786 total yards, 8 TD's (6 passing, 2 rushing) in 2010
After winning just one game last fall, veteran coach Mark Froehling is cautiously optimistic about the chances for a turnaround in 2011.
"We'll have good team speed and athleticism," he said. "With a returning quarterback and several wide receivers the offense should improve, and we'll have six starters back on defense. We should be more aggressive and effective earlier in the season."
Froehling (68-43), entering his 12th season as head coach at Farmington, cautioned, however, there is still a lot of work to do to put together a successful season.
"We will be young at several positions, especially on offense," he said. "We have to replace our entire offensive line from last year...Early in the season, our depth and lack of experience could be a concern."
So will the loss of 1000-yard rusher in CJ Record, all-conference tackle Corey Johnson and defensive linemen Eric McWright and Tommy Korbein who ranked first and third in tackles last fall.
Just three starters return on offense, led by junior quarterback Darren Beenken who had a solid year under center as a sophomore. The other veterans include senior wideouts Austin Bassett and Nathan Graham.
Junior tailback Athen Aston and junior wide receiver MacKinley Bassett should add some punch to an offense that will likely throw more than Farmington teams in the past and junior Josh Boatwright and senior David Silber will play prominent roles in the re-construction of the offensive line.
On the other side of the ball the Tigers return three starters up front, including senior tackles Andy VanBlarcom and Bret Hoffman and junior end Kevin Olund. Senior linebackers Drew Hegseth and Ryan Schoening are back as is speedy safety Blake Weinand.
Senior Alex Chadwick, the winner of the team's Ironman competition, should see a lot of action in the defensive backfield and defensive end Denver Robinson is expected to fill McWright's shoes at the defensive end position.
With just a handful of pre-season practices under his team's belt, Froehling said it was far too early to predict how the Tigers will fare in its conference and section races.
Shakopee and Northfield, the top two teams in the Missota in 2010 should be contenders again with defending champion Lakeville South the early pick in Section 1AAAAA.
One advantage the Tigers have is a veteran coaching staff. Varsity assistants Gary Burr, Pat Hudak, Glenn Mogensen, Jon lund and Shane Wyandt have been together for years.
Another trio of veterans, Lew Miskowicz, Jon Malin and Mike Winters return to coach the B-squad while Brian Helmstetter, Brent Grengs, Chad Olson and Tharen Johnson team up to handle the ninth grade coaching duties.
The Boeckman Middle School coaching staff includes Jim Swedin, Kevin Waldbillig, Lance Walsten, Justyn Helgeson, Shawn Anderson, Jesse Ostertag, Mark Pickar and Nick Davis.
Matt Alleva, Paul Ahrenholz, Jeff Stulz, Jon Stock, Matthew Grove, Brian Louis, Michael Schommer and Dave Diehl coach the Dodge Middle School teams.
