Aaron Dahl didn't play that badly.
"We gave them (South) some pretty good looks," he said.
The final shots on goal told the story succinctly: South 58 Farmington 11.

Wrestling: Elmer earns return trip to state

Carl Elmer went undefeated in three matches to win the 140 lbs. championship at the Section 2AAA individual wrestling tournament held Saturday, Feb. 26, at Prior Lake.
Elmer (32-7) pinned Kyle McPhee of Lakeville North in his first match and then posted a 15-7 major decision over Ryan Norton of Prior Lake to reach the finals. In the championship bout, Elmer registered a 8-3 decision over Missota Conference rival Gavin Larsen of Chanhassen/Chaska.
The section title earned Elmer a return ticket to the Class AAA state meet slated for this week at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Tiger senior begins competition Friday afternoon against Chris Keske of Sauk Rapids-Rice.
Elmer was the only Tiger to qualify for state but five others Farmington grapplers earned places at the section meet.
Kyle Benjamin wrestled what coach Chad Olson called "his best matches of the season" to take fourth place in the 103 lbs. weight division. Benjamin split four matches and owned a 5-1 in the third place bout before being pinned.
Jacob Gabbard (112), Matt Rustad (119), Tyler Beckett (160) and Bret Hoffman (285) each earned sixth place finishes.

Tiger Scoreboard: February 27, 2011

Boys Swimming and Diving
Section 1AA Championships at Rochester
Tigers finished second in the team standings and qualified for the Class AA state meet in six different events: Tyler Magalis (diving); Brian Huls (50 and 100 freestyle); Allen Berg (500 freestyle); 200 medley relay (Huls, Loren Hatten, Zach Holton and Magalis) and 200 freestyle relay (Huls, Christopher Kirchmann and Magalis).
Head coach Ryan Hamen received section coach of the year honors. Gregg Rappe won the section diving coach of the year award and Magalis was top diver.

Gymnastics
Class AA State Championships at the University of Minnesota
Kiana Lord: 6th on balance beam and 19th in all-around
Nadia Lorencz 10th in vault
Terra Klima 26th on uneven bars

Wrestling
Section 2AAA Individual Championships at Prior Lake
Carl Elmer, 140 lbs. champion, advances to Class AAA State Championships in St. Paul.

Boys Hockey
Section 1AA semifinals in Rochester
Lakeville South 7 Farmington 0
Cougars snap five-game Tiger win streak and advance to the finals against crosstown rival Lakeville North.

Girls Basketball: Tigers earn first-ever conference title with 56-37 rout of New Prague

Elena Koch (below) 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Taylor Meyer 14 oints, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



















The Tigers made a little history Friday night, Feb. 25, with their 56-37 win over New Prague.
The victory gave Farmington (22-3) a three-way tie for the Missota Conference title with Chanhassen and Shakopee, the first time a Farmington girls hoops team has worn a conference crown. Girls basketball started in Farmington in 1974.
New Prague who beat the Tigers 45-42 in New Prague last month, entered the contest locked in a four-way knot atop the Missota leaderboard, but had no answer for the aggressive Farmington defense in the first half.
"One thing we wanted to do was really make it hard on their two best players on defense and attack them with the dribble on offense," coach Jason Berg said. "We accomplished both.
The Trojans made just three of 25 field goal attempts over the first 18 minutes and left the floor at intermission staring up at a 28-12 deficit.
Taylor Meyer netted 10 of her 14 points and Elena Koch eight of her game-high 17 in the opening period.
New Prague cut the deficit to 11 points at 41-30 with five minutes to play but the Tigers responded with eight unanswered points, four by Jamie Kenealy, to push the lead back to 19.
"Our kids did a great job of executing our game plan," Berg said.

Jordan Bridges 13 points, 11 rebounds


Jordan Bridges joined Koch and Meyer in double figures with 13 points and also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. Meyer and Koch each had eight boards for Farmington who owned a 41-25 advantage on the glass.
Paige Steele handed out a team-high four assists; Meyer and Koch had three apiece. The Tigers did turn the ball over 19 points but only one led to an easy Trojan basket.
"We knew if we could get them to play against our half court defense they would have trouble scoring," Berg said.
The Tigers will leave their conference title behind and turn their attention to the playoffs when they open Section 1AA play Saturday, March 5 at Tiger Gym against a team to be determined.

Tiger Scoreboard: February 26, 2011

Girls Basketball
Farmington 56 New Prague 37
Elena Koch scored a season-high 17 points and Taylor Meyer and Jordan Bridges added 14 and 13 respectively as the Tigers earned a share of the Missota Conference championship with Shakopee and Chanhassen. The conference title is the first-ever for the Tigers who began varsity play in the mid-1970's.
Farmington (22-3) opens Section 1AA play Saturday night, Mar. 5, in a home game against an opponent to be determined by seeding.

Boys Basketball
New Prague 53 Farmington 45
A 14-point first half cost the Tigers as they dropped their third straight Missota Conference game. Alex Michels and Austin Bassett each scored 10 points for Farmington(9-15).

Boys Hockey: Tigers dismantle Rockets in section opener 6-1

Tyler Grubb 27th goal opened scoring
Victor Simones 29 saves




















On November 30, Rochester John Marshall spanked the Tigers 7-1 in a non-conference game at the Rochester Recreation Center. Thursday night on the same ice Farmington settled that score with a dominating 6-1 victory over the Rockets in the Section 1AA quarterfinals.
The win was the fifth straight for the Tigers and vaulted them into a semifinal match-up with top-seeded Lakeville South Saturday morning back at the Rochester Recreation Center.
"Four of our last five wina have come against teams that beat us the first go-around," Tiger coach Keith Revels said. "We are playing well and peaking at the right time."
Tyler Grubb gave the locals a 1-0 lead after the first period although the fifth-seeded Rockets seemed to get the better of the play.
"They had us on our heels with the home ice and higher seed," Revels said, "but we weathered the rush."
Andrew Peterson made it 2-0 early in the second and after JM countered with a goal, Jake Sorenson responded to make it 3-1 with a period to play.
"That goal was big," Revels said. "It stopped their (John Marshall) momentum."
Grant Hauswirth scored shorthanded to kick off a penalty-filled final period and later Zak Pyane and Matt Provost added goals to close out the scoring.
All in all, six different players scored goals and 10 had at least a point for the winners. All three lines produced at least a goal.
Top-seeded Lakeville South will present a bigger challenge to the Tigers but Revels feels his team will be up for it.
"They (South) are clearly the class of the section," he said. "We will need to play well defensively and between the pipes, especially against their top line. We have to be physical but stay out of the box."
Face-off is set for 11:30 a.m. at the Rochester Recreation Center.

Tiger Scoreboard: February 25, 2011

Boys Hockey
Section 1AA Quarterfinals
Farmington 6 Rochester John Marshall 1
Six different players scored goals and goalie Victor Simones turned away 29 shots as the No. 5 seeded Tigers downed the No. 4 Rockets at the Rochester Recreation Center. The victory moved Farmington into the semifinal round Saturday in Rochester against top-seeded Lakeville South, a 8-1 winner over Winona in the opening round. Face-off is 11::30 a.m. at the Recreation Center.

Girls Basketball: Tigers tie for Missota lead with win at Chaska, play New Prague Friday for league title

Paige Steele's two free throws in the final minute sealed the victory.
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Missota Conference championship race is headed for a photo finish with four teams tied for the league lead with one game to play.
Farmington moved into a tie for the lead with a narrow 48-47 win over Chaska Tuesday night, Feb. 22, in Chaska. With Chanhassen's loss to New Prague, the Tigers joined New Prague, Chanhassen and Shakopee atop the league standings with a 10-3 record.
Farmington controls its own destiny as far as winning at least a share of the conference title for the first time in school history as it entertains New Prague Friday night in the league finale for both teams. Chanhassen travels to Red Wing and Shakopee visits Northfield in other Friday night contests.
Tuesday night's win didn't come easily. The young Hawks got to the basket too much early and the visitors were fortunate to hit the halftime break with a slim 22-21 lead.
"We didn't do a good job of guarding the dribble in the first half," Tiger coach Jason Berg said. "We gave up too many inside shots and fouled too much."
A quick 9-0 run to start the second half, fueled by Taylor Meyer's seven points, gave the Tigers a 10-point cushion but it didn't last long.
Chaska battled all the way back to a take a 42-40 lead with three minutes to play before four straight free throws, two apiece by Elena Koch and Jamie Kenealy, gave the lead back to Farmington for good.
Paige Steele's two free throws in the final minute served to keep the lead at four until the Hawks hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Meyer had 16 points and Kenealy 12 to lead the offensive attack for the winners who shot just 31 percent from the field.
Perhaps the biggest stat of the night, however, came in the turnover department where the Tigers committed a season-low seven miscues. Farmington also hit the free throws when they counted, draining seven of eight in the second half.
Chaska won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Farmington 39-36. Jordan Bridges led the way for the Tigers with 10: Koch added eight, five off the offensive glass.
"We did what good teams do," Berg said. "We made plays on offense and played defense down the stretch."
After Friday's regular season finale, the Tigers head to Section 1AA post-season play where they open at home Saturday, Mar. 5, against an opponent to be determined by seeding.

Tiger Scoreboard: February 23, 2011

Girls Basketball
Farmington 48 Chaska 47
The Tigers pulled into a four-way tie for first place in the Missota Conference with a one-point road win over the Hawks. Taylor Meyer and Jamie Kenealy scored 16 and 12 points respectively to lead the way. The Tigers play co-leader New Prague Friday night (Feb. 25) at Tiger Gym in their conference finale for a share of the league title.

Boys Basketball
Chaska 83 Farmington 48
The fourth-rated Hawks (19-4) rolled to a 42-26 halftime lead and cruised to the Missota Conference win at Tiger Gym. Darren Beenken scored a team-high 17 and Sebren Baer added 16 for Farmington (9-14).

Alumni News: Kelli Johnson helps UW-Eau Claire to NCHA Playoffs

Kelli Johnson

FHS grad Kelli Johnson, a key player in the Tigers run to a second place finish in the 2007 Class A girls state hockey tournament, has helped the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to its first-ever top four-seed in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) playoffs.
Johnson, a four-year starter on defense for the BluGolds, tallied three goals and eight assists during the regular season. UW-Eau Claire hosts fifth-seeded Concordia (Wisconsin) this weekend in the opening round of the NCHA post-season.
Two other members of the 2007 Tiger state tournament team are wrapping up collegiate careers. Erin Johnson had five goals and seven assists for Bemidji State University of the Western Collegiate Athletic Conference (WCHA) this winter while goalie Erin McNamara posted a 1.94 goals against average and .920 save percentage in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) games for St. Olaf College.
2006 FHS female Athlete of the Year Kallie Flor who holds all of the Tiger girls hockey scoring records is back in the area after a distinguished collegiate career at Quinnipiac University (Connecticut). Flor works for the The Hartford Company and in her spare time helps coach the Farmignton girls 12 and Under girls hockey team.

Erik Huls

Former Tiger swimming standout Erik Huls had a productive weekend at the MIAC men's swimming and diving meet held last Friday and Saturday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. Huls won the 100 butterfly and swam a leg on two fourth place relay teams to help the University of St. Thomas to a second place finish in the team standings....Ex-Tiger Jaymes Awbery swam the 500 freestyle for Carleton College in the MIAC meet.
Tyler Smith placed eighth in the 100 butterfly and swam in the 100 and 200 breaststroke races for Carthage College who won the team title at the College Conference of Illinois Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships held last weekend at Wheaton College (Illinois)...Another ex-Tiger swimmer, Michael Brasgalla, is a member of the Pacific Lutheran University (Washington) men's swimming and diving team.

Abby Kenealy

Abby Kenealy of the FHS class of 2008 finished as the second leading scorer (11.2 points per game) and rebounder (4.9) for Southwest Minnesota State University this season...2009 Tiger female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty averaged 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds a night for St. Olaf College after joining the team late because she was playing volleyball for the Oles who won the MIAC championship last fall.
Kyle Winkelman, a 2010 Tiger grad has played in eight games for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team...Jake Lippert, a member of the Tigers 2009 Missota Conference championship team, is a back-up forward for the University of St. Thomas...David Steege, another member of the first Farmington Missota Conference championship basketball team in almost four decades, is the tallest player on the Jamestown College (North Dakota) men's team.

Kaitlin Mincke

2007 FHS male Athlete of the Year Trey Davis won the shot put and ranked fourth in the weight throw at the Snowshoe Open indoor track meet held at the University of Minnesota last Sunday....Logan Hussung, the Tigers 2010 male Athlete of the Year and a redshirt this season at the U of M, placed 11th in the shot put...The day before former Tiger middle distance standout Kaitlin Mincke took second in the 1000-meter run for Minnesota in the Parent's Day Invitational at the U of M. Mincke is a redshirt freshman for the Gopher women's team.

Girls Hockey: Baumann named 3rd team all-Metro

Krystal Baumann 3rd team all-Metro
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tiger senior captain Krystal Baumann was selected to the Minneapolis StarTribune's third all-Metro team girls hockey team announced Tuesday, Feb. 22.
Baumann, a fixture in the Tiger lineup since middle school, finished the season with 54 goals and 18 assists for a team-leading 72 points. She ranks as the second leading goal scorer in school history behind Kallie Flor.
The University of Vermont recruit led Farmington to back-to-back Missota Conference championships the past two seasons and this year scored eight goals in three post-season games as the the Tigers reached the Section 1AA title game.

Boys Hockey: Tigers draw No. 5 seed; head to Rochester for section opener

Farmington ranked fifth among nine teams in the seeding for the Section 1AA tournament and will open post-season play against No. 4 Rochester John Marshall Thursday, Feb. 24, at the Rochester Recreation Center.
Lakeville South drew the top seed and will entertain the winner of Tuesday's Dodge County-Winona play-in game in the opening round.
Other quarterfinal match-ups include Owatonna (7) at Lakeville North (2) and Rochester Century (6) at Rochester Mayo (3).
The semifinals and finals will be played in Rochester Saturday, Feb. 26, and Friday, Mar. 3.

Wrestling: Lakers sink Tigers in section

Carl Elmer
Won 11-2 major decision in the 140 lbs. bout
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The eighth-seeded Tigers drew the unenviable task of facing top-seeded and eighth-ranked Prior Lake in the opening round of the Section 2AAA team tournament held Saturday, Feb. 19, at Chaska.
The talented Lakers, who went on to defeat Bloomington Kennedy and Shakopee to advance to the state tournament, showed little mercy to the young Tiger squad, rolling up a lopsided 78-4 victory.
"We were the youngest team in the tourney, so our turn will come," Tiger coach Chad Olson said. "Our guys just have to keep battling and trying to get better everyday."
The Farmington points came from senior Carl Elmer who scored an 11-2 major decision over Ryan Norton in the 140 lbs. bout. With the win, Elmer, the seventh-ranked Class AA 140-pounder in Minnesota, raised his season record to a lofty 29-7.
The good news was that the Tigers were able to fill 13 of the 14 weight classes. The bad news was that they suffered 12 six-point falls and a forfeit in the quarterfinal match.
The Tigers will be looking for better things in this weekend's Section 2AAA individual tournament slated for Saturday, Feb. 26, in Prior Lake.

Dance Team: Tigers 7th in Section 1AA

The Tiger Dance Team closed its 2010-11 season with a seventh place finish at the 14-team Section 1AA meet held Saturday, Feb. 12, at Bloomington Kennedy.
Coach Shelby Kuphal was pleased with her team's performance as it represnted a big jump from last year's 13th place finish.
"The girls worked very hard in the two weeks leading up to the section," she said. "They really brought a strong performance to the floor. It was a perfect way to end our season.
"We're going in the right direction and we are able to set goals for next year based off of our scores. We know what we have to do and understand the time and commitment it requires."

Boys Basketball: Raiders tip Tigers in OT

Darren Beenken
19 points, 7 rebounds
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

For the second time this season Farmington and Northfield had to work overtime to determine a winner.
Unlike the first meeting between the two teams when the Tigers prevailed by a point, the Raiders got the upper-hand in a 63-59 victory Friday night, Feb. 18, in Northfield.
"It was a typical Northfield-Farmington game," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "We had a triple overtime game with them last year and every one seems to be close. They seem to be our biggest conference rival."
The game was close for the first half with the Tigers taking a slim 26-23 lead to intermission.
Things started to turn early in the second half when Alex Michels picked up his third foul, leaving Northfield's 6-8 center Otto Pfefferle room to operate in the post. The Raiders took advantage of the mismatch and then used some dead-eye outside shooting to pull away to a 13-point lead at one point.
The Tigers were still down eight with fewer than five minutes to play when Michels picked up his fourth and fifth fouls to complicate things even more.
But Farmington found its way back and when Austin Bassett drained two free throws with 17 seconds remaining in regulation the Tigers led by a point.
Pfefferle made one of two from the stripe with three seconds to play to force overtime where the Raiders outscored their guests 6-2 to even the season series at a game apiece.
"We worked hard and made a nice comeback to get in a position to win," Wyandt said. "In the end the difference was we shot only 37 percent from the field. When you do that, it's an uphill battle."
Darren Beenken led Farmington in scoring with 19 points and also pulled down seven rebounds. Michels had 13 points and a team-high 11 boards for a double-double. Bassett hit double figures with 11 and also handed out three assists. Josh Ruthenbeck chipped in with three assists and three steals. Pfefferle had a game-high 28 points to lead the Raiders.
Tuesday (Feb. 22) the Tigers entertain No. 4 Chaska and Friday they travel to New Prague to take on the Trojans in another Missota Conference tilt.

Girls Basketball: Tigers win No. 20; Meyer hits 1000-point mark

Taylor Meyer (left) scores 1000th career point
Isis Alexander 10 points, 4 assists
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


The Tigers reached one team and one individual milestone in a 53-42 win over Northfield Friday, Feb. 18, at Tiger Gym.
The victory was No. 20 on the season for coach Jason Berg's squad, the most ever recorded by a Farmington girls' team, and junior forward Taylor Meyer reached the 1000-point plateau in career points scored.
The final score was a bit deceiving as the home team dominated first half play on the way to a 29-9 halftime lead. The stingy Farmington defense allowed only three field goals over the first 18 minutes while nine different players scored for the winners.
"They (Northfield) played a lot of junk defenses trying to stop Taylor (Meyer)," Berg said, "but she did a nice job of not forcing things and staying patient."
The Tigers extended their lead to 38-16 early in the second half before the Raiders whittled down the deficit down the stretch.
Jordan Bridges led the balanced Tiger offense with 11 points and Isis Alexander netted 10. Elena Koch added seven and Mariah Mincke six.
Meyer, the team's leading scorer for the season, had only five, but put together a solid floor game with nine rebounds and four assists. Meyer is just the sixth Farmington girl to reach the 1000-point mark.
Farmington controlled the boards with Koch adding eight and Jamie Kenealy seven. Alexander had four assists to go with her 10 points.
"The win keeps us in the race for the Missota Conference championship going into the last week of the season," Berg said, "and that makes 20 wins. The kids were pretty excited."
The Tigers enter the last week of the regular season a game behind league-leading Chanhassen. Tuesday (Feb. 22) they travel to Chaska and Friday they return home for the regular season finale against New Prague.
Chanhassen, meanwhile, hits the road for games Tuesday at New Prague and Friday at Red Wing.

Gymnastics: Tigers runner-up at section; three advance to state as more school records tumble

Top to bottom:
Kiana Lord (balance beam and all-around), Terra Klima (uneven bars)
and Nadia Lorencz (vault) will compete in the Class AA state meet
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



The Tigers ended their record-breaking season with a flourish, placing second at the Section 1AA Championships held Friday, Feb. 18, at Lakeville South. In addition, three Farmington performers qualified for this weekend's Class AA state meet in Minneapolis.
Defending state champion Northfield broke its school record with a 149.9 point effort to repeat as section champs. The Tigers upped their school record by .15 of a point to finish second at 142.875. Owatonna took third with a score of 141.9.
Other teams competing included host Lakeville South, Rochester John Marshall, Rochester Century, Rochester Mayo, Faribault and Winona.
Qualifying three gymnasts for the state meet in one year is also new territory for the ninth-ranked Tigers.
Terra Klima who placed sixth on the uneven bars in the state meet as a junior, earned a return trip to Minneapolis by winning the event with a mark of 9.525.
Kiana Lord and Nadia Lorencz will each make her first trip to state. Lord won the balance beam competition at the section meet with a score of 9.525 and her all-around score of 36.525 landed her in fourth place in the standings. Lorencz took second in vaulting with a mark 9.50.
Both Lord's score on beam and Lorencz's tally in the vault eclipsed school records formerly owned by their coach and former state floor exercise champion Lynn (Gramentz) Bauman.
No Farmington entrant made state in floor exercise but the team's 37.125 total in the event established yet another new school standard.
"Who rocks the house?", asked a jubilant coach Bauman. "We say the TIGERS rock the house...The girls were amazing. I am so proud of all of them."
Other top 10 finishes included: Lorencz, 9th on balance beam and 6th in all-around; Klima, 5th on beam; Lord, 7th in floor exercise and Kathryn Beckett 9th (tie) in floor exercise.
The three Farmington state entrants will display their routines Saturday night at the University of Minnesota Sports Pavilion located next to Williams Arena on the Minneapolis campus.

Girls Hockey: South tops Tigers 6-2 to earn state tourney berth

Tiger captains Hannah Alexander, Krystal Baumann and Emily Soresnon
accept Section 1AA second place trophy
(photos by Jim Lindquist)

Chloe Batta, (No. 7), Alexander (No. 15) and Baumann battle for the puck as
South goalie Chelsea Laden makes the save

Farmington made the first statement but Lakeville South had the final word in a 6-2 win over the Tigers in the Section 1AA championship game played Friday night, Feb, 18, at Four Seasons Arena in Owatonna.
The loss closed the books on the 2010-11 season for Farmington who finished 20-7 and won its second straight Missota Conference title. South (23-2-2), the South Suburban Conference champion, advanced to the Class AA state tournament in St. Paul.
"After the first period they beat us at the little things," Tiger coach Jon Holmes said. "They won the races to the puck and did a good job of transitioning from defense to offense. Those things we had been doing well for the last 15 games but they (South) did them better tonight. They have a very good hockey team."
Farmington got on the board first on Krystal Baumann's 55th goal of the season midway through the opening period. Baumann, who Holmes said was playing at about half capacity after suffering a knee sprain in Tuesday's semifinal win over Lakeville North, beat South goalie Chelsea Laden from close range to give the locals their only lead of the night.
South responded almost immediately, knotting the score on Morgan-Fritz-Ward's power play goal two minutes later. Though the teams were tied heading to the first break, the Tigers played catch-up the rest of the night.
"I think we got caught up with our emotions a little," Holmes said. "We maybe got a little too high after we scored first and then a little too low after they tied it up. We had trouble finding that even keel."
The Cougars outshot the Tigers 13-3 and scored twice in a penalty-filled second period that seemed like one long march to the penalty box. The Tigers picked up five infractions and the Cougars four in the 17-minute stretch.
At one point, the officials had to stop play and review the official book to sort out who actually belonged in the box.
Fritz-Ward and Farmington forward Haleigh Zwart exchanged goals in the third period before South put the contest out of reach with two scores in the final four minutes.
South outshot Farmington 28-19 in the game, but 22-13 over the decisive final two periods.
Tiger goalie Jessica Erchul, the hero of Tuesday night's classic win over North, finished with 22 saves, including a handful on breakaways.
"We had four goals at the start of the season," Holmes said. "We wanted to win our conference, win our holiday tournament, get to the section finals and, of course, get to back to the state tournament.
"We accomplished three of the four and we won 20 games while doing it. We had a very successful season."

The Tigers had plenty of support at the championship game with the pep band and a large crowd of students in attendance
(photos by Jim Lindquist)

Tiger Scoreboard: February 19, 2011

Girls Hockey
Section 1AA Championship
Lakeville South 6 Farmington 2
The Tigers finished the season with a 20-7 record. Krystal Baumann and Haleigh Zwart scored the Farmington goals.

Girls Basketball
Farmington 53 Northfield 42
The Tigers built a 29-9 halftime lead. Nine different players scored for Farmington led by Jordan Bridges with 11 and Isis Alexander with 10. Taylor Meyer scored her 1000th career point and the Tigers reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in school history.

Boys Basketball
Northfield 63 Farmington 59 (OT)
The Raiders outscored the Tigers 6-2 in overtime to pull out the Missota Conference win. Darren Beenken scored 19 points and Alex Michels and Austin Bassett 13 and 11 respectively for Farmington.

Gymnastics
Farmington at Section 1AA Championships

Tiger Scoreboard: February 18, 2011

Boys Hockey
Farmington 3 Red Wing 2
Grant Hauswirth's third period goal provided the difference as the Tigers won their fourth straight and pulled into a third place tie with Red Wing in the final Missota Conference standings. Jake Sorenson and Dan Handberg also scored for Farmington and goalie Victor Simones recorded 52 saves.

Boys Hockey: Hauswirth's third period goal lifts Tigers over Wingers 3-2

Grant Hauswirth game-winning goal in the third period
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Grant Hauswirth's third period goal broke a 2-2 tie and gave the streaking Tigers a 3-2 win over Red Wing Thursday night, Feb. 17, at Prairie Island Arena.
The victory in the regular season finale was the fourth straight for the Tigers who raised their record to 13-12 overall and 7-7 in the conference. The locals finished in a third place tie with the Wingers in the final league standings.
"We haven't been able to find out for sure the last time we won in Red Wing," Tiger coach Keith Revels said, "But never in the new arena and that means the year began with 19 and not 20. They are tough at home."
The Wingers drew first blood in the opening period but as has been the case in recent games, Farmington fired right back with Jake Sorenson notching his fourth goal in the last three games.
"The Sorenson, Grubb (Tyler), Handberg (Dan) line is getting more and more comfortable each outing," Revels said.
Handberg's second period goal (from Grubb) gave the visitors a one-goal lead heading into the final stanza.
Red Wing re-tied the game at 4:16 of third but Hauswirth countered with the game-winner less than a minute later, scoring on assists from Zak Payne and Andrew Peterson.
Red Wing pulled its goalie late but for the third straight outing the Tigers withstood the last minute pressure.
Tiger goaltender Victor Simones finished the night with either 52 or 26 saves depending on whose shot chart you believe.
"We had them outshooting us 28-25 and they had it 54-29," Revels quipped. "It was Parent's Night. Maybe the distraction affected the count."
Seeding for the Section 1AA tournament occurs Sunday and Revels is hoping his team's strong finish translates into a higher ranking.
"It's hard to tell," he said. "I'd say we should be fourth, fifth or sixth (out of nine)," he said, "but you never know how other people will vote."
A fourth through sixth seed would mean a quarterfinal game next Thursday, Feb. 24, at the higher seed. A fourth seed would bring about a home game; fifth or sixth would mean a road contest.

Girls Basketball: Tigers one game back after 58-40 win over Holy Angels

Taylor Meyer (right) 22 points, 8 rebounds
Jamie Kenealy nine points, six rebounds
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


With three Missota Conference games remaining, the Tigers find themselves locked in a three-way tie for second place in the league standings after a 58-40 win at Holy Angels Tuesday night, Feb. 15, in Richfield.
Chanhassen sits atop the conference with a 9-2 mark while Farmington, New Prague and Shakopee stand one game back with identical 8-3 records.
Although the Tigers routed Holy Angels 58-26 when the teams met at Tiger Gym earlier in the season, the Stars made a game of it in the first half, trailing by just 23-18 at halftime.
The visitors started to find their game legs after the break, however, and a 17-8 run to open the second period gave them some breathing room. Taylor Meyer led the second half spurt with nine points and Mariah Mincke chipped in with a big three-pointer. Farmington led by 23 points with five minutes to play.
Rebounding was a problem in the first half as the Stars relied on the three-point shot to stay in the game but the Tigers owned the glass after intermission, finishing with a 43-26 advantage.
"We rebounded much better in the second half," coach Jason Berg said. "Because they shot so many three's (27), there were a lot of long rebounds. In the second half we did a better job of chasing them down."
Meyer scored a game-high 22 points, netting 11 in each half, and also came away with a team-high eight rebounds. Jamie Kenealy finished with nine points, eight in the second half, and six boards; Elena Koch scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds.
Paige Steele delivered four assists and Meyer came up with four steals for the winners.
Farmington (19-3) hosts Northfield Friday night (Feb. 18) and travels to Chaska next Tuesday night before returning home for the regular season finale with New Prague on Feb. 25.

Boys Basketball: Tigers edge Stars...again

Sebren Baer 16 points, 2 key three-pointers

When the Tigers visited Holy Angels in January they eked out a one-point win on Sebren Baer's bank shot from the top of the key at the buzzer.
In the rematch Tuesday night, Feb. 15, at Tiger Gym Farmington pulled out another nail-biter, this one by a 54-52 count.
"We had a poor first half," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "We were passing up open shots and when we did take the shots we weren't knocking them down.
"But we had a little talk at halftime and seemed to get some things straightened out. We were an entirely different team the second half."
The Stars got the better of the play in the opening period and enjoyed a 31-22 lead at the halftime break before the Tigers started to find their game.
Baer and Alex Michels tied for scoring honors with 16 points apiece and both netted 10 of their total after intermission to help their team finally pull ahead 44-43 with fewer than five minutes to play.
Baer hit a couple of big three-pointers in the comeback while Michels worked the inside and got to the foul line with regularity. Michels scored Farmington's final three points from the charity stripe and intercepted a late pass to sew up the victory
"Those two did a lot of the scoring but we had several guys step it up in the second half," Wyandt said. "Zach Wallace had four offensive rebounds and Austin Bassett ran the offense like the point guard we need him to be."
The victory snapped a five-game Missota Conference losing streak for the Tigers who travel to Northfield Friday night to play the Raiders whom they also beat by a point earlier in the year.
Farmington returns home next Tuesday to entertain conference-leading and state-rated Chaska.

Girls Hockey: Alexander, Baumann deliver and Erchul saves the day in 3 OT win over North

Jessica Erchul career-high 61 saves
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Krystal Baumann 3 goals 2 assists
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Hnnah Alexander 2 goals (including game-winner), 2 assists
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Third-seeded Farmington outlasted No. 2 Lakeville North 5-4 in a marathon three-overtime thriller Tuesday night, Feb. 15, in the semifinal round of the Section 1AA tournament at Ames Arena.
Hannah Alexander's wrist shot from the point capped the gritty, come-from-behind win for the Tigers who were outshot 65-36 in the contest.
"It is great to get out of there with a 'W', Tiger coach Jon Holmes said shaking his head, "but collectively I would say we played our worst game of the season. We didn't execute in our offensive zone and defensively we were out of position all night. We got outshot 2-to-1.
"But that says a lot about our team. We never quit and we found a way to win when we weren't playing at our best. I'm really proud of our effort."
If Holmes were to have awarded a game puck, it would have been a difficult choice. Krystal Baumann (3 goals) and Alexander (2), Farmington's version of Batman and Robin, combined to score all five goals and keyed the third period comeback. But in the end, it would be hard to top the effort of goalie Jessica Erchul who finished the night with a career-high 61 saves.
"Krystal and Hannah did what they always do," Holmes said, "They never stop. They keep coming at you. But Erch kept us in the game when some other things weren't going so well. She put us in a place where we had an opportunity to win.
"She has been playing very well lately. It seems when the game is bigger and the team needs her more, she always rises to the challenge."
The Tigers seemed to get the better of the play early in the opening period and they took a 1-0 lead on Baumann's power play laser from outside the right circle before the Panthers countered later in the period to tie the count.
Baumann scored again in the second period, this time on a rebound on the power play, to give the lead back to the visitors but once again North came right back, this time with two goals to take a 3-2 edge after two periods.
Even worse for the Missota Conference champions, Baumann suffered a knee injury in the closing seconds of the period, and left the ice with a noticeable limp.
"The trainer said it was a mild sprain but Krystal is a gamer," Holmes said. "She was determined to play."
And play she did. After North went up 4-2, Baumann put the puck on net and Alexander slammed it home with 4:27 left in regulation to give the Farmington faithful some hope. Two minutes later she scored on the power play to forge an unlikely tie.
"When we got two goals down we changed our defensive strategy and decided to concentrate on getting the puck back down the ice as quickly as possible," Holmes said. "We became more aggressive and things started to open up."
From the opening face-off of overtime until Alexander's clutch game-winner, the spotlight belonged to Erchul. She stopped four shots in the first eight-minute extra session and then a miraculous 18 in the full 17-minute second overtime, including s couple from point-blank range.
Alexander's deciding goal came 81 minutes and 33 seconds after the opening face-off on just the second Farmington shot of the period.
Baumann finished the night with a pair of assists to go with her hat trick for five points and Alexander tallied two goals and two assists for four points. Linemate Chloe Batta and defender Betsy Anderson each contributed a pair of assists.
Farmington's win was its 20th of the season against six losses and vaulted the locals into Friday's championship game against top-seeded Lakeville South in Owatonna. Face-off is scheduled for 7:30 at Four Seasons Arena on the Steele County Fairgrounds.

Tiger Scoreboard: February 16, 2011

Girls Hockey
Farmington 5 Lakeville North 4 (3 OT)
Hannah Alexander's second goal of the night at 5:33 into the third overtime provided the game-winner. Krystal Baumann scored a hat trick and goalie Jessica Erchul came up with a career-high 60 saves for the Tigers who scored twice in the final four minutes of regulation to send the contest into overtime. Farmington takes on top-seeded Lakeville South for the section title Friday night in Owatonna.

Girls Basketball
Farmington 58 Holy Angels 40
Taylor Meyer tallied 22 points to lead the Tigers to their school record 19th win in Richfield.

Boys Basketball
Farmington 54 Holy Angels 52
Alex Michels and Sebren Baer each scored 16 points to pace the Tigers to their second win win of the season over the Stars.

Boys Hockey: Three in row

Aaron Dahl 37 saves vs. Chanhassen

Four different players scored goals and Aaron Dahl stopped 37 shots as the Tigers recorded their third straight Missota Conference victory, a 4-2 road win over Chanhassen Monday night, Feb 14, at Chanhassen Arena.
The win brought Farmington's overall season record to 12-12 and 6-7 in the Missota Conference.
"We certainly seem to be peaking at the right time," Tiger coach Keith Revels said. "We're playing very good hockey right now."
Jake Sorenson and Zak Payne netted goals in the first five minutes of the opening period and Dahl stopped 15 Storm shots to give the visitors a 2-0 lead at the first intermission.
Chanhassen countered with a goal early in the second but Andrew Peterson answered less than a minute later to restore Farmington's two-goal edge.
"That's one thing we have been doing well that had been an issue for us (earlier in the season)," Revels said.
The Tigers led 3-2 after two periods and Dan Handberg's 11th goal of the season midway through the third closed the night's scoring.
Chanhassen pulled its goalie near the two-minute mark and played with a six-on-four advantage but Dahl and the penalty kill team did their job. Dahl stopped all 16 shots he faced over the final 17 minutes.
The Tigers close their regular season Thursday night with a road game with Red Wing at Prairie Island Arena. A win over the Wingers would give the Tigers a third place tie in the final Missota Conference standings.

Tiger Scoreboard: February 15, 2011

Boys Hockey
Farmington 4 Chanhassen 2
Tigers win thrid straight with Jake Sorenson, Zak Payne, Andrew Peterson and Dan Handberg each scoring a goal. Tyler Grubb added a pair of assists. Goalie Aaron Dahl posted his third win of the season with a 37-save effort.

Gymnastics: Tigers 3rd in Missota

Kiana Lord
2nd in Missota Conference on beam; 4th in all-around

The Tigers broke the school team record for floor exercise and came within a fraction of a point of the record for overall team score but still finished third at the Missota Conference Championships held Friday, Feb. 11, at New Prague.
Top-rated and defending Class AA state champion won the title with 149.3 points. New Prague placed a distant second at 142.9. followed by Farmington 142.1, Chaska/Chanhassen 134.975 and Red Wing 126.2.
"We did very well with one varsity girl out," Tiger coach Lynn Bauman said. "Kylie Wharton was out with a fever.
"Floor exercise was the most entertaining event for us. The girls really performed their hearts out. Everyone was watching."
Three Tigers placed among the top 10 in floor (Nadia Lorencz 5th; Tahra Eckert 7th and Kathryn Beckett 10th) and they helped establish a new team record with a 36.580 point total.
Kiana Lord turned in the top individual Farmington finish with a second place effort on the balance beam. Lorencz took third in vault and Terra Klima ranked third on the uneven bars. Klima also finished ninth on the beam.
Lord placed eighth in vaulting and ninth on bars and her all-around total of 35.975 ranked fourth overall. Lorencz placed fifth in all-around with 35.375 points.
"I am very proud of all the progress the girls have made," Bauman said. "I am also excited for the section meet. Our goal is to finish second. I know we can do it if wee keep our heads up."
The Section 1AA Championships are slated for Friday, Feb. 18, at Lakeville South.

Girls Hockey: Tigers roll by Dodge County in Section 1AA opener; North up next

Krystal Baumann (below) 50 goals for the season
Betsy Anderson goal, 2 assists vs. Dodge County
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


Dodge County entered last Friday night's (Feb. 11) Section 1AA quarterfinal contest with the Tigers with a 17-4 record. They left Schmitz-Maki Arena with a humbling 8-1 loss.
Krystal Baumann ran her lofty season goal total to 50 with a four-goal outburst and teammates Hannah Alexander, Betsy Anderson, Chloe Batta and Haleigh Zwart each scored once to propel the locals into a semifinal match-up with Lakeville North Tuesday, Feb. 15, at Ames Arena. North defeated Farmington 4-2 earlier in the season.
Baumann and Anderson each found the net in the opening period to stake the Tigers to a two-goal lead and then the potent first line of Baumann, Alexander and Batta reeled off four more scores in the second to build a commanding 6-1 cushion.
Two more scores in the final frame, Baumann's fourth of the night and Zwart's first, put the finishing touches on Farmington's 19th win of the 2010-11 season.
Baumann added an assist for a five-point night and Anderson had a pair of assists to go with her goal for a three-point effort. Alexander, Batta, and Rachel Peroutky each tallied two points. Bria Donnelly and Grace Gavin also had assists for the winners.
Jessica Erchul worked the Farmington nets and posted her 19th win of the season, stopping 25 of 26 shots. The Tigers outshot their guests 52-26.
The winner of Tuesday night's clash with North will advance to the section finals against the Lakeville South-Owatonna winner Friday, Feb. 18, at Four Seasons Arena in Owatonna.

Wrestling: Cougars nip Tigers 39-34

Josh Iverson (below) 10-8 overtime winner at 135 lbs.
Jake Rudeen 10-1 decison in 125 lbs. bout


















The Tigers led Lakeville South 34-33 with one match remaining but couldn't hang on in a 39-34 non-conference setback Friday night, Feb. 11, in Lakeville.
South moved up Zane Peterson, the state's top-ranked 215-pounder, to the heavyweight slot for the deciding match and he pinned the Tigers' Bret Hoffman to end the match.
"It was by far the best we have wrestled all season," Tiger coach Chad Olson said. "We still had to forfeit two weights due to wrestlers not making weight but we were still able to be competitive. It's a great time to start wrestling well."
Farmington put itself in position to claim the match by winning seven individual bouts.
Carl Elmer pushed his record to 28-7 with a pin at 140 lbs. Kyle Benajamin (103) and Jacob Gabbard (119) also earned six team points, Benjamin by a forfeit and Gabbard on a disqualification.
Jake Rudeen (125) and Chris McCue (130) each won major decisions. Josh Iverson scored a 10-8 overtime decision at 140 lbs. and Tyler Beckett won by a technical fall in the 160 lbs. match.
Next up for the Tiger grapplers are the Section 2AA team championships scheduled for this Saturday, Feb. 19, in Chaska.

Boys Swimming and Diving: Tigers rule Missota jungle for 1st time

For the first time in school history Farmington owns a Missota Conference boys swimming and diving championship. Earlier this season it captured its first-ever Section 1AA True Team title.
The Tigers earned their inaugural Missota championship hardware Saturday, Feb. 12, when they out-pointed the four other league schools in the annual conference get-together at the Dodge Middle School pool.
Farmington tallied 490 points to claim the crown. Northfield finished runner-up at 453, followed by Red Wing 381, Chaska/Chanhassen 333 and Shakopee 202.
"I told the boys that the day was going to be very close between them , Northfield and Red Wing with the team that swam a lot of best times winning," coach Ryan Hamen said.
"None of our varsity athletes were disqualified and we had a lot of very good swims. Our divers finished 1-2-4...We had a great day of competition."
The Tigers won the title thanks to balance and depth. They had a at least one entrant place among the top five in each of the 12 events.
Four Farmington entrants brought home individual titles. The 200 medley relay foursome of Brian Huls, Zach Holton, Loren Hatten and Tyler Magalis kicked off the meet with a a winning performance.
Later, Magalis would add two more first place finishes to his ever-growing personal ledger with victories in the 50 freestyle and one-meter diving competition. The versatile senior also anchored the third place 200 freestyle relay team.
The final Tiger championship effort came from Hatten who edged teammate Matthew Stephan in the 100 backstroke.
Huls scored second place finishes in the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle and swam a leg on the third place 200 freestyle relay team.
Allen Berg, Evan Carufel and Holton also claimed second place points, Berg in the 200 freestyle; Carufel in diving and and Holton in the 100 butterfly.
Third place Farmington finishers included Berg in the 500 freestyle; Aaron Lane in the 100 butterfly; the 200 freestyle relay team of Huls, Berg, Magalis and Christopher Kirchmann and the 400 freestyle relay team of Kirchmann, Berg, Lane and Holton.
Jonathan Bovee ranked fourth on the one-meter board while Kirchmann, Holton and Nick Stephan each garnered fifth place points: Kirchmann in the 200 freestyle; Holton in the 200 individual medley and Stephan in the 100 breaststroke.
Other Farmignton top 10 finishes:
200 individual medley: 7. Lane; 8. M. Stephan
50 freestyle: 9 (tie). Aaron Cayard; 9 (tie). Conner Kealy
100 butterfly: 8. Aaron Cochnauer
100 freestyle: 6. Kirchmann
100 backstroke: 9. Cameron Molnar
100 breaststroke: 9. Benjamin Cohoon
The Tigers now have two weeks to prepare for their next championship challenge when they travel to Rochester Thursday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 26, for the Section 1AA meet.

Boys Basketball: Tigers hang with Shakopee for a half in 66-39 loss

Alex Michels 11 points
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington stayed with defending Shakopee for the first 18 minutes but cold shooting after intermission led to a 66-39 loss to the defending Missota Conference champions Friday night, Feb. 11, in Shakopee.
The Tigers who lost 70-37 to the Sabers in the league opener at Tiger Gym last month, gave their hosts all they wanted in the first period, trailing just 31-27 at the break.
"We were going after and getting loose balls and were were hitting the boards," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "The good thing was that it just wasn't one guy. We had several players who made big contributions."
Things turned quickly in the second half, however, as the pesky Saber defense and ice-cold shooting by the visitors helped Shakopee gradually pull away.
Farmington scored just four points during the first eight minutes of the second period and only 12 for the entire half.
"We turned the ball over a little more in the second half," Wyandt said, "but the big thing is that we just couldn't seem to knock down a shot. That's been a problem for us lately."
Alex Michels and Austin Basett each cracked double figures in scoring for Farmington, finishing with 11 and 10 points respectively.
The Tigers, 8-12 overall and 2-6 in the conference, hopes to get back in the win column this week against teams they have beaten earlier in the season. Tuesday, Feb. 15, they entertain Holy Angels at Tiger Gym and Friday they travel to Northfield.
"The conference is such that after Chaska and maybe Shakopee, the rest of us are pretty even," Wyandt said. "These are winnable games for us."

Girls Basketball: Tigers jump back in Missota race with record-setting win over Shakopee

Taylor Meyer (left), Elena Koch (right) and Jordan Bridges (below)
combined for 35 points and 21 rebounds
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



Farmington put itself back in the hunt for the Missota Conference championship with a convincing 46-32 win over Shakopee Friday night, Feb. 11, at Tiger Gym.
The victory upped the Tigers league record to 7-3 and left them in a second place tie with the Sabers, one game behind co-leaders New Prague and Chanhassen. The girls 18th win of the season also set a new school record for games won in a season, breaking the old mark set in 1986-87.
"This was a big win for us against a team that beat us the first time," Tiger coach Jason Berg said. "It gives us a chance to still win the conference."
A strong start propelled the Tigers to a 26-11 halftime lead in what Berg called his team's defensive performance "by far our best of the year."
The winners scored the first six points off offensive put-backs, two by Taylor Meyer and one by Elena Koch. Isis Alexander came off the bench to hit two straight shots, one a three-pointer to give, her team an early 11-2 lead.
Over the first 18 minutes, the Farmington defense limited Shakopee to just four field goals and seven rebounds and the defense forced 11 Saber turnovers.
Shakopee mounted several second half comebacks but could never cut its deficit to fewer than a dozen points.
"We didn't play well on Tuesday against Chanhassen," Berg said, "so our focus was to play with more intensity right from the start. I told the girls we needed to win this ball game if we were going to have a chance to stay in the conference race."
The front court trio of Meyer (17 points, six rebounds) Koch and (10 and eight) and Jordan Bridges (eight and seven) combined for 35 points and 21 rebounds to lead the Farmington effort. Guards Paige Steele and Shelby Calhoun led in assists with four and three respectively.
The Tigers have two Missota Conference contests on tap this week, Tuesday, Feb. 15, at Holy Angels and Friday versus Northfield at Tiger Gym.