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| Derek Klotter 34 carries for 140 yards, 2 TD's (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
They finished it with an impressive 41-28 win and at least a share of the 2012 Missota Conference championship.
Coupled with Shakopee's 24-14 win over Chanhassen the Tigers (5-1) sit alone atop the league standings with Chanhassen, Holy Angels and Chaska all 4-2 with a game to play.
The last time Farmington claimed the conference hardware was 2008 when it finished league play with a perfect 7-0 mark.
The Tigers scored on all four of their first half possessions and then added a pair of touchdowns on their first two drives of the third quarter to build an insurmountable 38-7 lead heading into the final period.
Froehling said the absence of Ashton and defensive starters Jack Erickson and John LeBlond was a concern but he was confident others would step up to fill the void.
"We knew the veteran players had to step up their game and help out those who were playing out of position or making their first varsity start," he said. "These kids have been running the same plays in practice all season. We knew they were capable football players and they showed it tonight."
Froehling said he was also pleased with the way the Tigers rebounded from a dreadful game the previous week in which they turned the ball over six times in a 28-3 loss at Chanhassen.
"We executed tonight," he said. "We were consistent offensively. We blocked and ran well and our (pass) protection was good. We knew we had to put the last game behind us and we did. When you execute a lot of good things happen in this game."
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| Reid Taubenheim 2 FG, 5 XP, 7.5 tackles, INT (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
Junior Derek Klotter who had the unenviable task of trying to fill Ashton's shoes made it 17-0 midway through the second period with a two-yard scoring run and then Froehling reached deep into his back of tricks for another score just before intermission.
It came on a perfectly executed 57-yard pass-and-run from wide receiver Jordan DeCrrock to Johnny Dittman with under two minutes to play and sent the Tigers to intermission sitting on a 24-7 cushion.
Klotter and junior Noah Kary each scored on short runs in the third period to give Farmington a 38-7 lead before the Stars scored three times with their passing game in the final stanza to make the final score closer than it appeared.
Klotter did his best Ashton imitation, lugging the ball 34 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Beenken also ran the ball well, picking up 73 yards on 10 tries and scoring once.
Beenken was an efficient eight for 11 through the air for 128 yards with Dittman leading the receivers with four catches for 97 yards, including the 57-yard bomb from DeCroock. Mac Bassett had three grabs for 75 yards and Tyler VanWinkle two for 13.
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| Mason Auge (32) 8.5 tackles, fumble recovery (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
The Tigers have a short week before traveling to Shakopee next week for the conference and regular season finale. A victory there not would not only lock up the league crown but also help for the upcoming post-season seeding.
Currently Farmington and section rivals Minneapolis Southwest own 6-1 records with Apple Valley a game back at 5-2. Other section records include St. Louis Park 1-5, Bloomington Jefferson 0-6 and Bloomington Kennedy 0-6.
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| Godfrey Mpetey flattens a Stars ball-carrier and forces fumble (photo by Jim Lindquist) |
