Alumni Tracker: Thelen headed back home

Roger Thelen

1983 Oscar Lubke Award winner Roger Thelen, who later went on to a stellar track and cross country career at Moorhead State University is headed back to Minnesota. Thelen and his family (wife Kerry and five children) have been living in a remote area in the Amazon jungles of Brazil for the better part of 14 years where he has worked as a teacher in a missionary boarding school.

The Thelens will be returning to the Farmington area in June where they hope to begin working with another ministry, preferably one involving college-age individuals. One possibility is Athletes in Action.

2004 FHS male co-Athlete of the Year Rueben (RJ) Rappe has left his position as men's diving coach at Binghamton University (New York) to enroll in a physical therapy program at Springfield College in Massachusetts. Rappe was an all-Atlantic 10 Conference diver at the University of Massachusetts...Rappe's high school coach (and father), Gregg Rappe, is still active in the diving world, officiating high school and collegiate meets and occasionally helping out with NCAA-sponsored activities.

2005 Tiger grad Nate Rowan, who worked last season as a broadcast intern with the Minnesota Twins, has taken another internship for the upcoming season, this one in Norfolk, Virginia, with the Class AAA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Rowan also worked in the media relations department of the Arizona Fall League last year and hopes this year's internship coupled with last year's experiences will take him a step closer toward his goal of landing a job as a baseball play-by-play announcer.

Former Tiger basketball player Jake Sand returned to his alma mater recently as the ninth grade boys' basketball coach for New Prague...Grant Erickson, the son of former Tiger girls basketball standout Jill Horstman (1986) and ex-Tiger boys basketball coach Randy Erickson, is averaging 14.9 points per game state-rated Lakeville North this season as that team's starting point guard...

Former Tiger girls' basketball coach Jim Schreffler is back as a top assistant coach for the Lakeville North state-ranked girls hoops team...Veteran FHS football and softball coach Gary Burr will be on the sidelines at Tiger Gym next Thursday night coaching the Hastings girls junior varsity team when it takes on the Tigers in a non-conference game...Tiger grad Ryan Pietsch is an assistant girls' hockey coach at Northfield this winter.

Kaitlin Mincke

Former Tiger track standout Kaitlin Mincke finished seventh in a field of 39 runners for the University of Minnesota in the one-mile run at the Jack Johnson Minnesota Classic held at the U of M earlier this month....

Logan Hussung

At the same meet, ex-Tiger Logan Hussung, a redshirt sophomore for the Gophers, took fourth in the men's shot put and FHS and Minnesota State, Moorhead grad Michael Bendix placed second in the high jump...Michael Amofah, a state-meet jumper for the Tigers now performing for St. Cloud State University, was sixth in the long jump at another indoor meet at the U of M earlier in the month.

Three former Tiger head coaches will be working as assistant boys golf coaches at area schools this spring. Terry Holmes will help son Jon Holmes with the Tiger program while Gerry Greupner and Greg Gamache will be coaching at Rosemount and Apple Valley respectively.

Curt Franke (1977), a three-sport Tiger athlete and the son of long-time FHS athletic director Wendell Franke, died unexpectedly at the age of 53 this past week.

Boys Hockey: Deja vu all over again

Justin Novak, team-high 10th goal, assist (photo by Jim Lindquist)

When New Prague visited Schmitz-Maki Arena in early December the Trojans scored three goals in the final 12 minutes to edge the Tigers 4-3.

In Tuesday night's re-match at the New Prague Community Center the home team did it again, this time scoring three unanswered goals in the third period for a 4-2 Missota Conference victory.

"We need to find a way to get things done in the third period," Tiger coach Keith Revels said. "We have been playing pretty well defensively and need to continue to do so while stepping up our offensive play at the same time."

New Prague took a 1-0 lead after one period on a power play goal but the visitors responded with two of their own in the second on scores by Justin Novak (from Jack Erickson and Dallas Tucker) and Erickson (from Novak and Tanner Grubb). to carry a 2-1 lead into the final frame.

New Prague turned the game around with two scores, both on the power play, in the first 8:33 of the third period and then added an exclamation point to the win with an empty-netter in the game's final minute.

"We had a couple brief lapses on the penalty kill and they jumped on the opportunities," Revels said. " Untimely penalties have been haunting us; we need to limit them."

Jack Erickson eighth goal of the season, assist (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The shots-on-goal numbers reflected the closeness of the contest with each team finishing with 24 chances.

Gage Overby drew the goal assignment for the Tigers and finished with 20 saves as his season record evened out at 4-4.

Revels said he has seen a lot of growth from his team this season and expects more as the schedule wind down.

"I still feel like this team has its best hockey in front of it," he said.

Farmington (9-9-1 and 3-5-1 in the Missota Conference) travels to Richfield Thursday night to take on league-leading Holy Angels at Richfield Arena.

The Stars defeated the Tigers 5-3 when the two teams met at Schmitz-Maki earlier in the season.

Boys BB: Last minute rally comes too late

Darren Beenken 21 points, 7 rebounds (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers scored 10 points in the final 60 seconds of regulation but the last ditch flurry was not enough to escape a 69-63 Missota Conference loss Tuesday night at Chaska.

With the loss, Farmington (10-7) dropped to 4-2 in the conference while Chaska (7-7) raised its league mark to 3-3.

"I'm not sure what it is," coach Shane Wyandt said, "but in some games, especially on the road we play with  a lack of energy,

"You can't do that with the teams we play. There's no game on our schedule that you can count on as a sure win."

The visitors started out on the right foot, hitting four of their first five shots on the way to an 11-4 lead that would turn out to be their largest of the night.

Darren Beenken (12 points) and Mac Bassett (7) accounted for much of the Farmington offense in the opening half that ended in a 30-30 tie.

Eli Rockett scored baskets on his team's first two possessions of the second half but the Hawks countered immediately to set up a second period that would remain nip-and tuck until 10 minutes remained.

That was about the point the Tiger offense went into self-destruct mode. Poor passing and erratic shooting produced just eight points over the next nine minutes. Chaska didn't shoot the lights out during that stretch either but still led 61-53 with a minute to go.

"We had some good opportunities but just didn't capitalize," Wyandt said. "There were times when we would have two guys pressing and three others watching."

The Tigers finished the second half with nine turnovers, most of them coming during the nine-minute dry spell.

Farmington lit up the scoreboard over the final minute with Zach Speikers scoring all if his game total of six points on a three-pointer and three free throws. Beenken and Johnny Dittman also added field goals during the run.

Twice in the final minute the the Tigers cut the deficit to four points but the Hawks eventually won it at the foul line where they finished 10 of 13 in the second half.

Beenken tallied 21 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead the Tiger effort. Bassett added 15 and Rockett netted 10 and also grabbed  six rebounds. Nick Varner had five rebounds, four steals, three blocks and a couple of assists to go with his five points.

For one of the few times this season the Tigers were beaten on the boards (30-26) with many of the Hawk rebounds coming on the offensive glass.

"There are not a lot of good things to take away from a night like this,' Wyandt said, "other than learning a lesson about coming to play every game."

The Tigers return home Friday night to close out the opening round of the conference schedule when they entertain Shakopee at Tiger Gym. The Sabers, 5-1 in league play, are tied with Holy Angels for first place in the conference standings

Boys Swimming: Tigers spank Spartans 99-82

Nick Stephan 1st place 100 breaststroke (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers used their superior depth to cruise past Section 1AA rival Rochester Mayo 99-82 in a Senior Night dual meet held Tuesday night at the Dodge Middle School pool.

"We knew that Mayo had a smaller team," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said. "They have some good swimmers but not the depth needed to go against us. 

"I gave the seniors a chance to choose events they either have not swum in a long time or wanted to see how they could do in an event they normally do not swim. This allowed us some very close races which made it a more exciting meet."

Farmington won just six of 12 events but piled up other place points to win going away. 

The Tigers won two relays and swam the third in exhibition status (no points awarded). 

The 200 medley relay team of Oliver Chow, Spencer Kabran, Christian Bell and Christopher Kirchmann took first place honors as did the 200 freestyle foursome of Tyler Lerbakken, Christian Bell, Dahlton Bell and Eric Schimmel. 

Individual event winners included Schimmel, 200 freestyle; Evan Carufel, diving; Cameron Molnar, 200 individual medley and Nick Stephan, 100 breaststroke.

Four Farmington entries finished runner-up, including Kirchmann in the 50 and 100 freestyle; Lerbakken in the 100 butterfly and Molnar in the 500 freestyle.

Five Tigers scored third place points in the meet, including Schimmel, 500 freestyle; Chow, 100 backstroke; Molnar, 100 freestyle; Jonathan Kingsbury, 200 freestyle and Nicholas Stivers, diving.

Hamen said the 50 and 100 freestyle races were especially exciting at they pitted Kirchmann against top section rival Elliot Lynch.

"Topher has been trying to break our pool records in those races all year," he said, "and he does very well when he is swimming side by side with an opponent.

Lynch ending up nipping Kirchmann in both races and setting new pool marks in both in the process. Kirchmann also broke the old mark with his time in the 100 free.

"It was very exciting and although we were all disappointed, sportsmanship was had by both athletes at the end of the meet," Hamen said.

Thursday the Tiger head to Shakopee for a Missota Conference dual meet with the Sabers.

Gymnastics: Tigers bow to No. 1 Northfield

Kylie Wharton 2nd on uneven bars (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Defending state Class AA champion Northfield won the battle of the scorebook but Tiger coach Lynn Bauman said she saw some bright spots in her team's 147.22-137.25 dual meet loss to the Raiders Tuesday night at the District Service Center.

"Considering we were up against the No. 1 team in the state, we didn't let them dominate us individually," Bauman said. "The girls had a much better night on beam. I was really proud of our beam performance as a team."

The talent-rich Raiders placed first in all four individual events but the Tigers did record three second place finishes, including Tahra Eeckert in vault (9.25); Kylie Wharton on the uneven bars (9.0) and Kiana Lord in floor exercise (9.325).

Lord also took third in vault (9.1) and fifth on bars (8.45) and her all-around total of 35.175 ranked fourth.

Kathryn Beckett finished fifth in vault (9.05) and Rachel Kiminski placed fifth on the balance beam (8.6).

Northfield edged Farmington 127.85-1216.25 in the junior varsity meet. Farmington's Taylor Schmaltz won the floor exercise competition and the Tigers placed second in three events. Elizabeth Welter and Kendall Novak (tie) in vault; Kiminski on bars and Racquel Beckett on beam.

Friday the Tigers travel to New Prague to take on the Trojans, another state-rated team.

Girls Hockey: Trojans spoil home finale

Megan Stivers 2nd goal of the season (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington had nine shots on goal in the first three minutes in Tuesday night's game at Schmitz-Maki Arena but came up empty on all of them. At that point the game seemed to turn on a dime.

Visiting New Prague took advantage of an overly aggressively play by the home team to score a quick goal and then things started to get out of control. The Trojans netted four more goals (on just six shots) in the opening period on the way to an 8-2 Missota Conference win.

"After we missed all of those shots and they scored, it seemed as if we were just completely deflated," coach Jon Holmes said. "We almost instantaneously fell into a 'poor us' mode, and we stayed there for the rest of the first period."

Trailing by a daunting five goals after one period, the Tigers still found a way to make it competitive the rest of the way.

Megan Stivers scored her second goal of the season to keep the deficit at five scores through two periods and then Michaela Tonsager (from Haley Doll and Rachael Peroutky) notched her sixth of the season in the third period. Peroutky's assist was her team-leading ninth of the season.

"Fortunately we bounced out of it and came back out in the last two periods with some fight," Holmes said. "I have to be proud of the character we showed by coming back and dominating the time of possession in the final two periods."

The Trojans won the shots on goal battle by a slim 24-23 edge. Tiger goalkeeper Maddie Bowe settled down after a rough first period and finished with 16 saves.

Catie Skaja had a big night for New Prague, netting four goals and assistng on another Brittany Sticha added two goals and an assist for the Trojans.

Farmington (3-18-3) closes out its 2012-13  regular season Friday night with a road game at Rochester John Marshall.

Girls BB: Early lead fades in two-point loss

Sofia Chadwick 23 points, 4 assists, 4 steals (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Early on, the Tigers were sitting in the driver's seat with an 18-3 lead but when all was said and done they remained winless in the Missota Conference after a 49-47 loss to Northfield Tuesday night at Tiger Gym.

The defeat left Farmington (2-17) with an 0-8 mark in the conference. Northfield (6-12) is 1-7 in the Missota.

"We played aggressive defense, forced some turnovers and knocked down our shots," Tiger coach Sondra Chadwick said of her team's quick start.

"Then we ran into foul trouble on the interior and our leading rebounder (Kaitlyn Gorden) went to the bench for 10 minutes. That really hurt us."

Even with the foul troubles, however, the Tigers hit the halftime break with a 26-22 lead. Sophomore guard Sofia Chadwick led the first half effort with 16 points.

While the Tigers were following their game plan of stopping the Raiders' tandem of 6-2 post players, the Raider guards started to heat up from the perimeter in the second period.

"We executed well against their bigs, but they hit outside shots that we were daring them to take," coach Chadwick said.

Gorden, who finished with a team-high seven rebounds, fouled out with three minutes to play but Farmington still trailed by only three points with 20 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Tigers attempt for a tie fell short with five seconds to play and the Raiders stretched their lead to five with a couple of free throws. Chadwick's three-pointer at the buzzer brought the final deficit back to a basket.

Abby Gallus 15 points (photo by Jim Lindquist)

"I was proud of how we executed or game plan," Chadwick said. "That has been an issue for us...We also did well against their height and I liked how we pushed the ball in transition."

Chadwick finished with 23 points and Abby Gallus pumped in 15 to account for almost all of the Farmington offense. Chadwick also handed out four assists and came up with four steals. Gallus finished with thee assists.

Next up for the Tigers is a road Game Friday at Shakopee. The Sabers won the first meeting between the two teams 57-43.

Tiger Scoreboard: January 30, 2013

Boys Swimming
Farmington 99 Rochester Mayo 82

Girls Basketball
Northfield 49 Farmington 47

Boys Basketball
Chaska 69 Farmington 63

Gymnastics
Northfield 145.65 Farmington 137.35

Girls Hockey
New Prague 8 Farmington 2

Boys Hockey
New Prague 4 Farmington 2

Gymnastics: Panthers win Batttle of the Cats

Tahra Eckert finished second in vaulting (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Thirteenth-ranked Lakeville North defeated 20th-ranked Farmington 147.22-136.7 last Friday night in a non-conference dual meet at the District Service Center.

Although the Tigers came out on the short end of the final count, their team score was their higest of the 2012-13 season.

"We are definitely improving," Tiger coach Lynn Bauman said, "with the exception of beam We need to stay on the beam. When that happens we will be seeing very big scores."

"Tahra Eckert had a really good night on vault. I am very proud of her performance...Kiana Lord also had another great night on floor and Kathryn Beckett is keeping her vault score up there too.

Lord won the uneven bars (8.9), took second in floor (9.525) and her all-round total of 34.725 points ranked fourth.

Eckert took second in vault (9.3) while Beckett placed fourth in floor (9.025) and fifth in vault (9.225)

Kylie Wharton also placed in two events, third on bars (8.3) on fourth on beam (8.65) and Amanda Davenport took fourth on the unevens (8.275).

The Tiger junior varsity defeated North 122.15-116.8 with Racquel Beckett winning vault and Rachel Kiminski claiming first on the balance beam. Beckett also took second in floor and Taylor Schmaltz ranked second in vault.

Tuesday night the Tigers entertain defending state Class AA champion Northfield at the District Service Center.

Swimming: Kirchmann leads Tigers to 10th place finish at True Team state

Christopher Kirchmann 3 top 10 finishes at State True Team (photo by Jim Lindquist

The first two times the Tigers won the Section 1AA True Team championship they finished at the back of the pack as the state meet.

After winning a third straight section crown this year, coach Ryan Hamen said his team set a modest goal for its state meet appearance, namely to get out of the cellar at the gathering of the state's best swimmers and divers.

Paced by an outstanding individual performance by Christopher Kirchmann, the Tigers did better than that, ranking 10th in the star-studded 12-team field.

Eden Prairie claimed the team title with 2313 points. Minnetonka finished second at 2159.5, followed by Stillwater 1813, Edina 1690.5, Rosemount 1580.5, Wayzata 1496, Maple Grove 1353, Lakeville South 1291, Anoka 1128, Farmington 1092, St. Michael/Albertville 1041 and Bloomington Jefferson 657.5.

"It may sound negative," Hamen said of his team's quest not to finish last in the meet," but it was our goal and we had some fun with it. Making it here and going up against the best in the state is something to be proud of."

Kirchmann had a brilliant meet for the Tigers, placing third in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 50 freestyle and anchoring two high-placing relay teams.

The 200 freestyle  quartet of Dahlton Bell, Christian Bell, Cameron Molnar and Kirchmann ranked seventh and the 400 freestyle foursome of Eric Schimmel, Dahlton Bell, Daniel Berg and Kirchmann placed 14th.

"(Kirchmann) showed he is a real contender for a possible good placement at the state meet," Hamen said . "We have a good chance to contend in all of the relays. The tough choice I have is going to be who will be in the one relay entry spot in the conference and section meets."

Diver Evan Carufel provided the other top 10 finish for the Tigers, placing 10th in the one-meter competition. Dahlton Bell finished 15th in the 50 free and Jonathan Bovee took 16th in diving.

The 200 medley relay team of Oliver Chow, Spencer Kabran, Christian Bell and Schimmel registered a 14th place finish.

Other top Farmington finishes at the state meet:
200 freestyle: 33. Molnar
200 individual medley: 33. Aaron Cochnauer
100 butterfly: 21. Chow
500 freestyle: Austin Kueck
100 backstroke: 21. Chow
100 breaststroke: 24. Kabran

Wrestling: Tigers win, lose at Rosemount

Jamin LeDuc 22-1 for the season (photo by Jim Lindquist)

For the second time in as many nights the shorthanded Tigers split a pair of matches in a triangular meet.

This one came in the form of a 59-20 win over East Ridge and a 40-23 loss to Rosemount Friday night at Rosemount.

The Tigers used the same lineup they did on Thursday which included forfeits in two weight classes.

"To be able to win two duals in two nights while giving up 12 points to each team says a lot about how well we are wrestling," Tiger coach Chad Olson said.  "We hope to have one of them (forfeited weights) filled by Friday."

The Tigers rolled by East Ridge on the back of five six-point falls. Jamin LeDuc (106), Skylar Raymond (113), Matt Rustad (126), Joe Liden (138), Trevor Frost (160) and Joe Hoeve (170) scored the pins. Frost's win was the first of his varsity career.

Kyle Benjamin who recently returned to the lineup ran his season record to 10-2 with a technical fall in the 132-pound bout and the Tigers picked up 18 easy points on a trio of East Ridge forfeits.

Farmington won five bouts against the Irish but managed just four bonus points in doing so.

LeDuc raised his personal record to an impressive 22-1 with a major decision in the meet opener and Hoeve scored four points with a one-sided 19-6 win in the 160-pound match.

The other Tiger points came on three-point decisions by Brayden Chapman (132), Rustad and Benjamin.

Taylor Venz won by forfeit at 113-pounds for his 27th win in 29 tries this season. Rustad moved to 19-12 and Hoeve 18-11. Chapman owns an 18-12 mark.

Farmington gets back on the mat Friday when it makes the short trip to Lakeville North for an invitational tournament 

Girls BB: Tigers fall at Chanhassen

Kaitlyn Gorden 9 points, 7 rebounds (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers spotted league-leading Chanhassen a 9-0 lead out of the gate and could never recover in a 70-37 loss Friday night at Chanhassen.

 "We have talked about showing up ready to play," Tiger coach Sondra Chadwick said. "Once we settled in we stayed with them the rest of the half."

The visitors trailed 30-18 at halftime but after cutting the deficit to nine on a quick three-point play by Sydney Speer to start the second period couldn't contain the high-powered Storm (6-1 in conference play).

"After that, turnovers and defensive breakdowns let them (Chanhassen) go on another run...I was disappointed in our lack of defensive intensity in the second half."

The Storm centered their defense on preventing Farmington leading scorer Sofia Chadwick from touching the ball and the strategy paid dividends. Chadwick was held to a season-low four points, a full 11 points below her season average


If there was a bright spot in the girls' sixth straight conference loss, it was the ability of some of the other players to pick up Chadwick's scoring slack.

Sydney Speer season-high 11 points (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Abby Gallus scored 11 points in the losing effort and Speer matched that with her season-high. Kaitlyn Gorden had nine points, seven rebounds and a team-high three steals. Chadwick added four assists and three steals.

Two team statistics stood out for the Tigers. They shot just 29 percent from the floor and committed 20 turnovers against the feisty Chanhassen defense.

"I'd like to see us respond to pressure better," coach Chadwick said, "and shooting has been a trouble spot for us all year."

The loss at Chanhassen was the third straight road game for the Tigers who return to Tiger Gym Tuesday night to entertain Northfield in a battle of winless teams in the conference.

"I'm looking forward to playing at home after two straight weeks on the road," Chadwick said.

Boys Hockey: Wingers snap Tiger win streak 1-0

Gage Overby makes one of his 20 saves (photo by Jim Lindquist)

After scoring four goals in the final 6:50 in Tuesday's win over Faribault the Tigers couldn't find the net in 51 minutes in a 1-0 Missota Conference loss to Red Wing Friday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

"Tbe boys played hard and carried the play for the most part," Tiger coach Keith Revels said. "The Red Wing goalie played well with a very stingy defense in front of him.

"They do a nice job of clogging the middle ice and blocking or denying pucks to net. We had our chances but to no avail. I can't fault the effort though."

The loss snapped a four-game Farmington winning streak and left the Tigers with an overall mark of 9-8-1; 3-4-1 in Missota Conference play.

The only goal of the night came in the closing minutes of the opening period when the Wingers' Alex Rezansnoff scored on the power play.

Farmington found itself playing shorthanded often with 18 minutes of infractions resulting in four power play chances for the visitors. Red Wing spent only two minutes in the box.

"We took too many penalties for a game like this," Revels said.

The Tigers had a 22-21 edge in shots on goal, including an 8-3 advantage in the final period but could not get the puck by Winger goalkeeper Preston Blaney.

Gage Overby returned to the Tiger nets after a shaky two-period effort on Tuesday and played well, stopping 20 of 21 shots.

"This was a tough loss but we're still making good effort and playing well," Revels said.

The Tigers hit the road this week with a pair of conference road games on the docket, Tuesday at New Prague and Thursday at Holy Angels.

Boys Basketball: Tigers tame the Storm 72-68

Nick Varner 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington overcame a five-point second half deficit and some serious fall trouble to defeat Chanhassen 72-68 Friday night at Tiger Gym.

All five starters scored in double figures for the winners as Coach Shane Wyandt's squad moved to 10-6 overall and 4-1 in conference play, a game behind unbeaten Shakopee (5-0) in the league standings.

"I've said it all year but I think every night in the conference is going to be like this," Wyandt said. "There's just not that much difference one through eight."

So far, Wyandt's observation appears valid. Three of Farmington's five conference games have been decided by single digits and another went into overtime.

Friday's encounter with the defending conference champions started well enough with the Tigers racing to an early 25-16 lead.

But foul troubles and a closing 20-8 run by the Storm left the home team staring up at a 36-33 deficit at intermission.

"Fouls have hurt us all year," Wyandt said, "but tonight it was the cheap ones, the ones 30 feet from the basket....There were also some called where we were just playing aggressively and were maybe a step late. I'm not going to get on our guys for that."

Darren Beenken, who went scoreless in the first half primarily because of picking up three quick fouls, made two free throws early in the second to give the Tigers a 40-38 edge but the Storm blew right back and at one time held a 55-50 lead.

Mac Bassett 20 points, 7 rebounds (photo by Jim Lindquist)

A three-pointer by Beenken, a three-point play by Eli Rockett and baskets by Mac Bassett and Zach Speikers erased a 58-56 Storm lead and had the Tigers up by 66-59 with 3:07 remaining in regulation.

The visitors wouldn't go away quietly, however. A long three-pointer and three free throws made it a one-point game before Beenken cashed in a pair of free throws with 1:18 to play to make it 68-65.

With under a minute to play the Storm tied it with their tenth three-pointer of the night but Nick Varner answered with an inside move for two to put the home team up a deuce at 70-68. A missed three-pointer by Chanhassen and free throws by Speikers and Beenken finally closed the door.

"We finally started running our offense in the second half," Wyandt said. "We had a lot of combinations out there with all of the fouls and it was difficult at times...The big thing was we found a way to hang in there and get a win."

The Tigers shot nearly 50 percent (26 of 53) from the floor but were a cold five of 22 from behind the three-point arc. They did help themselves from the foul line, converting 15 of 21 chances.Farmington also dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Storm 37-23.

Eli Rockett 15 points, 8 boards (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Bassett led the Tigers with a game-high 20 points and also pulled down seven rebounds. Rockett tallied 15 points and grabbed eight boards. Beenken finished with 13, all in the second half, and also yanked down seven rebounds.

Speikers tallied 12 points and dished out three assists and Varner filled up the stat sheet with 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocks in arguably his most productive night of the season.

"The last two games Nick has come up big for us," Wyandt said.

The schedule doesn't get any easier next week with a road trip to Chaska on Tuesday and a home encounter with league leading Shakopee on Friday.

"It's a huge week for us," Wyandt said. "It seems like they are all huge weeks."


Missota Conference Standings
Shakopee         5-0 
Farmington      4-1
Holy Angels    4-1
New Prague     3-2
Chaska             2-3
Red Wing        1-4
Chanhassen     1-4
Northfield        0-5

Tiger Scoreboard: January 26, 2013

Boys Basketball
Farmington 72 Chanhassen 68

Wrestling
Rosemount Triangular
Farmington 59 East Ridge 20
Rosemount 40 Farmington 24

Gymnastics
Lakeville North 141.525 Farmington 137.25 

Boys Hockey
Red Wing 1 Farmington 0

Girls Basketball
Chanhassen 70 Farmington 37

Girls Hockey: Wingers down Tigers, clinch title

Grace Gavin scored the Farmington goal (photo by Jim Lindquist)

No. 2-rated Red Wing (Class A) clinched the 2013 Missota Conference championship with a convincing 8-1 win over the Tigers Thursday night at Prairie Island Arena.

The Wingers scored a pair of goals in each of the first two periods and then exploded for four scores over the final 17 minutes to win their 21st game in 23 tries this season.

"We outshot them for the most part for the first two periods," Farmington coach Jon Holmes said. "We just weren't ready for rebounds or in the right spots to get them. 

"Much like the first time we played them their shots were just harder than ours. It could have been our two best periods of hockey we have played this year."

The loss dropped Farmington to 3-17-3 with two games remaining on the regular season schedule.

All-Missota Confernece forward Nicole Shammel scored her 10th hat trick of the season and added three assists to lead the potent Red Wing offense.

Grace Gavin netted the lone Farmington goal, her team-leading sixth of the season, in the third period on assists from Haleigh Zwart and Tyler Words. The assist by Words was the first point of her varsity career.

"In the third we played four lines after playing three lines all game," Holmes said. "It was good to see those kids get some much deserved playing time and they performed well."

Maddie Bowe patrolled the Farmington goal, finishing the night with 26 saves. Ex-Tiger Ashley Corcoran stopped 21 of 22 Farmington shots to pick up the win for the Wingers.

The Tigers close out their home season Tuesday night when New Prague pays a visit to Schmitz-Maki Arena and then bring down the curtain on the regular season with a road game at Rochester John Marshall next Friday (Feb. 1).

Boys Swimming: 200 Free Relay record falls

Oliver Chow 2 first place finishes (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Dahlton Bell, Christian Bell, Evan Carufel and Christopher Kirchmann teamed up to set a new pool record in the 200 freestyle relay in a 98-88 loss to Chaska/Chanhassen Thursday night at the Dodge Middle School pool.

The Tigers led the Stormhawks 81-77 heading into the final two events where the visitors outscored the home team by a 21-7 count.

"This was a very exciting meet," Farmington coach Ryan Hamen said. "The score shows two great teams who had some great competitive fun.

"After the meet I told the boys to keep their heads up and look Chaska/Chanhassen in the eye and thank them for making them swim their best."


The new pool record in the 200 free relay of 1:30.53 shattered the old mark of 131.12 set in 1997 by Devon Meeks, Drew Dickison, Tom Fischer and Erik Huls.


Carufel's first place effort was just one of three for the night for the versatile senior. Carufel also won the one-meter diving competition and anchored the winning 200 medley relay team. Oliver Chow, Brandon Dion and Spencer Kabran filled out the Tiger lineup for the 200 medley relay.


Classmate Kirchmann also garnered a trio of first place finishes, adding wins in the 50 and 100 freestyle races to his night's body of work.

Foreign exchange student Oliver Chow added a win in the 100 backstroke to his victory in the medley relay.  Chow also finished runner-up in the 100 butterfly as did Aaron Cochnauer in the 200 individual medley.

Five Tigers scored third place points in the meet: Eric Schimmel, 200 individual medley: Jonathan Bovee, diving; Christian Bell, 100 freestyle; Austin Kueck, 100 backstroke and Cochnauer, 100 butterfly.

Saturday the Tigers take part in their third consecutive Class AA True Team State Championships at the University of Minnesota.

Wrestling: Banged-up Tigers split

Kyle Benjamin went 2-0 in the triangular (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers made the most of less than a perfect situation to split a pair of matches in a triangular meet held Thursday night at FHS.

Farmington ground out a 32-25 win over Waterville-Elysian Morristown in the opener and dropped a 45-20 decision to Scott West in the nightcap.

"We are still a little banged up," Tiger coach Chad Olson said of his team that has been battling injury and illness for the past several weeks.

"The win (over Waterville) was a good overall victory. "We spotted them 12 of their 25 points on forfeits...We were ahead of Scott West 20-19 after the 160-pound match, so we are not that far away from being able to compete with the best."

Taylor Venz (106) and Godfrey Mpetey (220) registered six-point falls in the win over Waterville-Elysian-Morristown. Joe Liden (145) and Logan Haakana (170) each scored major decisions.

Brayden Chapman (132), Kyle Benjamin (138) Zach Seufer (152), and Jamie Scavone (285) each recorded decisions. Seufer's win came in his first varsity match.

The Tigers roared to an early 20-3 lead against Scott West on a major decision by Venz, a pin by Jamin LeDuc (113) and back-to-back technical falls by Matt Rustad (126) and Benjamin before the visitors claimed the final nine bouts, two on forfeits.

Lost in the shuffle were impressive showings by Jacob Gabbard (120) and Joe Hoeve (160), both of whom wrestled well in losses to state-rated opponents.

"They both went 0-2 but they were right there with them," Olson said.

Liden also lost to a state-ranked opponent against Scott West.

The Tigers continue to prep for the post-season tonight (Friday) with a triangular with Rosemount and East Ridge at Rosemount.

Tiger Scoreboard: January 25, 2013

Wrestling
Farmington Triangular
Farmington 32 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 25
Scott West 45 Farmington 20

Boys Swimming
Chaska/Chanhassen 98 Farmington 88

Girls Hokcey
Red Wing 8 Farmington 1

Girls Hockey: Tigers, Stars skate to draw

Maddi Oines scored fifth goal of the season (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Holy Angels (7-14-1) scored the only goal of the third period to salvage a 2-2 overtime tie with the Tigers Tuesday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The draw left the Tigers with a 3-16-3 season mark heading into the final three games of the regular season.

Haley Doll (from Michaela Tonsager) scored a power play goal, her second in as many games, in the opening period to send the Tigers to the first break in a 1-1 tie.

Maddi Oines netted her fifth goal of the season in the second frame to give the Tigers a 2-1 edge heading into the final 17 minutes.

"Maddi has been really showing big strides toward becoming an impact player," Tiger coach Jon Holmes said.

Michaela Hoffman's goal in the defense-dominated third period forced an extra eight-minute session where the Tigers couldn't take advantage of several good scoring chances.

"Their goalie came up huge with some big back door saves," Holmes said.

Missed opportunities told the game story for the Tigers.

"We had chance after chance after chance.," Holmes said, "and they were good chances. We are talking straight-up breakaways and 2-1's.

"Their goalie really played well. It was good to see the quality chances we had, and hopefully we will continue to keep getting them."

Molly Singewald 17 saves (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Molly Singewald inched closer to her first career win with a solid 17-save performance in goal for her second tie of the season.

Holmes said he was also impressed with the all-around play of senior defender Rachael Peroutky.

"Rachael played very well, often taking the game over by herself," he said.

The Tigers return to action Thursday night with a Missota Conference game at Red Wing, the second-rated Class A team in the state.

Boys Hockey: Tigers pull one out of the hat

Grant Hauswirth 1st career hat trick vs. Faribault (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Early in the season Farmington seemed to find a way to lose in the third period. In Tuesday's night's 6-4 non-conference win at Faribault it found a way to win.

The Tigers scored four unanswered goals in the final 6:35 of regulation to beat the Falcons, stretching their win streak to four games and running their sesaon record to 9-7-1.

Tiger coach Keith Revels said he was pleased with his team's late rally but added he wouldn't want to depend on it every night.

"It's nice to know we have that potential, but I'm not sure I want to put it to the test again," he said.  "It's kind of like being comforted knowing the airbags work on your car but not wanting to drive into a building to test them out."

The visitors held a decisive 21-10 shots-on-goal advantage and got goals from Grant Hauswirth and Dallas Tucker in the first two periods but still trailed 4-2 with 17 minutes to play.

"It was shaping up to be a disastrous night for us," Revels said. "Nothing was going right. We weren't getting any bounces."

Two of the Faribault goals came shorthanded, matching the total given up by the Tigers through their first 16 games.

Dallas Tucker 2 goals, assist (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The third period proved to be a different animal, however.

Austin Krause replaced a struggling Gage Overby in goal and the Tiger offense starting peppering the Falcon net. Nothing fell in the first 10 minutes but after Hauswirth opened the floodgates with his second score of the night, the goals came in bunches.

A score by Tucker tied the count and Justin Novak provided the eventual game-winner with 2:12 to play in regulation. Hauswirth completed his first career hat trick with under a minute to play to put a cherry on the victory cake. 

In addition to Hauswirth's three-point night, several other Tigers scored multiple points. Tucker added an assist to his two-goal effort and Novak tacked on two assists to his game-winning score. Jack Erickson assisted on three goals and Devin Bernu recorded two.

Justin Hyytinen, Alex Aubrecht and Grady Hauswirth also had assists for the winners.

Krause picked up the win for working a scoreless third period. The Tigers outshot the Falcons by a one-sided 20-2 in the final frame.

"It was a good comeback win for us," Revels said, "a good character builder."

The Tigers will try to make it five in a row Friday night when they entertain Red Wing in a Missota Conference match-up at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Tiger Scoreboard: January 23, 2013

Boys Hockey
Farmington 6 Faribault 4

Girls Hockey
Farmington 2 Holy Angels 2 (OT)

Boys Swimming: Tigers three-peat in True Team

2013 Section 1AA True Team section champions

The True Team concept in Minnesota high school swimming stresses total team performance where every swimmer's place counts. Team depth, as well as individual excellence, is rewarded.

The deep and talented Tiger squad embraced the True Team spirit again Saturday, winning the Section 1AA team title at Northfield for the third consecutive year.

Farmington claimed the title with 825.5 points followed by Hastings 750, Northfield 628, Owatonna 557 and Winona 341.5.

Along with taking home the championship hardware, the Tigers earned a berth in the True Team State meet scheduled for next weekend at the University of Minnesota.

"This year is especially special since we were up against five teams instead of the steady three that have always gotten together for this event," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said.

"The team we knew would be a real challenge was Hastings. They have some fast times and some depth. They did split some relays, trying to get more points in the depth chart, but overall our swims went above them."

Christopher Kirchmann 3 firsts, 1 second at True Team section (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers won five of the 12 events, including all three relays, but clinched the championship by piling up lower place points as well.

The winning relay teams included the 200 medley foursome of Oliver Chow, Spencer Kabran, Christian Bell and Evan Carufel; the 200 freestyle quarter of Dahlton Bell, Chrsitian Bell, Carufel and Christopher Kirchmann and the 400 freestyle team of Eric Schimmel, Dahlton Bell, Dan Berg and Kirchmann.

The 200 freestyle team's winning time of 1:31.43 set a meet record, eclipsing the old mark set by Lakeville North in 2005.

Carufel claimed the one-meter diving championship and Kirchmann won the 50 freestyle to account for the other Farmington firsts.

Evan Carufel 3 1sts at True Team (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Kirchmann (100 freestyle) and Dahlton Bell (100 backstroke) each added runner-up finishes to their busy day's work. The 200 medley relay team of Cameron Molnar, Nick Stephan, Brandon Dion and Schimmel also scored second place points.

Aaron Cochnauer came up with the only Tiger third place finish of the day in the 50 freestyle.

No less than six Farmington entries chipped in with fourth place points: Schimmel (100 and 200 freestyle); Cochnauer (100 butterfly); Jonathan Bovee (diving); Kabran (100 breaststroke) and the 200 freestyle relay team of Molnar, Berg, Chow and Tyler Lerbakken.

Fifth place finishers included Austin Kueck (200 freestyle); Chow (200 individual medley) and Christian Bell (100 freestyle).




Other Farmington top 10 finishers:
200 medley relay:  8.Kueck, Ben Cohoon, Brock Lange and Mitch Haugen;
200 freestyle: 7. Molnar; 8. Berg
200 individual medley: 6. Cochnauer; 9. Dion
50 freestyle: 6. D. Bell; 10. M. Haugen
100 butterfly: 6. Dion; 8. Lerbakken
100 freestyle: 9. Bradley Dow
Diving: 8. Sean Dougherty
500 freestyle: 6. Kueck; 9. Berg
200 freestyle relay: 7. Dion, Garrett Haugen, M. Haugen and Cochnauer; 8. Adam Dougherty; Jonathan Kingsbury; Kabran and Lange
100 backstroke: 6. Molnar; 9. C. Bell
100 breaststroke: 6. Stephan
400 freestyle relay: 7. Cochnauer, Dow, M. Haugen and Lerbakken; 9. A. Dougherty, Kingbury, Ian Alexander and Jake Bauerle

Wrestling: Venz moves to 26-2

Taylor Venz 106-pound champion at Eastview (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Illness and injury didn't keep the Tigers from their Saturday date at the Eastview Invitational. They only limited the number of Farmington participants.

The Tigers brought only seven wrestlers to the individual tournament with three finding their way to the awards stand.

"That is the benefit of an individual tourney," Tiger coach Chad Olson said.  "You can enter a limited team, but your individuals still get great competition."

Taylor Venz, the second-ranked 106-pounder in Minnesota, continued his stellar 2012-13 season, winning three straight matches against quality competition and capturing the 106-pound title.

Venz, (26-2), scored a technical fall in the quarterfinals, decisioned Shakopee's Alex Lloyd 14-9 in the semifinals and then dominated Stillwater's fifth-ranked Christian Bahl 10-2 in the title bout.  

Matt Rustad also had a good day in the talent-filled 126-pound division. Rustad (16-9) defeated ninth-ranked Brandon Peters of Faribault for the consolation championship.

"Matt is really wrestling well," Olson said.

Jamie Scavone added a fifth-place performance in the 220-pound bracket. Scavone went 2-2 for the tournament, winning the exciting fifth place match by a 2-1 decision.

"Jamie battled all day and was in a lot of close matches," Olson said.

Olson said his team continues to battle back from its bouts with injury and illness, but the luxury of having a full lineup is still not in the immediate future.

^{"We are probably two weeks away from having our full lineup back," he said. "The goal is to have everyone back by February 8 when we wrestle Anoka and then springboard from there into the team sections."}

Next up on the regular season schedule is a non-conference home triangular next Thursday with Waterville-Elysian-Morristown and Scott West.
 

Tiger Scoreboard: January 20, 2013

Boys Swimming and Diving
Section 1AA True Team Championships
Farmington 825.5, Hastings 750, Northfield 628, Owatonna 557, Winona 341.5

Girls Hockey
Farmington 6 Simley 3

Wrestling
Eastview Invitational
Shakopee 189, Faribault/Bethlehem Academy 168, Eastview 147, Rosemount 144.5, Coon Rapids 143.5, Scott West 123, Stillwater 99, Chisago Lakes 86, Wayzata 75, Minneapolis South 58, Farmington 42, Winona/Winona Cotter 5

Girls Hockey: Goal drought over

Rachael Peroutky goal, 2 assists (photo by Jim Lindquist)

After scoring just three goals in its last five games, the Tiger offense kicked into high gear in a 6-3 non-conference victory over Simley Saturday afternoon at Veterans' Arena in Inver Grove Heights.

Six different Farmington players found the net as the Tigers posted their third win of the season in convincing fashion.

"We not only needed this but we really deserved it," coach Jon Holmes said. "The girls have been working hard every day. They have never given up in a game no matter what the score and their attitudes have been so positive."

Madeline Oines (from Dani Wright and Breanna Raske) scored the only goal of the first period to give the visitors a slim edge and then the Tigers broke the game open with three straight scores to open the second.

Wright, Haleigh Zwart and Rachael Peroutky provided the second period fireworks with  Zwrat, Oines, Peroutky, Megan Stivers, Rachael Welzin and Bria Donnelly all recording assists.

Haley Doll and Michaela Tonsager (from Peroutky) each garnered goals in the final frame as the Farmington lead never dipped below three scores.

Haleigh Zwart goal, assist (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Maddie Bowe worked the Farmington nets and finished with 15 saves. The Tigers outshot the Spartans by a decisive 32-18.

The Tigers played well in all areas but were especially efficient in special teams play. They converted two of three power play opportunities and also scored a shorthanded goal.

"We approached the game tonight as if it was a playoff game," Holmes said. "We need to get ourselves in a state of mind that will prep us for sudden death hockey. ..We have kept ourselves in almost every game and I know the girls know that, but now we need to not only stay in the games but find ways to win.

"We have seen their hard work in practice week by week and hopefully today was an indicator that we are making a turn in the right direction on the scoring front."

The Tigers hope to carry the momentum from Tuesday's tie with Irondale and the strong showing against Simley into their next game, a Tuesday nigh date with Holy Angels at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Farmington downed the Stars 2-0 when the two teams met in Richfield earlier in the month.

Gymnastics: Lord stars in dual meet win

Kiana Lord 5-event winner (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Senior Kiana Lord had a career night to lead Farmington to a 136.9-133.7 dual meet win over Chaska/Chanhassen Friday night at the District Service Center.

Lord turned in a brilliant solo performance, winning the vault (9.325); the uneven bars (9.025); the balance beam (8.75) and floor exercise (9.6). Her winning all-around total of 36.7 was her career-best.

"What an amazing night for Kiana"," coach Lynn Bauman exclaimed.

Farmington's team score was also a season-high, a fact that delighted the Farmington coach.

"The girls were on fire." she said. "They are really starting to believe in themselves and that is where it begins.

"They will continue to get better all the way to the end (of the season). I am so proud of them."

Kathryn Beckett also had a good night for the Tigers, finishing runner-up in vault (9.3) and third in floor exercise (8.9)

Amanda Davenport placed in three events for the winners, taking fourth in bars (8.225); beam (8.225) and floor (8.875).

Kylie Wharton tied for third on the balance beam (8.45) and ranked fifth in floor (8.7).

Racquel Beckett (8.8)  and Maddie Timerson (8.775) placed fourth and fifth respectively in vaulting.

Farmington lost the JV meet by narrow 124.95-123.9 margin. Racquel Beckett finished first in floor, second on beam and fourth on bars to pace the Tigers. Mackenzie McCuddin won the vaulting competition.

The Tigers spring back into action next Friday when they entertain perennial state power Lakeville North at the District Service Center/

Boys Hockey: Three in a row

Austin Krause 18 saves (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The streaking Tigers made it three wins in a row, the second straight by shutout, with a grind-it-out 2-0 Missota Conference victory over Shakopee Friday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The victory moved Farmington to 3-3-1 after the first round of conference play and above the .500 mark for the season at 8-7-1.

"While we did not make the most of our opportunities to score, we did enough," Tiger coach Keith Revels said. "We played very solid defensively. I can't recall ever having back-to-back shutouts."

Notable in the two-game shutout streak is the fact they came from two different goaltenders.

Austin Krause patrolled the nets for the Tigers Friday and earned his first whitewash of the season with an 18-save effort. Gage Overby blanked Chaska 4-0 on Tuesday night.

"Austin had good night," Revels said. "He was very solid and steady."

Kevin Olund (19) assisted on Jordan Lugowski's 1st period goal (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Jordan Lugowski (from Tanner Grubb and Kevin Olund) scored his second goal in as many games to give the Tigers a one-goal edge that would last until the third period when Justin Hyytinen (from Grady Hauswirth and Grant Hauswirth) added an insurance score.

Farmington doubled up the shots-on-goal numbers on the Sabers, outshooting the visitors 36-18.

Revels said the win was satisfying but that his young team is still learning as it goes.

 "It got a bit physical and they took us off our game a bit," he said. "We got frustrated with missed scoring opportunities and their style of play and we took a couple of needless penalties. We need to rise above that because teams will try to do that to us down the road."

Next Tuesday the Tigers take a break from their Missota Conference schedule with a non-league road game at Faribault. They open the second round of conference play next Friday with a home game against Red Wing.

"We're playing good hockey right now," Revels said. "We need to continue to improve heading into the final nine games of our regular season."

Girls BB: Foul trouble costs Tigers

Abby Gallus 11 points, 5 rebounds (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Early foul trouble proved costly to the Tigers in a 60-45 Missota Conference loss to Holy Angels Friday night in Richfield.

"I thought this was a pretty even match-up for us," Tiger coach Sondra Chadwick said, "But we seemed to have the odds against us after we had 10 fouls called on us in the first seven minutes of the game.

"That caused the girls to play timid at both ends of the court and we only shot six of 25 in the first half."

The early foul trouble and cold shooting translated into a 29-15 halftime deficit from which the visitors could never recover.

Farmington played the Stars on even terms after the break but could not dig itself out from its first half hole.

"We decided we would ramp up our defensive intensity in the second half and we caused a number of Holy Angels turnovers," Chadwick said. "I still would have liked to see us do a better job on our defense in the paint and cut down our unforced turnovers."

Chadwick said she was pleased with her team's second half effort and pointed to several players who "stepped up at both ends of the court."

Kaitlyn Gorden 11 rebounds (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Alicia Hett and Sofia Chadwick tied for team scoring honors with 14 points with Chadwick also contributing six rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Abby Gallus scored all of her 11 points after intermission and also recorded five rebounds and four assists.

"This was the most active I have seen her,"coach Chadwick said. "It helped the team tremendously to have her on the floor for more minutes."

Kaitlyn Gorden didn't score but was  a force on the boards, yanking down 11 rebounds.

The Tigers have a week to prepare for their next game, a Missota Conference road contest Friday, Jan. 25,  at Chanhassen.

Boys BB: Tigers hold off No. 4 Stars 84-76

Mac Basset 10 of 15 shooting for 24 points (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington built a big second half lead and then held off a frenetic Holy Angels rally for an 84-76 win over the No. 4-rated (Class 3A) Stars in a rough-and-tumble Missota Conference game Friday night at Tiger Gym.

The victory moved the Tigers to 9-6 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Holy Angels dropped to 9-5 and 2-1.

"This was a big win for us," Tiger coach Shane Wyandt said. "I thought our rebounding, especially in the first half, was key....We gave up a lot of points in the second half but our team defense stood out. We clogged up the middle and we contested shots."

Each team was without one of its starters with Tiger point guard Johnny Dittman and Stars' leading scorer Delshon Strickland both unavailable.

The revised Farmington lineup roared out of the gates, using an early 13-0 run in which all five starters scored, to take a 15-2 lead. Holy Angels closed the gap just before intermission but the Tigers still hit the break with a 40-28 edge.

"We got out of our rhythm toward the end of the half," Wyandt said "and we knew they (Holy Angels) would make run at us in the second half."

But it was the home team that would throw the first punch in the second period. The Tigers opened with a 15-5 spurt and all of a sudden was sitting on a 22-point cushion at 55-33.

From there on, however, the visitors went to a physical full-court press that made the floor of Tiger Gym look like a bowling alley with players flying in all directions.

The strategy paid dividends for the Stars who gradually crept back into the game, pulling to within five points at 73-68 before baskets by Jordan DeCroock and Mac Bassett and some clutch free throw shooting by Bassett, DeCroock and Zach Speikers closed out the win.

Farmington finished the night hitting 15 of 18 from the foul line, including seven of eight down the stretch.

Jordan DeCroock 8 points, 3 rebounds, 0 turnovers (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Wyandt had some special words of praise for DeCroock who saw extended floor time in Dittman's absence.

"Maybe this  was a blessing in disguise," Wyandt said. "Jordan got a lot of minutes and showed he can handle the ball and play in pressure situations. That should help us going forward."

The win was truly a team effort with everyone who played making significant contributions.

Bassett led three players scoring in double figures with a game-high 24 points and also grabbed seven rebounds. Darren Beenken added 18 points and four assists along with what Wyandt termed "great senior leadership.. Speikers finished with 14 points and seven rebounds and drained four straight free throws in the closing minute.

Eli Rockett had nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds and his partner in the paint Nick Varner scored six points and pulled down nine boards. DeCroock tallied a season-high eight points and handed out a pair of assists and Alex Chadwick scored five points and came up with a trio of steals.

The Tigers are off until next Friday when they return to Missota Conference action with a home game with Chanhassen (6-7, 0-3). The Storm has lost its last two conference games by a total of four points.

"They were rated in Class 4A earlier in the season," Wyandt said. "Every night out in the Missota this year is tough, and it's important for us to protect our home court."

Tiger Scoreboard: January 19, 2013

Boys Basketball
Farmington 84  Holy Angels 76

Boys Hockey
Farmington 2 Shakopee 0

Gymnastics
Farmington 136.9 Chaska/Chanhassen 133.7

Girls Basketball
Holy Angels 60 Farmington 45

Girls Hockey: Sabers blank Tigers 6-0

Molly Singewald 35 saves vs. Shakopee (photo by Jim Lindquist)

All-Missota Conference forward Amy Menke scored four goals and assisted on two more as Shakopee rolled to a 6-0 Missota Conference win over the Tigers Thursday night at Shakopee.

The shutout by the Sabers was the second of the season over Farmington (2-16-1) who came out on the short end of a 2-0 score when the two teams played at Schmitz-Maki Arena in December.

"Not much for us tonight," Tiger coach Jon Holmes said. "We just came out flat and didn’t capitalize on the opportunities that we had."

Menke scored one of Shakopee's two first period goals and then netted the only one of the second to give her team a three-goal edge with a period to play.

The winners scored three more goals in the final 17 minutes, two by Menke, to improve their record to 9-10-2 overall

Shakopee kept Tiger goalie Molly Singewald on her toes, firing 41 shots on net in the contest. Farmington finished with 18 shots on Sabers' goalie Amber Flood who recorded her third shutout of the season.

The Tigers travel to Inver Grove Heights Saturday for a non-conference matinee with Simley before returning to Schmitz-Maki Arena next Tuesday to entertain Holy Angels. Farmington defeated the Stars 2-0 earlier in the season.

Wrestling: Shorthanded Tigers fall at Northfield

Taylor Venz (23-1) is ranked No. 2 in Class 3A (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Plagued by injury and illness, the Tigers fell twice at Thursday night's Missota Conference triangular at Northfield, 45-28 to the host Raiders and 60-17 to New Prague.

"It has been a rough week," Tiger coach Chad Olson said. "We have had only half of our lineup on the mat practicing this week, mostly due to illness."

Three Tigers won both of their matches at Northfield, including Jamin LeDuuc (106-pounds), Taylor Venz (109), Matt Rustad (126) and Joe Hoeve (160).

Freshman Venz, currently ranked second among Class 3A 106-pounders in Minnesota, scored a fall and an 18-0 technical fall to run his season record to 23-1 while LeDuc had a pin and a 6-0 decision to move to 19-1. Venz's victory aginst New Prague was the 60th of his young career.

Rustad continued his winning ways with a pin and a hard-fought 7-6 win over New Prague's James Berg who was has posted 20 wins this season. Rustad owns a 14-9 season mark.

Hoeve registered two six-point falls in the 160-pound weight class to improve his season record to 16-9.

The other Tiger win came from Brayden Chapman who recorded an 11-0 major decision over Northfield's Tommy Matheson in the 132-pound bout.

The Tigers don't have much time to get back to full strength. They're back on the mat Saturday at the Eastview Invitational in Apple Valley.

Tiger Scoreboard: January 18, 2013

Wrestling
Northfield Triangular
Northfield 45 Farmington 28
New Prague 60 Farmington 17

Girls Hockey
Shakopee 6 Farmington 0

Gymnastics: Tigers score well in loss to New Prague

Kiana Lord placed in three events

2012 Class A state-runner-up New Prague defeated Farmington 144.7-134.55 in a Missota Conference dual meet Tuesday night at the District Service Center.

Although the Trojans won the meet by a comfortable margin, the Tigers had some strong individual performances and their team point total was their second highest of the 2012-13 season. 

"The girls had a great meet," coach Lynn Bauman said. "If I had to point out struggles it would be bars.

"I see our team and scores continue to improve and they will only keep getting better. The girls are beginning to get more confident in their routines and with themselves." 

Kiana Lord placed in three individual events and finished third in the all-around standings with 35.25 points.

Lord ranked second on the balance beam (9.225); third in the vault (9.25) and fourth in floor exercise (9.225).

Rachel Kiminski was the only other Tiger to earn a top five finish, taking fifth on the beam with a mark of 8.45.

New Prague also won the junior varsity meet 131.65-116.85.

Taylor Schmaltz won JV all-around

Taylor Schmaltz paced Farmington with a win in all-around, a second place finish in floor exercise and  a tie for third with teammates Mackenzie McCuddin and Gina Mercurio in vault.  

Farmington will try to keep that point total moving upward this Friday when they entertain Chaska/Chanhassen at the District Service Center.