Tigers down River Falls 30-20 with small ball

Derek Klotter led Farmington rushers with 114 yards (photo by Jim Lindquist)

It's a widely accepted theory that size plays a big role in the outcome of most football games. After all, how many coaches enter their new season saying  their team is bigger and stronger than the previous year

The Tigers stood that notion on its ear Friday night when a handful of economy-sized players produced most of the offensive punch in their season-opening 30-20 win at River Falls, Wisconsin.

Senior speedster Jordan DeCroock stood out, scoring three touchdowns, two on passes of 77 and 11 yards from Tyler VanWinkle and a third on an 80-yard kickoff return. According to the official roster, DeCroock weighs in at 160 lbs and VanWinkle tips the scales at 170.

"Jordan catches the ball well as both a receiver and returner," coach Mark Froehling said. "His elusiveness and instincts make him a great weapon for us."

Then there was starting tailback Derek Klotter who threw his 155 lbs. frame at the River Falls defense all night, finishing with 121 rushing yards on 14 carries. His back-up, 155-pound Noah Kary, was the team's second leading ball-carrier with 82 yards on 13 tries.

The other Farmington score came on a 16-yard pass from VanWinkle to 160-pound wideout Johnny Dittman.

Three extra points and a 41-yard field goal came off the foot of veritable giant Reid Taubenheim (185 lbs.) who also booted five of six kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

 "I don't think I've written 150 or 160 lbs. behind a player's name on a roster so much for a long time," Froehling said. "We have a lot of smaller players around here who can play football."

Johnny Dittman 3rd period TD pass (photo by J. Lindquist)

The teams played through a sluggish first half that saw the Tigers draw first blood on a VanWinkle-to-DeCroock bomb only to have the Wildcats return the favor with a return of an interception by Sebastian Larson. Taubenheim's long field goal gave the visitors a 10-6 halftime lead.

"They (River Falls) dictated the play in the first half," Froehling said. "We were flat and didn't play with any emotion. We can't play like that and expect to win."

Whatever message Froehling and his staff imparted at the break sunk in quickly. DeCroock picked up the bouncing second half kickoff, burst up the middle and outran everyone to stretch the lead to 16-6.

Minutes later a John LeBlond fumble recovery set up the touchdown throw from VanWinkle to Dittman and late in the 20-point period Klotter and Kary ran the ball exclusively from the Tiger 39-yard line to the River Falls 11 where VanWinkle connected with  DeCroock for the final Farmington points of the night.

The Wildcats scored a touchdown on another return of an interception and added a meaningless score against the Farmington reserves in the game's final seconds.

Offensive coordinator Lew Miskowicz said his team made its share of mistakes (4 turnovers) but all in all, he liked what he saw.

"We like to play fast," he said. "We have a lot of speed and athleticism and we want to use it. Tyler had a couple of mis-reads and those caused the interceptions. But he has a lot of poise in the pocket and this was his first varsity start. I'm sure he will keep improving."

VanWinkle completed seven of 14 throws for 125 yards, three touchdowns and three picks. DeCroock was the leading receiver with two grabs for 115 yards. Dittman had two for 21 and tight end CJ Wynings two for 13.

Linebacker Nick Ruark (left) had six tackles

The starting Tiger defense pitched a shutout with linebackers Mason Auge and Godfrey Mpetey leading the way in tackles with 7.5 and seven respectively. Mason Gaylord added 6.5, Nick Ruark six and Nick Meyer five, including a sack. 

"I thought we played a solid defensive game, especially in the second half," defensive coach Glenn Mogensen said. "We did what we were supposed to do and played with a lot more fire than we did in the first half."

"This is high school football and the first game of the season," Froehling said. "So you don't expect everything to be perfect.

"But we did a lot of things well. We know areas where we need to improve and that's what we will be working on next week."

The Tigers kickoff their final Missota Conference season next Friday night when they battle Northfield for possession of Tractor Trophy at Tiger Stadium. The Raiders defeated Irondale 21-14 in their season opener.

Tractor Trophy on the line Friday night

Boys Soccer: Another whitewash job

Jake Agnew 23 saves vs. Rochester John Marshall

The Tigers continued their stellar defensive play Thursday with a 3-0 road shutout of Rochester John Marshall.

The whitewash was the second straight for Farmington (2-1-1) which has allowed just one goal in 340 minutes of playing time this season.

Jared Wolt provided all of the offense with a hat trick and sophomore goalkeeper Jake Agnew continued to befuddle the opposition, stopping an incredible 23 shots. Agnew has turned away 50 of 51 shots in the four games.

"Most teams play two forwards but JM appeared to be playing three which increased their scoring opportunities," Farmington coach Julian Buss said. "The trade-off was that made them more vulnerable to attack at the other end."

Jared Wolt has scored 5 goals in the past two games

Wolt scored the only goal of the opening half on a header off a pass from Caleb Gochenour with just 1:06 to play before intermission.

The second came 10 minutes into the second period and was a carbon copy of the first, a header on a feed from Gochenour.

Hunter Meyers' crossing pass led to Wolt's final score with 6:36 remaining in regulation. Wolt finished his career night with 10 shots, six of them on net.

Buss credited his team's offensive success to the ability of of Meyers, Matt Dubois, Eric Stoeckman, Jeffrey Guiterrez and Jack Fogarty to clear the ball to midfield and on to the attackers.

"That resulted in the ability to put together high-quality scoring opportunities," he said.

The Tigers will look to make it three in a row Tuesday when they head host Rochester Century at Tiger Stadium.

Tiger Scoreboard: August 30, 2013

Football
Farmington 30 River Falls, Wisconsin 20

Boys Cross Country
Dakota County Classic at Eagan
Apple Valley 59, Farmington 77, Lakeville South 77, Richfield 93, Eagan 113, New Prague 114, Hastings 172, St. Paul Como Park 211, Simley 270

Girls Cross Country
Eagan 36, Lakeville South 58, Forest Lake 78, Farmington 103, New Prague 129, Apple Valley 130, Hastings 201, Simley 257

Girls Tennis
South St. Paul 5 Farmington 2

Boys X-Country: A big move up at Classic

Justin Hyytinen finished 3rd overall at the 2013 Dakota County Classic

Individual times had been coming down in practice sessions and scrimmages so Tiger coach Lisa Lippold was hoping for a top three finish at Friday morning's two-mile Dakota Classic held at Eagan High School (Farmington finished fifth in 2012).

Lippold got her wish as the Tigers tied Lakeville South for second place in a quality nine-team field.

Apple Valley won the meet with 59 points with the Tigers and Cougars deadlocked in the runner-up spot with 77 each. Richfield ranked fourth at 93, followed by Eagan 113, New Prague 114, Hastings 172, St. Paul Como Park 211 and Simley 270.

"For a first race the times were good and we met our goal of finishing in the top three," Lippold said. "Most of the guys dropped time and some a lot of it. I'm excited to see where we go from there."

Leading the way for the Tigers was junior Justin Hyytinen who ranked third behind Richfield's Ali Osaba and Hastings' Zach Benning in a time of 10:25.3. Both are seniors who placed first and fourth respectively in the 3200-meter run at last spring's state track meet.

"I went out with them and stayed with them to about the mile mark," Hyytinen said, "but then they pulled away a little. But I was happy with my race. It was 15 seconds faster than I ran last year and about the same time those two guys ran here as juniors."

All five of the Tiger point scorers (top five) cracked the top 25. Sophomore Alex Hart chopped 20 seconds off last year's time to finish 12th in 11:004. Sophomore newcomer Devon Webb was three seconds back in 13th place at 11:03.6.

Senior Hunter Sevenich, who clocked 12:35 in the race last fall as a junior varsity runner, was the fourth Tiger in the chute, ranking 24th in 11:32.1. Senior Sean Dougherty was right behind in 25th place with an 11:38.8 finishing time.

Matt Anderson (47th; 12:19) and sophomore Ryan Newton (51st; 12:32) completed the Farmington varsity lineup.

Next week the Tigers get to test their talent in a very large meet when they travel to Alexander Park in Faribault for the Faribault Invitational.

Hunter Sevenich  lowered his 2012 time by more than a minute

Girls X-Country: Putting their best feet forward

The Tigers roar out of the gate at the Dakota Classic

After a long week of tropical temperatures and dew points the clouds mercifully rolled in Friday morning just in time for the Dakota County Classic two-mile race at Eagan High School.

The Tigers who ranked fifth in the event last fall were looking to move up and accomplished that goal with a fourth place finish in the eight-team field.

State powers Eagan, Lakeville South and Forest Lake finished 1-2-3 in the rankings with respective team totals of 36, 58 and 78 points. The Tigers were next at 103, followed by New Prague 129, Apple Valley 130, Hastings 201 and Simley 257.

"Our times were good and we ran well," coach Heidi Revels said. "For a first race I was very pleased.

"I was really proud of all of our runners but especially Lauren (Peterson) and Anna (Palodichuk) who were running their first varsity races."

Peterson went out with the led pack and placed ninth overall in a time of 12:18.9. Senior Maricia Pacheco took 15th in 12:46.4 and junior Sofia Chadwick clocked 13:11 to rank 23rd.

Sophomore Maricella Pacheco placed 27th in 13:3.8;  freshman Sami Hyytinen 29th in 13:38.4; Palodichuk 35th in 14:16 and junior Sarah Cummings 42nd in 14:43.7 to round out the Tiger scorecard.

The Tigers have a week off before returning to action next Friday at the Faribault Invitational.

Seventh grader Lauren Peterson placed ninth in her first varsity race

Girls Tennis: Packers snap Tiger string at five

Beth (above) and Beth Lindsey (right) own a perfect 8-0 record at No. 1 doubles

(photo by Jim Lindquist)

They say all good things must end and the Tigers' five-match did exactly that Friday morning in a 5-2 non-conference loss to South St. Paul at the Boeckman Middle School courts.

Farmington went 1-3 in singles play and 1-2 in doubles competition to head into the holiday weekend with an impressive 5-1 mark.

"We lost but had some chances," coach Jack Olwell said. "We played them close early on but faded against their strong play. They did the little things just slightly better and over the course of the match it made the difference."


The singles win came at the No.4 spot where Callie Olmscheid rallied from a one-set deficit to prevail 5-7, 6-4 (10-4).

"After the first set Callie ramped up her game," Olwell said, "although it was close."

Twins Lindsey and Beth Fairchild provided the doubles point with another convincing win, this one 6-0, 6-1, to up their season record to perfect 8-0.

All five of the Farmington losses came in straight sets.

The Tigers will try to get back on the winning track next Tuesday when they travel to Bloomington Jefferson where they will pick up from where they left off when the rains came last week and suspended play.

Volleyball: Tigers fly by Eagles 3-1

Diana Comes 30 serve receptions (photo by J. Lindquist)

Farmington won its second match in as many tries Thursday night with a 25-21, 22-25, 30-28, 25-22 win over Apple Valley at Tiger Gym.

"We were able to mix it up on offense which really kept them guessing at the net.," winning coach Mike Woody said. "Both teams played great defense which made it a very fun match.

"Game three was definitely the turning point. We had made a number of hitting errors early in the game to put us down, but the girls rallied back. This was exactly what we needed for the girls to believe that they can win from in front, from behind and win the close one."


Emma Fahning sparked the victory, filling up the game stat sheet. The talented freshman scored 17 points on kills, recorded a team-high 16 digs, registered 12 service receptions and served up seven of the team's eight aces.

But Fahning had plenty of help in the exciting non-conference victory.

Offensively, Summer Skokan and Morgan Cecchittini also hit double digits in kills with 12 and 10 respectively. Setter Ruthie Schmitt had another outstanding night running the offense and finished with 43 assists.

On the defensive side of the net, the versatile Schmitt and Hanna Baer joined Fahning in double digits in digs with 14 and 10. Libero Diana Comes registered a team-high 30 serve receptions. Skokan added 21 and Baer 20.

At the net Cecchittini came up with 13 blocks and Vanessa Garske chipped in with 11.

Next up for the Tigers is their Missota Conference opener, a home match with Northfield, Thursday, September 5.

Girls Tennis: Win streak reaches five

Megan Stivers 6-2, 6-0 winner at No. 1 singles (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington  matched its 2012 season win total with a dominating 7-0 non-conference victory over Bloomington Kennedy Thursday afternoon at the Boeckman Middle School courts.

The unbeaten Tigers stretched their winning streak to five matches with the shutout and had veteran coach Jack Olwell smiling.

"I can't ever remember having a  5-0 start," he said," and we are hoping to improve on that over the next week or so."

Six of the seven wins against Kennedy came in straight sets and three by lopsided 6-0, 6-0 scores. Ryan Jara and Callie Olmscheid had a perfect day in singles play as did the top doubles team of Beth and Lindsey Fairchild.

The Fairchilds own a perfect 5-0 record and have lost just eight games in the process.

"I guess it will be news when they finally lose a game," Olwell said.

The only scare of the meet came at third doubles where the duo of Alyson Kelly and Becky Genzler split their first two sets before winning a 7-5 tie-breaker.

The Tigers will be looking to make is six straight Friday morning when they entertain South St. Paul in another non-conference dual.

Farmington 7 Bloomington Kennedy 0
No. 1 singles: Megan Stivers won 6-2, 6-0
No. 2 singles: Ryan Jara won 6-0, 6-0
No. 3 singles: Jessie Novotny won 6-3, 6-0
No.4 singles: Callie Olmscheid won 6-0, 6-0
No. 1 doubles: Beth Fairchild/Lindsey Fairchild won 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 doubles: Molly Rudorfer/Kayla Rees won 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 doubles: Alyson Kelly/Becky Genzler won  5-7, 6-0 (7-5)

Tiger Scoreboard: August 30, 2013

Volleyball
Farmington 3 Apple Valley 1
25-21, 22-25, 30-28, 25-20

Girls Tennis
Farmington 7 Bloomington Kennedy 0

Girls Soccer
Farmington 4 Rochester John Marshall 2

Boys Soccer
Farmington 3 Rochester John Marshall 0

Girls Swimming: Tigers end five-year drought

Kaitlyn O'Reilly set pool record in the 200 medley (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Despite a long run of individual and team success success Farmington hadn't beaten Missota Conference rival Northfield in a dual meet since 2008...until Tuesday night, that is, when they pulled away from the Gators late for a 95-89 victory at the Dodge Middle School pool.

"The team was really fired up and ready to go," coach Jen Marshall said. "The result speaks for itself. Amazing performances across the board."

The meet was close through the first seven events when the Tigers erased a two-point Gator lead to build a commanding 95-77 cushion before swimming the final event in exhibition status.

The teams split the 12 events but the Tigers new-found depth proved to be the difference as the winners gobbled up second through fifth place points.

Kirsten Kracke 3 1st place finishes (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Kirsten Kracke played a role in three of the six Tiger firsts, winning the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke and teaming with Chelsea Gehrke, Cory Ruzicka and Kaitlyn O'Reilly to claim the 200 freestyle relay.

O'Reilly broke one 11-year old pool record in the 200 individual medley with a time of  2:10.07 and would have had another in the 100 breaststroke had Northfield's Sophia Nevin not won the race in an even faster time.

Ruzicka won the 200 freestyle and Catherine Gehrke led the field in the 500 freestyle distance event.

The 200 medley relay team of Kracke, O'Reilly, Ruzicka and Chelsea Gehrke placed second as did the 200 freestyle quartet of Ellie Sundet, Chloe Holton, Grace Roach and Catherine Gehrke.

Two other Farmington individuals scored second place points: Roach in the 500 freestyle and Sundet in the 100 freestyle.

The Tigers added third place finishes in five individual events: Chelsea Gehrke in the 100 individual medley and 100 breaststroke; Ruzicka in the 100 butterfly; Sara Kintner in the 500 freestyle and Kendall Novak on the one-meter board.

"As long as the team keeps focused and working with tenacity in practice," Marshall said, They will have a stellar season."

The Tigers are now off until next Thursday when they resume their Missota Conference schedule with a dual meet at Red Wing.

Girls Soccer: Heated battle ends in scoreless tie

All-state Isabelle Ferm (photo by Jim Lindquist)

With temperatures hovering around the 90 degree mark the Tigers battled Lakeville South to a 0-0 overtime tie Tuesday evening in Lakeville.

"The conditions were hot and the grass was long, so that really affected our speed," coach Tracie Randall said. "But we really played well. I was pleased with the outcome."

Randall said her team had its chances offensively with attackers Kelli Elmer and Kelly Kornmann each getting good looks at the net.

"Defensively, Izzie Ferm showed why she is one of the best in the state," Randall said. "She held the defensive line well and took charge on the counterattacks."

Randall also applauded the defensive efforts of Lia Kiage, Kayla Kucala and Nicole Doran and the midfield work of Sarah Zak, Kali Alard and Hannah Miller

"They didn't allow much space or movement by the Lakeville offense," she  said.

Keeper Ashley Becker kept the opposition off the board for the second time in thee starts. Becker has allowed just two goals this season.

The tie evened Farmington's season record at 1-1-1.

The Tigers return to the friendly confines of Tiger Stadium Thursday when they play host to Section1 rival Rochester John Marshall.

 

Boys Soccer: Tigers find net, win column

Jared Wolt 2 goals vs. Lakeville South

After back-to-back games with 180 straight minutes without scoring the Tigers found their stride Tuesday at Lakeville South, blanking the Cougars 3-0.

The victory evened Farmington's early season record at 1-1-1.

The starting time for the non-conference contest was pushed back an hour to 8:00 due to the extreme heat but the winners played as if ideal conditions existed.

"Communication, attitude and effort were our strengths tonight," Tiger coach Julian Buss said. "The entire roster is giving its full effort. After only two-and-a-half weeks of playing together, this is a real accomplishment."

Jared Wolt scored back-to-back goals in a 3:15 span midway through the first half to give the visitors a 2-0 lead at intermission.

"I would say Jared had his breakout game," Buss said. "Thirteen shots with six on goal. He had his eye on the net tonight." Blake Smith assisted on both of Wolt's scores.

Matt Dubois put a cherry on the victory sundae with an unassisted goal 10 minutes into the second period on a laser shot from 25 yards out.

Sophomore goaltender Jake Agnew recorded only five saves in the contest thanks largely to a solid defensive effort led by Dubois, Hunter Meyers and Eric Stoeckman.

Agnew lowered his impressive goals-against average to 0.33 with his second shutout in three outings.

"All of the athletes have been seeing gains," Buss said, "which is what I am looking for. Practice is a great time for situational work, but to really progress, the gains have to be realized on the competitive field."

The Tigers are hoping for a break in the heat wave by Thursday when they entertain Section 1AA rival Rochester John Marshall at Tiger Stadium.

Tiger Scoreboard: August 28, 2013

Girls Swimming and Diving
Farmington 95 Northfield 89

Boys Soccer
Farmington 3 Lakeville South 0

Girls Soccer
Farmington 0 Lakeville South 0

Alumni Tracker: Schmitz wins Publinks Title

Sammy Schmitz poses with caddy (and father) Steve Schmitz after winning the Publinks title

Sammy Schmitz of the FHS class of 1999 continues to rank among the best amateur golfers in Minnesota. Two weeks ago the former Tiger and St. John's University standout won the Minnesota Publinks Tournament held at Baker National Golf Course for the second consecutive year. Schmitz, the two-time defending Minnesota Golf Association (MGA) Player of the Year, currently ranks second in the 2013 point standings....FHS boys' golf coach Jon Holmes also fared well at the Publinks Championship, tying for 10th place overall in the talented field.

2010 Tiger grad Nick Albano, who played football for two seasons at Rochester Community and Technical College, earned a scholarship at Idaho Sate and will play for the Bengals this fall. Albano is following in the footsteps of his brother, Tiger assistant coach Brad Albano, who played two years at North Dakota School of Sciences before finishing his college career at Bemidji State.

Nick Albano

2013 Tiger male Athlete of the Year  Darren Beenken is one of two freshman quarterbacks on the Winona State University roster this fall...2009 Tiger grad Josh Zitzmann, one of the top receivers in Minnesota Junior College football last year, is back for his sophomore season with Rochester Community and Technical College.

Two former FHS football players, 2012 male Athlete of the Year Drew Hegseth and high school classmate Austin Bassett are playing for St. John's University.

2013 Tiger grad Athen Ashton, who missed much of his senior season after tearing his ACL, is slated to be the starting tailback for Central Lakes Community College in Brainerd...Another member of the FHS class of 2013, Alex Chadwick, will join nationally ranked University of St. Thomas when freshman drills begin next week.

Bubba Friedlund is a returning starter on the offensive line for Bethel University...Dillon Pariseau plays on the offensive line for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire...Tyler Barnes, who played center for the Tigers, is a long snapper/tight end for the Minnesota State, Moorhead...CJ Record is a sophomore defensive back at Southwest State University.

2005 Tiger male Athlete of the Year Matt Simon is the tight ends coach for Rutgers who will officially join the Big Ten Conference next fall...1989 Tiger male Athlete of the Year Matt Walter returns as head coach at Annandale High School where he guided the Cardinals to the Class 3A state tournament last season...Ex-Tiger Ben Froehling, son of Tiger football coach Mark Froehling, is coaching the sophomore team at Wayzata High School this fall...Another former Tiger, Andy Pierskalla, who coached at St. John's University last fall, is now the defensive coordinator at Bloomington Jefferson.

After playing on back-to-back NCAA Division III national championship teams at Concordia-University-St. Paul, former Tiger standout Katie Habeck has transferred to Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she does not plan to play vollevball...Danielle Dombeck who played with Habeck  on Farmington's only state tournament team, is a senior defensive specialist at North Dakota State University.

Danielle Dombeck

Three players from the 2011 Tiger boys soccer team are playing collegiately this fall. Chad Stivers is a goalie for Edgewood College in Madison Wisconsin; Brandon Scott is a forward for St. Scholatsica in Duluth and Sam Leske is a defender at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Ex-Tiger girls' soccer players on college rosters this fall include Ashley Kimmel, St. Olaf College; Kayla Sievert, University of Wisconsin-Stout; Kelli Harstad, St. Mary's University and Sydney Eckert, Vitebro College (Wisconsin).

Kaitlin Mincke, former Tiger state track meet performer, is a senior on the University of Minnesota cross country team...Ex-Tiger Bailey Opsal is in her sophomore season with the St. Scholastica University cross country team.

Stephanie (Swedin) Johnson was one of the finishers of the Brewhouse Triathlon in Duluth this summer...1991 Oscar Lubke Award winner Christopher Rupp, who now lives in Lyon, France, is coming back home to run the Twin Cities Marathon on October 6.

Girls Soccer: Tigers runner-up at Prior Lake

Kelly Kornmann 2 goals vs. Hill-Murray (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington won one and lost one to finish second at the four-team Prior Lake Invitational held over the weekend.

The Tigers opened their season Friday with an impressive 4-0 shutout of Hill-Murray. In Saturday's championship game they were on the receiving end of a 2-0 whitewash by Prior Lake.

"Given the loss, we played well against a good team," first year coach Tracie Randall said. "Last year they beat us 7-0 in the championship game, so we have made progress."

Randall said her team showed a few nerves in the first half of the Hill-Murray contest as well as having some problems executing its 4-4-3 offense. Still, they hit the halftime break on top 1-0 thanks to a goal by Kali Adriano-Allard.

"We changed things up nicely in the second half," Randall said."We went to to a 3-5-2 formation to add extra strength in the middle and provide for more opportunities up top."

The adjustment paid dividends as Kelly Kornmann scored twice and Adriano-Allard added her second of the night to account for the final margin of victory.

Goalkeeper Ashley Becker, who posted 10 shutouts last season, recorded her first of the 2013 season.

Prior Lake got a friendly bounce to score its first goal with three minutes to play before the end of the first half and added another score on a penalty kick after the break in the championship game.

"Two unlucky goals," Randall said, "but if we can hang with Prior Lake we can hang with some of the best teams in our conference."

The Tigers will face another South Suburban Conference team Tuesday when they travel to Lakeville South for a non-conference contest.

Ashley Becker 1st shutout of 2013 season (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Girls Swimming: A great start

Chelsea Gehrke led off the winning 400 medley relay team (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers made a big splash in their first meet of the season, out-pointing favored Chanhassen 544-522 to capture the second annual Missota Conference Relays held Friday night in Northfield.

Chaska finished a distant third with 374 points, followed by Shakopee 354, Northfield 322, New Prague 214, Red Wing 206 and Holy Angels 60.

All of the events in the season opener, including the one-meter diving competition, were conducted in relay format and by winning the title The Tigers gave coach Jen Marshall a good idea of the depth on her 2013 team.

"This was a huge meet for us right out of the gate," Marshall said. "Our experienced swimmers performed well but it was the younger girls who really stepped up.

"In most events, both of our relays finished in the top five which is impressive. The divers finishing second and third was also a highlight.  I'm excited to see where we go this season!"

The Tigers claimed two races in the nine-event meet. Chelsea Gehrke, Cora Ruzicka,  Chloe Holton and Kaitlyn O'Reilly took top honors in the 400 (4x100) medley relay and the foursome of Kracke, Ruzicka, Emily Ley and O'Reilly won the 200 backstroke relay.

In addition the champions took second in four other events and scored multiple top five finishes in four more.

Other top five performances:
200 freestyle relay: 5. Katie Aaron, Hanna Sundt, Catherine Gehrke, Caroline Cummings
400 medley relay: 4. Ley, Sara Kintner, Chloe Holton, Hannah Seitzinger
One-meter Diving: 2 and 3. Kendall Novak, Tori Sontag, Nikki Cayard, Kaitlyn Besler, Elizabeth Weber
400 medley relay (4x100): 2. Kristen Kracke, O'Reilly, Ch. Gehrke, Ellie Sundet; 4. Grace Roach, Lexie Bray, Amanda Cavanaugh, Sydney Geiger
850 freestyle relay: 3. Seitzinger, Kintner, Sundet, Ca. Gehrke; 5. Paige Hansen, Geiger, Cummings, Bray
200 butterfly relay: 2. Ch. Gehrke, Holton, Roach, Ruzicka; 5. Aaron, Katie King, Paige LeTourneau, Jessi Witherill
200 breaststroke relay: 2. Kaylee Dahlberg, Allison Kjellberg, Kracke and Kintner
400 freestyle relay:  5.Sundet, Ca. Gehrke, Ley, Seitzinger

Boys Soccer: North nips Tigers in OT

Senior midfielder Blake Smith (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Lakeville North's Toby Khounviseth scored on a direct kick two minutes into the first of two overtime periods to give the Panthers a 1-0 non-conference victory over the Tigers Saturday afternoon in Lakeville.

The loss marked the second time in three days Farmington worked overtime and failed to register a goal. The Tigers played to a 0-0 tie with Rosemount in their home opener Thursday afternoon.

"We played a great game against a tough section 1AA opponent," Farmington coach Jason Buss said. "It was a difficult the first half moving into a 20 mph wind in hot weather. We did well to keep it scoreless. 

"I would say we dominated play in the second half.  It was a physical game with several caution cards issued for both teams...Excellent play by all today. We have a strong team with a depth and versatility I don’t think Farmington has seen before."

Tiger goalie Jake Agnew turned in another solid performance in net, finishing with eight saves and barely missing a ninth on the game-winner.

"Jake got his hand on it," Buss said, "but not quite enough to bring it down. It got the upper left corner of the net. It was a well-placed shot."

Buss singled out the play of veterans Blake Smith, Jared Wolt and Eric Stoeckman who helped hold the potent offense of North to a single score.

Buss also praised the play of sweeper Matt Dubois.

"Matt is physical, intense and highly skilled in the position, making him a welcome addition to the 2013 team," he said.  

The Tigers will be hoping to get their offense in high gear on Tuesday when they travel to Lakeville South for another match-up against a Section 1AA opponent.

Tiger Scoreboard: August 25, 2013

Girls Soccer
Prior Lake Tournament
Championship
Prior Lake 2  Farmington 0

Boys Soccer
Lakeville North 1 Farmington 0

Volleyball: Tigers sack Packers in opener

The Tigers celebrate their 3-0 win over Austin (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington coach Mike Woody was all smiles after Thursday night after his team's convincing 3-0 win over Austin in it season opener at Tiger Gym.

The Tigers used their new 5-1, ball control offensive attack take leads early leads in all three games, winning by scores of 25-13, 25-9 and 25-12.

"I was very pleased with our play for a first match," Woody said. "In any game you are going to have to control the ball and we did a good job of that tonight. We passed the ball well and out hitters did a good job of closing out points."

Woody also liked the way the Tigers stuck to their game plan when the Packers threw what he called "some junk" at them.

"We didn't bite on that when they (Austin) got a little desperate," he said. "We just got back to running our offense."

The Tigers roared to an 18-5 lead in game one to set the tone for the match. A 9-0 run midway through the one-sided second game set up a more competitive third that the winners closed out with an 11-1 spurt.

Kenzie Hesse digs one out (photo by J. Lindquist)

Woody said versatile senior Ruthie Schmitt had a solid game in her first varsity start and setter and hitters Emma Fahning, Kenzie Hesse and Morgan Cecchittini came through with some strong attack play.

"Diana (Comes) also did a great job at libero," he said. "It was a good team effort."

The Tiger added he would like to see his team solidify its blocking game but added that will come as its gets more games under its belt.

Hesse and Fahning led the attackers with 13 and six kills respectively. Schmitt and Vanessa Garke added three apiece.

Comes came up with a team-leading 10 digs. Fahning led in serve receptions with eight, one more than Comes, and also chimed in with six service aces.

Schmitt had a big night distributing the ball and finished with 31 set assists. Morgan Cecchittini led in blocks with five.

The Tigers return to action next Tuesday when they travel to Irondale. They return home on Thursday to host Apple Valley.

Morgan Cecchittini goes high for a kill (photo by Jim Lindquist)

NOTE: For free downloadable high resolution image files from this match visit Jim Lindquist's website at http://sidekick.smugmug.com

Tiger Scoreboard: August 24, 2013

Girls Swimming and Diving
Missota Conference Relays at Northfield
Farmington 1st among eight teams

Girls Tennis
Farmington Invitational
Farmington 15 Cannon Falls 14 Belle Plaine 8 New Life Academy 6

Volleyball
Prior Lake Tournament
Farmington 4 Hill-Murray 0

Girls Tennis: Unbeaten Tigers make it 4 in a row

Callie Olmscheid 3-0 at fourth singles (photo by J. Lindquist)

Farmington won most of the close matches and outscored all three of its opponents to run its early season record to an impressive 4-0 while claiming the Farmignton Invitational title Friday at the Boeckman Middle School courts.

For the day the Tigers totaled 15 points, one more than runner-up Cannon Falls. Belle Plaine ranked third with eight points and New Life Academy finished with six.

"This was easily the most tightly contested tournament we have hosted in recent memory," Farmington coach Jack Olwell said, "with many matches going to a third set tie-breaker.

"As rewarding as it was to win the tournament, it was a bigger thrill to win all three head-to-head matches to raise our record to 4-0."


Farmington had not won its annual invitational tourney in more than a decade.

The championship wasn't secured until the final match of the day when Megan Stivers won a third set tie-breaker against Cannon Falls at first singles to seal the deal.

The Tigers finished the meet with a trio of individual flight champions. Beth and Lindsey Fairchild remained unbeaten for the year at first doubles and Callie Olmscheid finished a perfect 3-0 at fourth singles. Stivers won the No. 1 singles competition with a 2-1 mark.

Ryan Jara and Jessie Novotny ranked second at second and third singles respectively with 2-1 records.

The second doubles tandem of Kayla Rees/Molly Rudorfer and the third duo of Sam Gallagher/Hannah Toomey each went 1-2.

The Tigers continue their busy early season schedule Monday with a non-conference home meet with South St. Paul.



.

Boys Soccer: Tigers, Irish play to scoreless tie

Goaltender Jake Agnew (11 saves) did not allow a goal in his first varsity start

Farmington and Rosemount played 90 minutes of up-and-down soccer in the season opener for both teams played Thursday afternoon at Tiger Stadium but when the final horn sounded, enither could claim victory in a 0-0 overtime tie.
 

"All in all, a quality start," Farmington coach Julian Buss said. "I asked the boys during pre-game to define success by looking at things they could control, such as their individual effort, perseverance, focus and ability to react to adverse situations.  I feel as though they made strides in the right direction and that we can count this first match as a success."

Much of the first half was played in the midfield area with neither team managing to get many open looks at the goal. Farmington's attack suffered a big blow 10 minutes into the game when Robin DeCastro left the field with a foot injury and did not return.

Robin DeCastro suffered a foot injury in the first half and did not return

The halftime break seemed to serve as a springboard with both sides picking up the pace after intermission. The Tigers had several scoring chances but none could find the mark.

Tiger sophomore goaltender Jake Agnew came up with a big save with 10:30 left in regulation to thwart an Irish threat and a timely defensive play on a Rosemount indirect kick from out front stifled the last Rosemount opportunity with fewer than five minutes to go. Agnew finsiehd his varsity debut with 11 saves.


"Our team strength for this game was our depth and ability to recover from tough situations," Buss said. "We handled an indirect kick situation inside the 18 very well in addition to some good second clear opportunities."

 "What I would like to see more is pressure on the opposing goalie in front of the net with quick one-touch passes resulting in shot opportunities. Additionally, I feel we can work on possession in the middle as we work our way up the field."  

The Tigers have just one ay of practice to work out the kinks from the opener. Saturday they travel to
Lakeville North for a date with the Panthers. 

Tigers defend a second half corner kick

 

Girls Tennis: A clean sweep

Ryan Jara won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 singles

After being rained out in middle of a Tuesday match at Bloomington Jefferson the Tigers played their first official dual meet of the season Wednesday, sweeping a non-conference match-up at Faribault 7-0.

All of the wins came in straight sets. The three Farmington doubles teams were especially dominant, winning by a combined lopsided 36-8 count.

"I thought we played well," coach Jack Olwell said. "We could have been sharper but we also overcame some difficulties."

Olwell said he was especially impressed with the play of first doubles team Lindsey and Beth Fairchild who posted back-to-back 6-0 wins.

"They continued their exceptional play," he said. "They have played seven sets so far this year and lost only three games total. Pretty amazing start"

The Tigers don't get much time to savor their first win of the year. Friday they play host to Cannon Falls, Belle Plaine and New Life Academy in a four-team meet at the Boeckman Middle School courts.

Farmington 7 Faribault 0
No. 1 singles: Megan Stivers won 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 singles: Ryan Jara won 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 singles: Jessie Novotny won 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 singles: Callie Olmscheid won 6-1, 6-2
No. 1 doubles: Beth Fairchild/Lindsey Fairchild won 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 doubles: Kayla Rees/Molly Rudorfer won 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 doubles: Hannah Toomey/Sam Gallagher won 6-1, 6-0.