Girls Swimming: Tigers take third in Missota

Kaitlyn O'Reilly (bottom): First, two seconds and a third;
Tied Missota Conference record in 100 backstroke
Cora Ruzicka: Second, third and fourth
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



Farmington lost two dual meets to Missota Conference foes--Northfield and Chanhassen-- during the regular season. At last Saturday's Missota Conference Championships held at Dodge Middle School the Tigers again found themselves trailing the Raiders and Storm.
Northfield successfully defended its league title by piling of 433.5 points. Chanhassen took the runner-up spot with 406, followed by Farmington 354.5, Chaska 291, Shakopee 270.5, Red Wing 186.5, New Prague 94 and Holy Angels 44.
"We finished where we expected to," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. "There were some impressive swims across the board which leaves us very excited for sections next week."
Kaitlyn O'Reilly recorded the only Farmington first place finish of the day, winning the 100 backstroke in 1:00.8 and tying the league record set in 1992. O'Reilly also ranked third in the 200 individual medley.
Three other Tiger performers also scored a pair of top 10 finishes in individual events: Zoe Avestruz (3rd in the 50 freestyle and 4th in the 100 freestyle); Cora Ruzicka (3rd in the 500 freestyle and 4th in the 100 butterfly) and Kirsten Kracke (5th in the 200 freestyle and 7th in the 100 freestyle).
Abby Haugen scored fourth place points in the 100 breaststroke while three Farmington entrants placed eighth: Hannah Seitzinger (50 freestyle); Kendall Novak (diving) and Robin Ellis (100 backstroke).
Nikki Cayard finished ninth in the one-meter diving competition and Ellie Sundet ranked ninth in the 500 freestyle race.
Three other Tigers placed 10th: Tori Sontag (diving); Chloe Holton (100 butterfly) and Sara Kintner (500 freestyle).
The three Tigers relay entries had an outstanding conference meet with the 200 medley team of O'Reilly, Haugen, Avestruz and Seitzinger and the 400 freestyle foursome of O'Reilly, Ruzicka, Kracke and Avestruz each placing second. The 200 freestyle quartet of Haugen, Kracke, Seitzinger and Sundet grabbed third.

Other Farmington point-scorers:
200 freestyle: 11. Sundet; 12. Sarah O'Reilly
200 individual medley: 12. Holton; 14. Chelsea Gehrke
50 freestyle: 11. Haugen; 16. Ellis
100 freestyle: 11. Seitzinger
500 freestyle: 13. S. O'Reilly
100 backstroke: 12. Delaney Wright
100 breaststroke: 14. Kintner

Girls Cross Country: Young Tigers 14th at Section 1AA Championships

Junior Maria Kiminski
Set personal record and dropped 43 seconds from 2010 time at section meet

Farmington, fielding one of the younger lineups in the field, finished 14th among 16 teams at the Section 1AA Championships held Thursday, Oct. 27, at Brooktree Golf Club in Owatonna.
Lakeville South literally ran away with the title, out-pointing runner-up Lakeville North 37-100. Both schools move on to the state finals slated for St. Olaf College on Saturday.
Dover-Eyota/St. Charles ranked third with 169 points, followed by Austin 175, Rochester Century 186, Owatonna 198, Albert Lea 211, New Prague 214, Northfield 214, Red Wing 217, Rochester John Marshall 275, Hastings 284, Rochester Mayo 286, Farmington 289, Winona 379 and Faribault 409.
Freshman Sofia Chadwick paced the Farmington effort with a 27th place finish in a clocking of 15:39.8 over the 4000-meter course. Sophomore Maricia Pachecho (32nd in 15:43.8) and junior Maria Kiminski (42nd in 15:50.7) were right on her heels.
Freshman Alexis Johnson (92nd; 17:01.4); freshman Sarah Cummings (96th; 17:09.1); freshman Victoria Jacoby (98th; 17:11.6) and junior Ashley Durbin (109th; 18:20.3) rounded out the Tiger varsity scorecard.
"Sofia (Chadwick) ran an amazing section race," coach Heidi Revels said. "She took 1:11 off her time from last year and missed a personal record by two seconds.
"Maricia (Pacheco) set a new personal record by three seconds and Maria (Kiminski) not only set a new personal best but also beat last year's time by 43 seconds."
Revels said that the future looks bright for her young squad but it has some hard work to do between now and the start of the 2012 fall season.
"We need to continue to close the gap between our third and fourth runners and then do the same for the fourth through seventh girls," Revels said. "This team has the potential to do so much more and coach Lippold (Lisa) and I will continue to brainstorm on ways to work on year-long training for our runners."

Boys Cross Country: Lugowksi leads Tigers to ninth in Section 1AA

Jordan Lugowski
1st Tiger finisher at Section 1AA meet

The Tigers saved their best for last at the Section 1AA Championships held Thursday, Oct. 27, at Brooktree Golf Club in Owatonna.
All seven Tiger varsity runners posted season-best times as Farmington finished ninth in a strong 16-team field.
Owatonna defended its team title by edging Big Nine Conference rival Rochester Mayo 64-45. Both teams advanced to this weekend's state meet at St. Olaf College in Northfield.
Lakeville North ranked third with 104 points, followed by Lakeville South 139, Rochester Century 163, Red Wing 188, Rochester John Marshall 238, Northfield 242, Farmington 260, Winona 268, New Prague 278, Hastings 299, Austin 315, Faribault 366, Dover-Eyota/St. Charles 376 and Albert Lea 388.
Jordan Lugowksi led the Tigers with a 31st place finish in the crowded 119-runner field with a time of 16:56.9 over the 5000-meter course.
The next six Farmington entrants hit the chute in a 45-second span led by Dan Block who placed 46th in 17:24.9. Tyler Lerbakken finished 57th in 17:46.5; Chad Retterath 62nd in 17:49.6; Adam Wallenta 64th in 17:50.8; Tanner Grubb 68th in 17:52.8 and Jake Rudeen 83rd in 18:09.2.
"I am very pleased with the results," coach Lisa Lippold said. "Jordan (Lugowski) went under 17 minutes and that was his goal. The other runners ran season-best times and our one-through-five split was 55 seconds--right where we wanted it...The boys all peaked at the right time. It was a great way to end our season."

Volleyball: Slow starts prove costly

Adrienne Jolicoeur 12 digs, 10 serve receptions
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

A slow start in very game proved lethal for the Tigers in a 3-0 loss to Missota Conference rival Red Wing in the opening round of Section 1AAA play Wednesday, October 26, in Red Wing. The Wingers won by scores of 25-23, 25-17 and 25-9.
"After losing that first game by two points I think it was a matter of our girls trying too hard," coach Mike Woody said. "We tried so hard to pass well we gave them a lot of over-passes...We tried so hard on defense we overplayed a number of balls."
The winners scored the first four points on the opening game before the visitors came all the way back to forge a one-point lead at 14-13. But after a timeout Red Wing went on a 10-6 run to re-take control.
In the second game the Wingers again flew out of the gate, scoring the first five points. Farmington battled back to trail just 19-17 before fading down the stretch.
Red Wing jumped to a 4-0 lead in game three and this time there was no answer by the Tigers as the Wingers won going away.
Laura Steege and Bekah Lippert led the Tiger offense with nine kills apiece. Setter Mia Johnston accounted for 10 of the team's 19 assists.
Defensively, Emma Fahning and Adrienne Jolicoeur each had a dozen digs. Fahning and Rachel Eckert came up with 10 serve receptions apiece and Jolicoeur added nine. Lippert and Emily Nelson led in blocks with four.
The section loss left the Tigers with a final 7-20 mark but Woody said there was much more to the 2011 campaign than the numbers.
"This was such a good group of girls," Woody said."They worked hard and they were a spirited group.
"This may be one of the few years that I will look back on and say that team chemistry did not hold us back."

Football: Huskies down Tigers 21-0 in section

Blake Weinand (bottom) and Drew Hegseth combined for 29 tackles


Owatonna lived up to its second-seed and defeated seventh-seeded Farmington 21-0 in the opening round of Section 1AAAAA play Tuesday, October 25, in Owatonna.
The Huskies (8-1) advanced to the semifinals against third-seeded Rochester John Marshall while the Tigers closed their 2011 season with a final 3-6 record.
The visitors got off on the wrong foot when a short punt into the wind gave the Huskies the ball on the Tiger 30-yard line early in the opening quarter. The winners converted the good fortune into a touchdown and then added another score on a marathon 14-play, 80-yard march in the second period.
The Tigers netted only 53 yards of total offense in the opening two periods. A 26-yard pass play from Darren Beenken to Austin Bassett helped move the ball to the Owatonna 30 in the second period but the drive stalled.
To make things worse, Beenken suffered a neck injury after being hit while throwing late in the second period and did not step on the field after intermission.
Owatonna added its third touchdown early in the third period on a 40-yard pass play to close out the night's scoring.
Tyler VanWinkle took over for Beenken in the second half and got a rude welcome to varsity play. The sophomore signal caller completed just one of seven passes for three yards and was sacked for 24 yards of losses. The entire Tiger offense generated just 10 yards over the final 24 minutes.
"I thought our team competed well and worked hard throughout the game," coach Mark Froehling said. "Our defense played well and gave up only 260 yards but it was tough for us to move the ball against their tough front line and athletic defensive backs."
Beenken finished with thee completions in nine attempts for a season-low 36 yards. Farmington gained a net of just 30 yards rushing for a game total of 66 yards of offense.
The defense had a busy night with Drew Hegseth and Blake Weinand totaling 15 and 14 tackles respectively. Kevin Clifton had 11 stops and Alex Chadwick eight.

Boys Cross Country: Tigers 7th in Missota

Dan Block, 20th place
All-Missota Conference honorable mention

Sophomore Dan Block held off junior teammate Jordan Lugowski for the final all-conference honorable mention award as the Tigers placed seventh at the Missota Conference Championships run Thursday, Oct. 18, at the New Prague Golf Course.
Chanhassen and Chaska, the newest kids on the Missota block, ranked first and second in the standings with respective point totals of 38 and 75. Red Wing took third with 84, followed by Northfield 96, New Prague 108, Shakopee 137, Farmington 150 and Holy Angels 201.
Block hit the finish line of the 5000-meter race in 17:34 in 20th place, one spot and one second in front of Lugowski.
The other five Tiger runners finished in a tight 43-second span: junior Tyler Lerbakken 34th, 18:08; sophomore Jake Rudeen, 37th , 18:24; junior Adam Wallenta, 38th, 18:31; sophomore Tanner Grubb, 43rd, 18:35 and senior Patrick Sunderman, 53rd, 18:51.
"We were hoping for a higher finish," Tiger coach Lisa Lippold said, "but when we looked at how everyone did individually, we were pleased overall. The top seven boys all dropped their times anywhere from five to 45 seconds from three weeks ago on the same course."
The Tigers bring down the curtain on their 2011 season next Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Section 1AA Championships at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna.
"Our goal for the section meet is to go out and compete and hopefully have the boys get their pr's for the season," Lippold said.

Alumni Tracker: Kenealy returns as Southwest State's leading scorer and rebounder

Abby Kenealy

Former Tiger Abby Kenealy enters her senior season at Southwest State University as the leading returning scorer (11 points per game) and rebounder (4.8 per game) for the Mustangs...Kenealy's high school teammate, 2009 FHS female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty, will be a junior on the St. Olaf women's hoops team this winter but for now is a defensive specialist for that school's volleyball team where she ranks third in digs with 196.
Ex-Tiger Alex Carlson, a standout hockey player at FHS, paid his dues playing junior hockey for the Iowa Outlaws in Mason City for two years and is now a junior forward on the Ohio State University puck team. Carlson, an Academic All-Big Ten Conference student-athlete as a sophomore, has two assists for the Buckeyes in their first four games...2011 Tiger grad Krystal Baumann's University of Vermont women's hockey team didn't have much luck playing at seventh-ranked University of North Dakota last weekend, losing 9-1 and 4-1. The good news was that Baumann scored the only Vermont goal in the first game and assisted on the Catamount's goal in the second. In her first six collegiate games, Baumann has recorded two goals and an assist.
2011 State Class AA diving champion Tyler Magalis and high school teammate Brandon Molnar are both on the St. Cloud State University men's swimming and diving team...2011 FHS graduate Caitlin Kracke is a freshman on the Limestone College (Gaffney, South Carolina) women's swim and dive team...2005 FHS co-male Athlete of the Year RJ Rappe, a former state Class A diving champion, is diving coach at Binghampton University in New York.
2011 All-State volleyball player Katie Habeck continues to be a key player for Concordia University-St. Paul, the nation's top-ranked NCAA Division II team. Habeck leads in blocks (62) and ranks third in kills (147) for Concordia which has won three national titles in a row...Habeck's high school teammate Danielle Dombeck, is seeing increased playing time for North Dakota State University. Dombeck has played in 17 of 24 matches for the Bison, contributing 65 digs as a defensive specialist.
2005 male co-Athlete of the Year Matt Simon was back at FHS for the homecoming game and said he is enjoying his assistant coaching position (tight ends) at the University of St. Thomas which is ranked among the top five NCAA Division III schools in the country. Simon said he hopes to follow in the career footsteps of another ex-Tiger, 1979 grad Mike Markuson, who is now the running game coordinator for the University of Mississippi of the Southeastern Conference...
1989 FHS male Athlete of the Year Matt Walter's Annadndale finished the regular season with a 3-5 record, playing in the Wright County Conference...Former Tiger assistant coach Sean McMenomy has his DelaSalle team ranked seventh among Class 3A schools in Minnesota with a 7-1 record...Ex-Tiger Rick Yzerman is an assistant coach at Holy Angels this fall..

Football: Big-play Trojans down Tigers 30-17

Darren Beenken
12 carries, 63 yards rushing, 1TD
14-25 passing, 182 yards, 1TD
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers' modest two-game winning streak came to a screeching halt in a 30-17 Missota Conference loss to New Prague Wednesday night at Tiger Field.
The Trojans bottled up the Farmington running game and used a handful of big plays to end the Tiger regular season with a 3-5 record; 3-4 in conference play. New Prague finished 2-6 overall and 2-5 in the conference.
"We didn't play very good football in most aspects of our game," Tiger coach Mark Froehling said. "We are by no means a dominant enough team to make the mistakes we made tonight and expect to win.
"You can't give up long kickoff returns, drop passes, miss open receivers, miss tackles, and have touchdowns called back by penalties. You have to be able to block at the line of scrimmage and move the football. Some of our weaknesses really showed."
The game was decided in the opening period when the Trojans scored three times on three big plays.
The first came when a pass interception set up a short 26-yard scoring drive. The second followed a 77-yard kickoff return and the third was a 58-yard run from scrimmage.
The only Farmington response was a 72-yard drive capped by a Darren Beenken's 30-yard run and Athen Ashton's two-point conversion run. New Prague led 22-8 after one period.
"We went in the toilet early and we never did get completely out," assistant coach Gary Burr said.
The Tigers did make a move in the third period, first pulling to within 22-14 on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Beenken to Dillon Jones and then scoring an apparent tying touchdown only to be whistled for a holding penalty.
The Trojan defense stiffened; the Tigers had to settle for a short Reid Taubenheim field goal and that was it until another big play, a 76-yard touchdown pass with 10 minutes to play, sealed the deal for the visitors.

The New Prague defense held the Tigers to 119 rushing yards
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

One of the keys for New Prague was limiting the Tigers to just 119 yards rushing. Beenken picked up 63 yards on 12 carries and Ashton 40 yards on 17 tries.
Beenken went over the 1200-yard mark passing for the season with 14 completions in 25 throws for 182 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
John Dittman was the leading receiver with four catches for 37 yards. MacKinley Bassett had three for 54 yards and Jones three for 39. Austin Bassett grabbed two for 37 yards.

Drew Hegseth, team-high 11 tackles
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Linebackers Drew Hegseth and Ryan Schoening topped the Tiger tackling charts with 11 and 10 respectively. Kevin Clifton and Kevin Olund each had seven and Blake Weinand and Alex Chadwick chipped in with five apiece. Schoening also had a fumble recovery for the Tigers.
The loss assured Farmington of the seventh seed in the upcoming Section 1 tournament and set up an opening round match-up at second-seeded Owatonna on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Girls Cross Country: Three Tigers earn conference honors

(l to r) Maricia Pacheco, Maria Kiminksi and Sofia Chadwick
Missota Conference award winners

Coach Heidi Revels said she was somewhat disappointed with her team's sixth place finish at the Missota Conference Championships run Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the New Prague Golf Course but ecstatic about placing three girls among the top 20.
"The time improvements are what we want to see in the final two meets of the year," Revels said. "They show all of the hard work is paying off."
Shakopee claimed the 2011 Missota title with a low meet total of 42 points. Chanhassen finished runner-up with 60, followed by Chaska 92, Red Wing 110, Northfield 125, Farmington 141, New Prague 142 and Holy Angels 185.
Freshman Sofia Chadwick paced the Tiger effort with an 11th place finish in the 4000-meter race with a clocking of 15:41 to earn all-conference honors.
Junior Maria Kiminksi and sophomore Maricia Pacheco ranked 18th and 19th respectively in times of 15:55 and 15:56 to garner all-conference honorable mention. The honorable mention honor was the second straight for Pacheco.
Freshman Alexis Johnson placed 44th in 17:01; freshman Sarah Cummings 49th in 17:14; eighth-grader Maricella Pacheco 51st in 17:19 and freshman Victoria Jacoby 54th in 17:21.
"Once we close the gap between the top three and our other runners, we will see improvement in placement as a team," Revels said.
Next up for the Tigers is the Section 1AA meet slated for Thursday, Oct. 27, at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna.

Volleyball: Tigers lose regular season finale

Mia Johnston's 11 assists matched her uniform number
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tiger coach Mike Woody wasn't displeased with his team's play in Tuesday night's 3-0 Missota Conference loss to New Prague at Tiger Gym, just the way it started each game.
"We actually played well," Woody said. "Too bad we spotted them six to eight points early in every game."
The Trojans won the regular season finale for both teams by scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 25-18.
The final outcome overshadowed another strong performance by seventh grader Emma Fahning who led the team in kills (7) and digs (20).
Bekah Lippert finished with a team-high four blocks and also added five kills. Setter Mia Johnston accounted for half of her team's total of 22 assists.
Rachel Eckert and Emily Nelson each came up with 10 digs and RuthAnne Schmitt chimed in with seven assists and a trio of service aces.
Woody said the Tigers' final 7-19 season record would probably translate into a nine or ten seed in the Section 1AAA tournament slated to start Wednesday, Oct. 26.
"It will mean a road game but a game that is winnable," he said.

Tiger Scoreboard: October 19, 2011

Girls Cross Country
Missota Conference Championships @ New Prague Golf Course
Chanhassen 38, Chaska 75, Red Wing 84, Northfield 96, New Prague 108, Shakopee 137, Farmington 150, Holy Angels 201

Girls Cross Country
Missota Conference Championships @ New Prague Golf Course
Shakopee 42, Chanhassen 60, Chaska 92, Red Wing 110, Northfield 125, Farmington 141, New Prague 142, Holy Angels 185

Volleyball
New Prague 3 Farmington 0 (19-25, 19-25, 18-25)

Girls Swimming: Tigers take second at True Team section

Kaitlyn O'Reilly (bottom) 4 firsts; meet record in 100 backstroke
Zoe Avestruz, 2 firsts, 2 seconds; school record in 50 freesyle
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



The Tigers didn't quite defend their Section 1AA True Team title but they gave it a good run at Saturday's 2011 meet held at the Dodge Middle School pool.
Rochester John Marshall tallied 621 points to re-claim the section hardware. Farmington ranked second at 596, followed by Owatonna 435 and Winona 393.
"It was an exciting meet from start to finish," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. "We had some incredible swims. We worked really diligently as a team."
Kaitlyn O'Reilly had a perfect day for the Tigers, contributing to all four Tiger first place finishes. The talented sophomore won the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke and also swam a leg on the victorious 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams. Her 100 backstroke time of 1:01.18 established a new meet record.
O'Reilly joined with Abby Haugen, Zoe Avestruz and Hannah Seitzinger to win the 200 medley relay in a meet record time of 1:55.13 and with Seitzinger, Aveztruz and Kirsten Kracke to claim the 200 freestyle relay.
Avestruz added second place finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyle races to her productive day. Her 24.84 clocking in the 50 freestyle set a new school record.
Cora Ruzicka also had a good day for the Tigers, placing third in both the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle events.
Three Tigers scored fourth place points: Kracke, 200 freestyle; Robin Ellis, 100 backstroke and Haugen, 100 breaststroke.
Kendall Novak ranked fifth on the one-meter board while Kracke and Ellie Sundet placed fifth in the 100 backstroke and 500 freestyle respectively.
Tuesday night, October 25, the Tigers get another shot at Rochester John Marshall, this time in a dual meet in Rochester.

Other top Farmington finishers:
200 medley relay: 5. Ellis, Sara Kintner, Ruzicka, Brooke Christenson 7. Delaney Wright, Victoria Resch, Chloe Holton, Chelsea Gehrke
200 freestyle: 8. Sarah O'Reilly 9. Sundet
200 medley: 8. Holton 9. Gehrke
50 freestyle: 7, Haugen 8, Sundet 9. Seitzinger
One-meter diving: 6. Nikki Cayard 7. Tori Sontag
100 butterfly: 8. Holton 9. Gehrke; 10. Maddie Alexander
100 freestyle: 7. Seitzinger 9. Christenson
500 freestyle: 6. Kintner 8. S. O'Reilly
200 freestyle relay: 5. Haugen, Resch, Ellis, Sundet 7. Holton, Christenson, Gehrke, S. O'Reilly; 9. Abby Kampa, Sydney Geiger, Alexander, Hanna Sundt
100 breaststroke: 6. Kintner
100 backstroke: 7. Wright
400 freestyle relay: 3. Sundet, Kracke, S. O'Reilly, Ruzicka; 7. Kintner, Courtney L'Heureux, Wright, Sundt

Tiger Scoreboard: October 16, 2011

Girls Swimming and Diving
Section 1AA True Team at Farmington
Rochester John Marshall 621, Farmington 596, Owatonna 425, Winona 393

Volleyball: Tigers fall at Chaska 3-0

Emma Fahning
19 digs, 15 serve receptions
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington's hopes to build on last week's win over Northfield were dashed early Thursday night in Chaska as the Hawks rolled to a 25-11, 25-14, 25-14 Missota Conference victory.
The loss dropped the Tigers to 1-6 in Missota Conference play and 7-18 for the season. Chaska is 11-8 overall and 4-2 in league play.
"I don’t like to make excuses, but the virus that went around school hit all but two of my 19 girls," coach Mike Woody said. "We really did not prepare like we normally would, and then we also played poorly to boot."
A look at the game statistics reveals the Tigers' struggles. Offensively, the they managed just 15 team kills with Laura Steege leading with five. Farmington totaled a mere nine set assists with Mia Johnston accounting for seven.
The defense had a busy night with Emma Fahning coming up with 19 of her team's 31 digs. Fahning also led in serve receptions with 15, three more than teammates Rachel Eckert and Adrienne Jolicoeur. Bekah Lippert recorded a team-high four blocks.
"Emma has really started to shine on the court." Woody said.
The Tigers will bring down the curtain on their regular season with a Missota Conference match with New Prague, Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Tiger Gym. Section 1AAA play begins Wednesday, October 26.

Football: Second half turnaround produces second straight win

Athen Ashton
29 carries for 157 yards
4 catches for 57 yards

Farmington shook off a lethargic first half to grind out a 14-3 Missota Conference win Friday night in Chaska.
The victory was the second straight for the Tigers who upped their season record to 3-4; 3-3 in the Missota. Chaska dropped to 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the conference.
The win didn't come easily for the visitors. Both teams slogged through a slow-moving first half played mostly between the 30-yard lines before the Hawks took advantage of one of its two pass interceptions to score the only points.
The scoring drive that eventually produced a short field goal covered 59 yards, took an exhausting 16 plays and ate up most of the second period clock. Farmington ran just eight plays in the second quarter.
Tiger coach Mark Froehling said that the biggest difference in the second half was his team's intensity and focus.
"We knew we didn't play good football in the first half," he said. "We told them they have to come with the same passion that they showed in their homecoming game last week. There's nothing certain in football, nothing guaranteed. You have to go out and earn it."
The Tigers stared earning it immediately. The defense held the Hawks to minus-yardage on the first series of the second half and then the offense took over.
After a holding penalty on first down pushed the ball back to the Farmington 10-yard line, Darren Beenken engineered a crisp 90-yard scoring drive that ended with a 29-yard touchdown run by Athen Ashton with 7:17 to play in the third.
Ashton accounted for a remarkable 77 of those yards, including a 37-yard pass from Beenken.
"Athen has a great ability to wait and see a hole develop," Froehling said."Then he can cut and cut again on the same play. He's hard to bring down. He's just a good, tough running back."
The Ashton Show returned for an encore performance in the fourth quarter.
This time the junior speedster accounted for 58 of the 60 yards in a scoring march capped by senior lineman/blocking back Bret Hoffman's two-yard scoring plunge.
"That was a play we just put in this week," Froehling said. "We knew everyone would be keying on Ashton and it was good to get Bret a chance."
Ashton filled up the Farmington stat sheet with 157 yards rushing on 29 carries and four pass receptions for 57 yards. His 214 total yards represented all but 32 yards of the Farmington output for the night. Ashton has gained 714 yards in seven games this season.
The young Tiger offensive line played a big role in the running game's success with Tom Sell, Charlie Weierke, Ryan Gowan, Alex Witowksi, Josh Boatwright, David Silber and CJ Wynings all earning kudos from line coach Pat Hudak.
"They are getting better every week," he said, "and only one of them (Weierke) is a senior. That's good to see."
Beenken, who missed three days of practice due to illness this week, went over the 1000-yard (1,051) mark in passing yards for the season with seven completions in 13 tries for 84 yards.
The defense was equally effective, holding Chaska to three second half first downs and just 113 total yards for the night.
"We didn't do anything differently in the second half as far as schemes went," assistant coach Glenn Mogensen said. "It was more a matter of deciding that we were going to go out there and play better."
Senior linebacker Drew Hegseth again led the charge with a dozen tackles while Blake Weinand added 10 and a pass interception. Ryan Schoening and Tyler had six stops apiece and Mason Auge and Alex Chadwick each had five. Engels had a pair of quarterback sacks and Jake Erickson and Kevin Clifton each came up with interceptions.
The Tigers close regular season play Wednesday night, Oct. 19, with a home game against New Prague. The Section 1 playoffs begin Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Girls Soccer: Raiders nip Tigers in section opener

(photo by Jim Lindquist)

For the second time this season the Tigers played Missota Conference champion Northfield tough only to come up short on the scoreboard, this time a 1-0 loss in the Section 1AA quarterfinals played Thursday, October 13, in Northfield.
"It was a fantastic game," Tiger coach Rob Carpentier said. "They scored three minutes into the game and owned the first 15 minutes.
"But then things evened out and for the last 10 minutes of the first half and all of the second we were all over them."
Farmington finished with an 11-8 advantage in shots with Hannah Miller just missing wide on a couple of good opportunities and Rachel Beck failing to convert on a breakaway.
Carpentier said that the hardest aspect to take from the season-ending loss was an official's call with eight minutes left in regulation that disallowed a potential tying goal.
Izzie Ferm's header found the net but instead of a goal Ferm was tagged with a penalty for impeding the goalkeeper.
"For the game we had 13 fouls and they (Northfield) had four," Carpentier said. "We've had the one official twice now and it's been the same story...It's the first time in my coaching career where I could say that an official had a huge say in the outcome of a game.
"The kids played so well and at least should have been able to see what happened in overtime."
The loss closed the books on the Tigers' 2011 season that saw them finish with an 8-8-1 record.

Tiger Scoreboard: October 15, 2011

Football
Farmington 14 Chaska 3

Boys Soccer: Raiders pay back Tigers 5-1

Sam Leske scored the lone Farmington goal
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

During the regular season the Tigers arguably put together their best effort of the year in a thrilling 1-0 win over Northfield.
In Thursday night's rematch in the Section 1AA quarterfinals in Northfield, the Raiders got their revenge in a 5-1 victory.
Farmington created the first scoring chance of the night but it was Northfield that dented the scoreboard first in the tenth minute of the opening half. The Raiders went on to add three more scores before intermission to build a commanding lead.
"They scored a number of their goals off second shots and by crashing the net," Tiger coach Julian Buss said. "Several times they found a way to outnumber us at the net...We certainly played aggressively enough. We got three yellow cards in the game."
Buss moved sweeper Sam Leske to midfield in the second half to try and generate more offense and it did provide the only Tiger goal of the night with 16:07 to play. But the tally was too little, too late as by then the Raiders had upped their cushion to 5-0.
Buss said his team's inability to finish, especially early, was the difference in the contest.
"Had we been able to get some of our first opportunities past their keeper, I think it could have been a different outcome," he said.
The loss closed the books on a season that saw the Tigers finish 8-7-2, including a 4-2-1 run in the Missota Conference.
The game was the last in orange and black for seven Farmington senior regulars--Leske, Mike Ricker, Tyler Vue, Alec Hogstad, Brandon Scott, Cole Landwehr and Chad Stivers. Buss said their presence will be missed when practice rolls around next fall.
"This group deserves a lot of the credit for how far boys soccer has come in Farmington," he said. "They are a testament to how important it is to start playing at an early age and then sticking with it. I wish them all the best."

Tiger Scoreboard: October 14, 2011

Boys Soccer
Section 1AA quarterfinals
Northfield 5 Farmington 1

Girls Soccer
Section 1AA quarterfinals
Northfield 1 Farmington 0

Girls Swimming and Diving
Farmington 95 New Prague 78

Volleyball
Chaska 3 Farmington 0

Girls Swimming: Tigers roll 95-78

Abby Haugen
1st 50 freestyle; 2nd 100 freestyle

The Tigers closed the books on their Missota Conference dual meet season with a lopsided 95-78 victory over New Prague Thursday night, Oct. 13, at the Dodge Middle School pool.
The winners won seven of the first eight events and finished runner-up in the same number to build such an enormous lead that they swam the final four contests in exhibition status.
The 200 medley relay team of Brooke Baker, Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Katie Aaron and Zoe Avestruz started the Tigers out with a victory and they kept it up, winning the next six swimming events.
The winners included Hannah Seitzinger in the 200 freestyle; Robin Ellis in the 200 individual medley; Abby Haugen in the 50 freestyle; O'Reilly in the 100 butterfly; Cora Ruzicka in the 100 freestyle and Avestruz in the 500 freestyle.
Second place points went to the 200 medley relay team of Ellie Sundet, Ashton DeFusco, Kirsten Kracke and Abby Kampa; Courtney L'Heureux, 200 freestyle; Sara Kintner, 200 individual medley; Sarah O'Reilly, 50 freestyle; Haugen, 100 freestyle; Ellis, 500 freestyle and Nikki Cayard, one-meter diving.
Five Tigers chipped in with third place finishes: Victoria Resch, 50 freestyle; Kendall Novak, diving; Kracke, 100 butterfly; L'Heureux, 500 freestyle and Chloe Holton, 100 freestyle.
Marshall is hoping the easy win will provide some momentum for her team as it prepares to defend its Section 1AA True Team title Saturday at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Other Farmington point-scorers:
200 freestyle: 4. Sydney Geiger
200 individual medley: 4. Maddie Alexander
50 freestyle: 5. Hannah Sundt
One-meter diving: 4. Jade Alm
100 butterfly: 4. Samm Smith

Girls Tennis: Season ends at Sub-Section

Ally Midboe (top) and Katie Burgess
lost 4-6, 1-6 in doubles play at sub-section
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



The Tiger season came to a quiet end Thursday afternoon, Oct. 13, with all four Farmington entrants bowing out in the opening round of the sub-section individual tournament played at the Fred Wells Tennis Center at Ft. Snelling.
Each of the seven participating schools entered two singles players and two doubles teams in the seeded tourney.
Melanie Kappes and Megan Stivers played singles for the Tigers with Kappes losing to Ellie O'Brien of Northfield 1-6, 0-6 and Stivers falling to Lisa Hall of Lakeville North 0-6, 0-6.
Meghan Lindstrom and Maggie Rudorfer, both singles players during the regular season, paired up at one doubles slot and lost to a team from Rochester Century 0-6, 0-6.
Farmington's best effort of the day came from the tandem of Katie Burgess and Ally Midboe who lost 4-6, 1-6 to a team from Northfield.
"We were on serve until the tenth game of the first set when we were finally broken," Tiger coach Jack Olwell said. "Katie and Ally were firing on all cylinders, but unfortunately, so was Northfield. Still it was a great match with long rallies and solid net play."

Girls Swimming: Raiders ease by Tigers 97-86

Kaitltyn O'Reilly
2 firsts, 2 seconds vs. Hastings
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Hastings handed Farmington a 97-86 dual meet loss Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Dodge Middle School pool. The defeat was just the third in nine duals for the Tigers this season.
The Raiders won nine of the meet's 12 events but the Tigers still led 78-75 after the first 10 thanks to a rash of second and third place points.
"Hastings is a talented team and we had some great races with them," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. "They will bring a lot to Section 1AA."
Kaitlyn O'Reilly was in on two of the Farmington victories, claiming the 200 individual medley and joining with Hannah Seitzinger, Ellie Sundet and Zoe Avestruz to win the 200 freestyle relay.
Tori Sontag provided the other Tiger first place points with a win on the one-meter board.
Farmington placed second in six individual events, including Avestruz, 50 and 100 freestyle; Cora Ruzicka 200 freestyle; Sundet, 500 freestyle; O'Reilly, 100 backstroke and Nikki Cayard, diving.
The 200 medley relay team of O'Reilly, Abby Haugen, Avestruz and Kirsten Kracke took second as did the 400 freestyle foursome of Ruzicka, Seitzinger, Sundet and Kracke.
Six other Tiger entrants produced third place points in individual events: Sundet, 200 freestyle; Chloe Holton, 200 medley; Jade Alm, diving; Kracke, 100 backstroke and Haugen, 100 breaststroke.
The 200 medley relay quartet of Delaney Wright, Sara Kintner, Holton and Robin Ellis placed third as did the 200 freestyle team of Ellis, Ruzicka, Holton and Haugen.
The Tigers continue their busy week Thursday with a Missota Conference dual meet with New Prague at the Dodge pool. Saturday they host the Section 1AA True Team Championships.

Other Farmington point-scorers:
50 freestyle: 4. Haugen
100 butterfly: 4. Holton
100 freestyle: 4. Seitzinger
500 freestyle: 4. Kintner 5. Sarah O'Reilly
100 backstroke: 5. Maddie Alexander
100 breaststroke: 5. Kintner

Boys Cross Country: Back in the Pack

Jordan Lugowski
Top Tiger runner at Shakopee and Waseca

The Tigers continued their season-long trend of running in a pack at Tuesday afternoon's Shakopee Invitational, but this time the strategy didn't produce the desired results. Farmington ranked 10th in the 11-team field.
Forest Lake had three runners among the top six to win the meet with a low point total of 59. St. Paul Central was well back in second with 91, followed by Northfield 96, New Prague 96, Shakopee 121, Richfield 148, Holy Family Catholic 164, Robbinsdale Cooper 179, Chanhassen 184, Farmington 218 and St. Francis 260.
Tiger junior Jordan Lugowksi broke from the Tiger pack to place 13th overall over the 5000-meter course with a finishing time of 17:58.5.
The rest of the Farmington runners hit the chute in a tight 24-second span. Sophomore Jake Rudeen took 46th in 18:46.1; sophomore Sean Dougherty 52nd in 18:59.6; senior Patrick Sunderman 53rd in 19:02.1; sophomore Dan Block 54th in 19:08.6; Tyler Lerbakken 56th in 19:08.6 and sophomore Tanner Grubb 58th in 19:10.1.
The Tigers now have a week to prepare for the 2011 Missota Conference Championships scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the New Prague Golf Course.
"The Shakopee meet didn't produce our best times," coach Lisa Lippold said, "but we are already looking ahead to conference next week."

Waseca Invitational
The lackluster showing at Shakopee came on the heels of a solid second place finish at the six-team Waseca Invitational run Friday, Oct, 7, at the Waseca Lakeside Golf Course.
Farmington placed all seven of its runners among the top 20 at Waseca with Lugowski and Block leading the way for the Tigers, placing sixth and seventh overall in respective times of 17:36 and 17:41.
The other five Tigers--Lerbakken, Grubb, Adam Wallenta, Sunderman and Rudeen--finished in places 14th through 18th in a span of just 17 seconds.

Girls Cross Country: Tigers 5th at Shakopee

Maricia Pacheco
First Tiger finisher at Shakopee and Waseca

Maricia Pacheco and Maria Kiminski each placed among the top 15 runners to lead the Tigers to a fifth place finish at the 10-team Shakopee Invitational held Tuesday, Oct. 11, at Memorial Park in Shakopee.
Host Shakopee grabbed five of the first six places to easily with the team title with 42 points. Holy Family Catholic ranked second with 62, followed by New Prague 118, Northfield 120, Farmington 149, Robbinsdale Cooper 149, Chanhassen 170 Richfield 197, St. Francis 208 and St. Paul Central 224. (Note: Farmington and Cooper tied for fifth with the Tigers getting the higher place on the sixth-runner tie-breaker).
After coming back from an early season leg injury, Pacheco has returned to join Kiminski at the front of the Tiger pack. The hard-working sophomore finished 12th overall, covering the 4000-meter course in 16:16.5. Junior Kiminksi was right behind, ranking 14th in 16:21.4.
Three freshmen followed on the Farmington scorecard. Sofia Chadwick finished 32nd in 17:00.4; Alexis Johnson 45th in 17:33.3 and Sarah Cummings 49th in 17:41.9. Eighth-grader Maricella Pacheco placed 49th in 18:0.1.
"Maricia and Maria have shown their consistency," Tiger coach Heidi Revels said. "The girls continue to work at running as a team. It’s exciting to watch as their confidence grows and to see their excitement when they finish in the times they are working for."
Next up for the Tigers are the Missota Conference Championships slated for Tuesday, October 18, at the New Prague Golf Course.

Waseca Invitational
The Tigers tuned up for the Shakopee meet with a third place finish at the six-team Waseca Invitational held Friday, Oct. 7, at the Waseca Lakeside Golf Course.
Maricia Pacheco (16:05) and Kiminski (16:14) again led the Tiger effort with seventh and eighth place finishes respectively. Chadwick placed 13th (16:34); Johnson 17th (17:24); Maricella Pacheco 19th (17:35); Cummings 20th (17:36) and Morgan Medved 26th (18:26).

Tiger Scoreboard: October 12, 2011

Girls Cross Country
Shakopee Invitational
Shakopee 42, Holy Family 62, New Prague 118, Northfield 120, Farmington 149, Robbinsdale Cooper 149, Chanhassen 170, Richfield 197, St. Francis 206, St. Paul Central 224

Boys Cross Country
Shakopee Invitational
Forest Lake 59, St. Paul Central 91, Northfield 96, New Prague 96, Shakopee 121. Richfield 148, Holy Family 164, Robbinsdale Cooper 179, Chanhassen 184, Farmington 218, St. Francis 260

Girls Swimming and Diving
Hastings 97 Farmington 86

Football: Home Sweet Homecoming; Tigers blank Raiders 27-0

It's a Touchdown!
Nathan Graham (21) makes the call on one of Athen Aston's three TD's
(photo by Jim Lindquist)


Much to the delight of what surely was the largest crowd ever to witness a sporting event in Farmington, the Tigers pumped some new life into their season with a convincing 27-0 shutout of Northfield in Friday night's homecoming game at Tiger Stadium.
Junior tailback Athen Ashton ran around, over and through the Raider defense for 216 total yards and the big play Farmington defense limited Northfield to just 181 as the Tigers raised their Missota Conference record to 2-3.
"This was an important win for us on many levels," coach Mark Froehling said. "We still can finish with a winning record in the conference and get some momentum built for the section. It all started here tonight."
The victory also returned the Tractor Trophy, the symbol of control of the long-time rivalry, to the FHS trophy case for the next 12 months.
The Tigers made a statement early, using an Alex Chadwick pass interception to set up a scoring drive capped by quarterback Darren Beenken's five-yard run. Ashton's 48-yard run set up the score.
Ashton ripped off a 60-yard touchdown run with 3:49 left in the second period to make it a two-touchdown lead at intermission.
The Raiders threatened twice in the opening half, but missed a long field goal try on the first and Andrew Peterson's acrobatic pass interception snuffed out the second.

Andrew Peterson's interception stopped a Raider threat
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

"Our defense has given up some points this year because of short fields," Froehling said, "but tonight we were all over making plays. We forced turnovers, batted away passes and brought a lot of guys to the ball. I thought our defense played a great game."
The Tigers used a balanced attack to score a pair of third quarter touchdowns, runs of 25 and three yards by Ashton, while the defense continued to control the line of scrimmage.
For the night, the winners ran 32 running plays and threw 21 passes, a slight variance from what had been more of a pass-oriented attack in earlier games. The gusty winds played a part in the strategy but according to assistant coach Lew Miskowicz, the architect of the spread system, that was part of the plan.
"It was windy, but it was a lot windier in some of last year's games," he said. "After looking at the tape, we thought we could run the ball against them and that's what we did. We'll always take what the defense will give us."
Ashton finished with a career-high 167 yards on 21 carries and also caught three passes for 49 yards.
Beenken had his best rushing night of the season with 57 yards on six tries and also completed 10 of 19 passes for 127 yards for 184 yards of total offense.
Nathan Graham led the receivers with five catches for 43 yards. Johnny Dittman showed no effects of the injury suffered in last week's game, grabbing two for 57 yards.

Drew Hegseth (15) and Ryan Schoening had 12 tackles apiece
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tiger defense that allowed 141 yards running and just 40 passing was led by linebackers Drew Hegseth and Ryan Schoening with a dozen tackles apiece. Godfrey MPetey, Mason Auge and Blake Weinand added six apiece. In addition to the interceptions by Chadwick and Peterson, Weinand came up with a fumble recovery.
The Tigers play their final two games of the regular season over the next 11 days. Friday, Oct. 14, they travel to Chaska and the following Wednesday close out their home season against New Prague. Section 1 post-season play begins Tuesday, Oct. 25.

The cheerleaders led...


The crowd roared...


and the band played on.

(photos by Jim Lindquist)

Tiger Scoreboard: October 8, 2011

Football (Homecoming)
Farmington 27 Northfield 0

Volleyball: Tigers turn into finishers in 3-1 win over Northfield

Laura Steege (top) 16 kills
Emma Fahning 28 digs
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


For the past several weeks the Tigers have played competitive volleyball only to fade in the closing moments of games.
But in Thursday night's exciting 3-1 Missota Conference win over Northfield at Tiger Gym, the Tigers found their finishing legs in a 25-21, 25-23, 13-25, 25-21 victory.
The conference win was the first in five tries for Farmington who raised its season mark to 7-17. Northfield is 5-17 overall and an identical 1-4 in conference play.
"The biggest difference was our execution in the last five points of every game," coach Mike Woody said. "We also started to believe we not only belonged but that we could win...It was fun to see all of the hard work is finally paying off. It was a total team effort."
Laura Steege had a big night on offense, finishing with a team-high 16 kills, five more than teammate Bekah Lippert. Emily Nelson added eight kills for the winners.
Mia Johnston did a good job of getting the ball to her front line, totaling half (18) of the team's 36 assists. Andrea Smith added seven and RuthAnne Schmitt five.
Emma Fahning and Adrienne Jolicoeur paced the defense with 28 and 24 digs respectively. Rachel Eckert chipped in with 11 and Johnston had 10. Lippert had her second straight stellar night at the net, registering a game-high 13 blocks.
The Tigers will be looking to add to their win total next week when they close out their regular season with a pair of Missota Conference matches, Tuesday at Chaska and Thursday at home against New Prague. Section 1AAA post-season play begins the following week.

Girls Swimming: Tigers edge Chaska by a point

Kaitlyn O'Reilly (top) 3 firsts and a second
Zoe Avestruz A first and 3 seconds


The outcome wasn't quite as nail-biting as the final 92-91 team score indicated but Tiger coach Jen Marshall said she was happy to leave Chaska with a 92-91 dual meet victory Thursday night.
"It's been a long week for us," Marshall said, "but we're happy with the girls' performances. Although everyone's feeling a bit sluggish, they stepped up against Chaska."
Farmington built 92-79 advantage through 11 events before swimming the finale, the 400 freestyle relay, in exhibition status.
In the end, Farmington's depth provided the difference as the Tigers finished first in just five of the meet's 12 events. Kaitlyn O'Reilly was in on three of them, winning the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke and joining with Kirsten Kracke, Ellie Sundet and Zoe Avestruz in claiming the 200 freestyle relay.
Avestruz took top honors in the 200 freestyle and Kracke was victorious in the 50 freestyle.
Farmington piled up the second place points, finishing runner-up in eight different individual events: Cora Ruzicka, 200 medley and 500 freestyle; Avestruz, 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly; Kracke, 100 freestyle; Kendall Novak, diving; Abby Haugen, 50 freestyle and Robin Ellis, 100 backstroke.
The 200 freestyle relay team of O'Reilly, Kracke, Sundet and Avestruz also placed second.
Nikki Cayard placed third in diving and Sundet ranked third in the 50 freestyle.
The good news about the upcoming week is all three meets will be contested at the Dodge Middle School pool. Tuesday, Hastings comes to town for a non-conference dual and Thursday the Tigers entertain New Prague. Saturday the Tigers host the Section 1 True Team where they will attempt to defend their 2010 title.

Other Farmington point-scorers:
200 freestyle: 4. Sarah O'Reilly; 5. Hannah Seitzinger
200 medley: 4. Chloe Holton
One-meter diving: 4. Jade Alm
100 butterfly: 4. Holton
100 freestyle: 4. Seitzinger
500 freestyle: 4. Sundet; 5. S. O'Reilly
100 backstroke: 5. Courtney L'Heureux
100 breaststroke: 4. Haugen; 5. Kintner

Girls Soccer: Tigers blank Trojans 4-0

Kelli Harstad (top) battles for a loose ball
Sydney Eeckert celebrates first goal
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


Farmington finished its regular season with a dominating 4-0 win over Missota Conference newcomer New Prague Thursday night, Oct. 6, at Tiger Stadium.
"We had lots of possession time," coach Rob Carpentier said. "We had 46 shots to their one so we'll be working on finishing this week in practice. But it was a dominant performance, regardless of the opposition."
Carpentier used his seniors liberally in the regular season finale with half of the four goals coming from members of the FHS class of 2012: one each by Kelli Harstad and Rachel Beck. Junior Sydney Eeckert scored her first of the season and sophomore Kelly Kornmann notched her second.
Senior Tia Jacoby chipped in with a pair of assists and Harstad and sophomore Kenya Macias each had one.
Senior keeper Taylor Meyer, out all season with a knee injury, made her first appearance of the year, working the Tiger net for the final five minutes of the game.
The win boosted the Tigers (8-7-1) over the .500 mark for the season. Carpentier said that will likely give them the sixth seed in the upcoming Section 1AA tournament and a rematch with Missota Conference rival Northfield.
The seeding will be held this weekend with opening round play set to start Thursday, Oct. 13, at the higher seeded team.

Tiger Scoreboard: October 7, 2011

Volleyball
Farmington 3 Northfield 1 (25-21, 25-23, 13-25, 25-21)

Boys Soccer
Farmington 10 New Prague 0

Girls Soccer
Farmington 4 New Prague 0

Girls Swimming and Diving
Farmington 92 Chaska 91

Boys Cross Country
Waseca Invitational
2nd place (6 schools)

Girls Cross Country
Waseca Invitational
3rd place (6 schools)

Boys Soccer: Tigers blow away New Prague in season finale

Alec Hogstad (top) 1st goal of the season
Brandon Scott (middle) 4 goals, 2 assists
Kenny Riley (bottom) last goal of the 1st half
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



After a five-game stretch where they didn't score more than two goals, the Tigers needed a pick-me-up heading into post-season play. They got it in the form of a 10-0 whitewash of New Prague Thursday afternoon, Oct. 6, at Tiger Stadium.
The Trojans, in their first year playing a varsity schedule, proved no match for Farmington who scored seven unanswered goals in the first half despite playing against a gusty southwest wind.
"After a four-game road trip, it was a good homecoming game for us," coach Julian Buss said. "We played a good game of possession and passing. The senior boys enjoyed the last regular season home game of their careers. It was certainly a festive evening."
Robin DeCastro's header off a corner kick from Jared Wolt opened the scoring floodgates 12 minutes into the opening half and the goals just kept coming.
Brandon Scott went on a one-man scoring binge with four consecutive scores to make it 5-0 before Cole Landweher and Kenny Riley added goals late in the half for the seven-goal cushion.
Landwehr scored the eighth Tiger goal 1:06 after the second half kickoff and Sam Leske and Alec Hogstad tallied goals later as Farmington scored in double digits for the first time this season.
Scott had an assist to go with his four goals and Landwehr chipped in with two assists for a four-point game. DeCatsro finished with a goal and an assist. Urive Omana and Reid Wolfe also had assists for the winners.
Chad Stivers worked the Farmington net in the first half with Mike Ricker taking over after intermission so senior Stivers could try his hand at a field position.
The victory gives Farmington an 8-6-2 season record (4-2-1 in the Missota Conference) heading into this weekend's Section 1AA seeding. Section play begins Thursday, Oct. 13.

Volleyball: Still looking for a finishing touch

Bekah Lippert
11 blocks, 9 kills vs. Irondale
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

It's fortunate the Tigers aren't in the woodworking business. They're having a difficult time finishing.
Farmington played one of its better matches of the season against a quality opponent at Irondale on Tuesday but failure to finish strong resulted in a tough 3-1 loss. Every game was close with the Knights winning 25-20, 20-25, 25-22 and 25-20.
"It seems it's either a slow start or failure to finish strong," coach Mike Woody said. "They had one very good player and we managed to slow her down but her teammates stepped up and carried them through.
"I sound like a broken record. It's the same things these girls have been struggling with all season. Last night we played better against a good team, just not good enough."
The Tigers featured a balanced offensive attack with Emily Nelson and Bekah Lippert finishing with nine kills each and Laura Steege eight. Mia Johnston led in serve assists with 15 and RuthAnne Schmitt added nine. Nelson also had a trio of service aces.
Emma Pahning led a four-player Tiger contingent in double figures in digs with 20. Rachel Eckert added 11 and Johnston and Alexis Wenskaug had 10 apiece. Lippert had a big night at the net with 11 blocks. Steege and Allie Pierskalla finished with five apiece.
The Tigers (6-17) return to Missota Conference play Thursday with a home match against Northfield at Tiger Gym.

Boys Soccer: Hawks rally, nip Tigers 3-2

Robin DeCastro
Goal and assist in return to the lineup
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Chaska made a halftime formation adjustment and the the ploy paid dividends in a 3-2 Missota Conference win over the Tigers Tuesday, Oct. 4, in Chaska.
Farmington hit the halftime break holding a 2-0 lead after a dominant first half performance.
Robin DeCastro celebrated his return to the lineup with the first Tiger goal, a header off a pass from Jared Wolt. Brandon Scott notched the second on an assist from DeCastro.
"That's the first time Robin has been on the field since the Shakopee game," coach Julian Buss said. "It was good to see him back at his midfielder's position."
Chaska switched its formation and tactics after intermission and Buss said his team was slow to react.
"They scored a goal early and that set the tone for the second half," he said. "The second goal put us back on our heels and the third one was hard to endure."
The loss dropped Farmington to 3-2-1 in conference play and 7-6-2 overall. After a torrid 7-2-1 start, the Tigers have gone 0-4-1 in their last five outings..
They hope to close the regular season on a positive note Thursday when they entertain league newcomer New Prague at Tiger Stadium. The Trojans, in their first season playing varsity hockey, have yet to win a game this season.
Section 1AA play begins Thursday, October 13, with an opponent and location determined by a seeding process.

Girls Tennis: Tigers go quietly in section opener

Coach Jack Olwell addresses his team on the first day of practice

The season that began with raised expectations on August 15 came to an abrupt halt Tuesday, Oct. 4, in a one-sided 7-0 loss at Rochester Century in the opening round of the Section 1AA team tournament
The Panthers, the state's sixth-rated Class AA team and the No. 2 seed in the ultra-strong south division, won 84 of 86 games to advance to the team quarterfinals against Red Wing.
"Our small consolation is that half the state's teams are now on the sidelines with us," Tiger coach Jack Olwell said, "and as good as they are, Century will probably be joining us in just a few days.
"They have the top two individual players in the state but they are in the same section as Mayo. It's a cruel world in girls tennis--even for a team like Century."
The only Farmington entrants to win a game at Rochester were the first doubles team of Ally Midboe and Katie Burgess and the third doubles duo of ShyAnne Spurzem and Tasha Sinha.
The Tigers still have one more competition on their schedule, an appearance at the Section 1AA individual tournament next week. Each section team will enter two singles players and two doubles teams in the tourney.
"We'll be figuring out who will play for us over the next couple of days," Olwell said.

Girls Swimming: Tigers roll in Swim for The Cure

Farmington rolled up a big lead and then in the spirit of sportsmanship swam the final three events in exhibition status on the way to an 89-85 win over Minneapolis Southwest/Henry Tuesday. Oct. 4, at the Dodge Middle School pool.
"The girls had fun competing in off events," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. "No real surprises but it was fun to watch them race in different events."
Both teams swam in the meet as participants in the Swim for the Cure (for breast cancer) program.
The Tigers roared to first place finishes in eight of the first nine events, starting with the 200 medley relay team of Cora Ruzicka, Zoe Avestruz, Chloe Holton and Kaitlyn O'Reilly. The 200 freestyle relay quartet of Abby Haugen, Chelsea Gehrke, Robin Ellis and Aveztruz was also victorious.
O'Reilly added a pair of first places efforts in the 50 and 500 freestyle races. Other individual event winners included Ruzicka, 200 freestyle; Aveztruz, 200 individual medley; Haugen, 100 freestyle and Kendall Novak, diving.
Kirsten Kracke took second place in the 200 individual medley and Jade Alm ranked second on the one-meter board.
Finishing third for Farmington in individual events were Holton in the 50 freestyle; Nikki Cayard in diving; Gehrke in the 100 freestyle and Sara Kintner in the 500 freestyle.
The Tigers return to Missota Conference action Thursday night with a dual meet at Chaska.

Other Farmington point-scorers:
200 medley relay: 3. Samantha Pommerening, Mackenzie Farran, Ahna Wilson, Sarah Crabtree
200 freestyle: 4. Gehrke
200 individual medley: 5. Hannah Seitzinger
50 freestyle: 4. Victoria Resch
100 butterfly: 4. Maddie Alexander; 5. Sarah O'Reilly
100 freestyle: 5. Hannah Sundt
500 freestyle: 4. Kracke
200 freestyle relay: 3. Seitzinger, Resch, Kintner, Kracke

Girls Soccer: Nothing Doing

Goalkeeper Ashley Becker
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers were hoping to build a little momentum heading into the post-season but after 90 minutes of soccer in their Tuesday Missota Conference match-up at Chaska all they had to show was a 0-0 tie.
Farmington (7-7-1) had the better of the opportunities, out-shooting the Hawks 22-8 for the game, but could not slip the ball past the Chaska keeper.
"We played poorly but we still should have won," Tiger coach Rob Carpentier said. "We missed several breakaway chances.
"Granted, we had some girls injured, but after a great week in terms of effort we laid an egg. We played much better in the last 10 minutes of regulation and in overtime but we couldn't finish."
Carpentier said that freshman goalie Ashley Becker, who had her second straight strong outing, did a good job of keeping the Hawks off the scoreboard.
"She had one spectacular save and a couple of routine ones," he said.
The Tigers close out their regular season with a conference home game against New Prague. The Trojans are playing their first season of varsity soccer and have yet to register their first win.

Tiger Scoreboard: October 5, 2011

Boys Soccer
Chaska 3 Farmington 2

Girls Soccer
Farmington 0 Chaska 0 (OT)

Girls Tennis
Section 1AA
Opening Round
#6AA Rochester Century 7 Farmington 0

Volleyball
Irondale 3 Farmington 1 (20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 20-25)

Girls Swimming
Farmington 89 Minneapolis Southwest/Henry 85

FHS Winter registration set for Oct. 24

NEWS RELEASE
FALL REGISTRATION NIGHT

The Farmington Athletics Department will hold the 2011-12 Winter Athletics Registration Night on Monday, October 24th at Farmington High School.

All Farmington School District parents/guardians and their sons and/or daughters, grades 6-12, who are interested in participating in a winter athletics are encouraged to attend.

The Registration Night will begin at 6:15 pm with a presentation on general information such as the registration process, eligibility, scheduling and transportation. Following at 7:00 p.m will be sport-specific meetings with the coaches.

All parents/guardians are encouraged to attend the 7:00 coaches meetings and those who did not attend the fall registration program should plan to attend the 6:15 general session.

It is recommended that the 2011-2012 Farmington Athletics Registration Packet be completed prior to attending this event. The 2011-2012 Farmington Athletics Registration Packet may be picked up at any of the following locations: Farmington High School, Boeckman Middle School, and Dodge Middle School or online at the Farmington Athletics website: www.farmington.k12.mn.us/athletics

Parents/guardians will be able to turn-in their registration packet and meet with coaches to receive information on the upcoming athletics season. Those having completed the fall sport registration packet need only pay the registration fee, complete a new emergency information form and make sure an updated physical form is on file.

A reminder that all students interested in participating in the athletics program must complete the registration packet and have a current Sports Qualifying Physical Examination (within three calendar years) on file before any participation is allowed.

Note: Dance Team will begin, Monday, October 24. so a parent meeting will be held Wednesday, October 12, at 6:15 p.m. at the high school for those student-athletes and parents/guardians who made the varsity and junior varsity teams through the spring 2011 tryouts.

HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS (GRADES 9-12)/SPORT LEVELS OFFICIAL/START DATE/FEE
Boys’ Basketball Varsity/JV/B-squad Monday, November 21 $165.00
Boys' Basketball 9th grade Monday, November 14 $165.00
Girls’ Basketball Varsity/JV/B-Squad/9th grade Monday, November 14 $165.00
Dance Team Varsity/JV Monday, October 24 $165.00
Gymnastics Varsity/JV Monday, November 14 $165.00
Boys Hockey Varsity/JV Monday, November 14 $165.00
Girls Hockey Varsity/JV Monday, October 31 $165.00
Boys Swimming and Diving Varsity/JV Monday, November 28 $165.00
Wrestling Varsity/JV Monday, November 21 $165.00
Cheerleading (Grades 10-12) Varsity TBA
Adapted Floor Hockey Varsity (CI/PI) TBA

All students in grades seven through 12 are eligible to participate in the following high school programs: Dance Team, Gymnastics, Boys Hockey, Girls Hockey, Boys Swimming and Diving and Adapted Floor Hockey.

The following programs, based on roster limitations and participation numbers, may have a try out/cut process: Dance Team, Gymnastics, Boys Hockey and Girls Hockey.


MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS (GRADES 6-8)
Girls Basketball 7th/8th Tuesday, October 25 $130.00
Boys Basketball 7th/8th Tuesday, January 3 $130.00
Wrestling 6th/7th/8th Monday, November 21 $130.00

Please note that for winter sports, sixth grade participation is limited to wrestling.
Also note that during the winter season, there will be separate seventh and eighth grade boys basketball teams at Dodge and Boeckman Middle Schools. Student-athletes play for the middle school they attend.

CONTACTS:

Farmington Athletic Office
Farmington High School
612-252-2515 (office)

Jon Summer
Athletics Director
Farmington School District
651-252-2515 (office)
jsummer@farmington.k12.mn.us

Cheerleaders thrive on competition and contribution

Tiger Cheer Squad advances to state

It's already been a busy and productive year for the Tiger cheerleading squad, both on the sidelines in the community.
Most Farmington fans are aware of the team's enthusiastic presence at varsity, junior varsity and B-squad football games but many might not know of its competitive successes this fall.
Last weekend the cheer squad traveled to Kenyon to take part in one of four regional competitions leading up to the state finals in St. Paul on Oct. 15.
The Farmington team performed a football situation cheer, a timeout crowd cheer and its school fight song for a panel of judges who scored the performance on proper situation, formation, motion techniques, voice, execution, synchronization and overall effect.
When the scores were tallied Farmington found out it was on the way to the state Class AA competition for the first time in school history.
Members of the 2011 cheer squad include captains Meagan Peterson and Julie Tang, Kelsey King, Sarah Burke, Heather Torkelson, Sadie Brewer, Aleah Williamson, Sadie LaPlante, Morgan Elliott, Brianna Leonard, Brea Metzger and Raelyn Ruby.

Meagan Peterson
Individual state qualifier

The Tiger cheer squad isn't the only Farmington entrant advancing to the state finals. Senior captain Meagan Peterson earned a spot in the state individual competition with a strong showing at a regional on Sept. 24.
"This is only the second time in school history we have had an individual make the Great Minnesota Cheer all-state finals," coach Nancy Stein said. "In 2009 Dylan Victor made it but he was unable to compete because of illness."
Peterson, who has been a varsity cheerleader for three years and a team captain for the past two, will compete at the individual state finals to be held at Concordia University-St. Paul on Oct. 15.

Spreading the spirit


Community Contributions
Despite their busy schedule the cheer team has also found time to make a host of contributions to the Farmington community this fall.
Residents traveling downtown can see clear evidence of one of their projects, decorating store windows to help promote school spirit.
Looking to the future, the girls also conducted a cheer clinic for youth in grades one through five.
One of their proudest accomplishments of the fall season has been the formation of the Sparklers, an adaptive cheer squad for individuals in grades six through 12. The group will perform at several athletic events throughout the school year.
"I could not be prouder of our cheerleaders," coach Stein said. "They are amazing young ladies who represent their school and community with great pride and spirit."