Tiger Scoreboard: November 1, 2013

Volleyball
Section 1AAA semifinals at Rochester
Rochester Mayo 3 Farmington 2
25-21, 19-25, 25-18, 21-25, 13-15

Girls Swimming: A solid second

2013 Missota Conference Runner-ups

The Tigers didn't win a single event at the Missota Conference Championships held Saturday at Shakopee but they had more than their share of top five finishes to place second in the final team standings.

State-rated Chanhassen claimed the league title with 476 points with Farmington in the runner-up spot with 423. Chaska was well back in third at 352, followed by Northfield 338, Red Wing 190, New Prague 152, Shakopee 110 and Holy Angels 66.

"We had a fabulous conference meet and it makes me very excited for sections and state," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said  "Going into the meet Chanhassen was 120 points ahead of us and we were able to make 70 of those up. We were gunning to take the title but we had a good run at them and I'm proud of how we performed."

The foursome of Kirsten Kracke, Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Chelsea Gehrke and Cora Ruzicka accounted for two of the Farmington second place finishes in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

Each of the four relay swimmers also scored second place points in an individual event: O'Reilly in the 200 individual medley; Ruzicka in the 200 freestyle; Gehrke in the 100 butterfly and Kracke in the 100 freestyle.

O'Reilly took third in the 100 breaststroke as did Kracke in the 50 freestyle. Nikki Cayard ranked fourth in diving and Ruzicka was fourth in the 500 freestyle.

Nikki Cayard 4th in diving (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The 400 freestyle relay team of Catherine Gehrke, Hannah Seitzinger, Ellie Sundet and Emily Ley also rang up fourth place points.

Three more Tigers took fifth place: Sundet in the 200 freestyle; Chelsea Gehrke in the 200 individual medley and Lexie Bray in the 100 backstroke.

Other Farmington top 10 finishers included Sara Kintner, sixth in 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 500 freestyle seventh; Kendall Novak, sixth in one-meter diving; Sundet, seventh in the 100 freestyle; Tori Sontag, eighth in diving; Catherine Gehrke, eighth in the 200 freestyle and ninth in the 500 freestyle; Chloe Holton, ninth in the 100 butterfly; Seitzinger, ninth in the 50 freestyle and Grace Roach, 10th in the 100 butterfly.

Coach Marshall said Sundet had "the best conference meet she's ever had" and was also excited about Cayard's performance on the one-meter board.

"She is putting things together and had the meet of her life as did Tori Sontag," she said. "This was also Elizabeth Welter's first 11-dive meet and she was incredible with a top 16 finish."

The Tigers now have a week and a half to prepare for the Section 1AA Championships scheduled for Nov 7 and Nov 9 in Rochester.

Boys Soccer: A season of highlights

Jared Wolt All-Missota Conference (photo by J. Lindquist)

Farmington put together its third straight eight-win season this fall with an 8-5-5 mark and by any measure the 2013 campaign was a success.

The Tigers hosted and won their first-ever section quarterfinal home game and captured their first section semifinal victory to advance to the title game.

Coach Julian Buss' squad also compiled its best section record (4-2-1), received its highest-ever section seed (No. 3), saw its program numbers swell to an all-time high (114 in high school and middle school) and had its game with Burnsville televised on local television.

"This was exactly the kind of season we needed going into the competitive South Suburban Conference next year," Buss said. "I would say the boys and girls soccer programs were a major source of pride at Farmington this year.

"The boys are proud of themselves at all levels of our the program. It has been a blast to see it develop from two levels to four over the past five years."

Buss awarded varsity letters two 22 student athletes for their efforts during the 2013 season, including a large class of a dozen seniors: Caleb Gouchenour, Jeffrey Gutierrez, Hunter Meyers, Rafael Romero, Blake Smith, Jake Spindler, Eric Stoeckmann, Jared Wolt, Michael Bakke, Jon Zakoski, Alex Burton and Carter Lamers.

Underclassmen receiving letters included juniors Robin DeCastro, Matt Dubois, Ryan Parco, Calvin Vue and Elie Kheirallah and sophomores  Jake Agnew, Cody Billins, Jack Fogarty, Ben Sorenson and Colin O'Connor.

MVP Jake Agnew (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Wolt,  the team's top scorer who was named to the State Coaches Association second all-state team, and Myers earned all-conference honors while Smith and Stoeckmann each received all-league honorable mention.

Goalkeeper Agnew who had a goals-against average under 1.00 was the team's Most Valuable Player and Dubois was tabbed as Most Improved Player. Gutierrez received the Coach's Award for attitude and work ethic.

"About the only disappointment was our record (2-2-3) in the conference," Buss said. "We only lost twice but the three ties were tough. That kept us from a higher place in the standings and hurt us in the number of all-conference players we got.

"We feel satisfied, but unsatisfied in a way, too. That hunger is a good thing and I think the boys coming back will be ready for next year."

Speaking of the future, Buss said he thinks the Tiger program is ready for the move to the South Suburban Conference next fall.

"I believe we are ready to compete with the large school programs," he said. "The games should be close like they were this year. We only lost five of 18 games this year and that was because of our new-found competitiveness."

Hunter Meyers All-Missota Conference (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tiger Scoreboard: October 27, 2013

Girls Swimming and Diving
Missota Conference Championships at Shakopee
Chanhassen 476, Farmington 423, Chaska 352, Northfield 338, Shakopee 190, Red Wing 148, Shakopee 110, Holy Angels 66 

Volleyball: Tigers advance to section semifinals

Coach Mike Woody (photo by J. Lindquist)

Fifth-seeded Farmington won the Battle of the Tigers, defeating fourth-seeded Albert Lea 3-1 Friday night in Albert Lea to advance to the Section 1AA semifinals.

Farmington (19-11) who has won eight of its last 11 matches will get back on the bus Thursday night and head to Rochester to take on top-seeded Mayo.

Tiger coach Mike Woody said his team would have to find a way to win the close games if it was to defeat the Tigers of Albert Lea and it did exactly that.

"We did everything we needed to win," Woody said.  We passed well and were aggressive on offense and with our serves... and we didn't panic after losing a close game one. 

"It was fun to see the girls be the aggressors down the stretch in games two, three and four..."

Albert Lea used a 6-3 closing run for a 25-22 win in game one before the visitors rallied to win the next three by scores of 22-19, 25-22 and 25-21.

Farmington held a comfortable 20-10 lead in game two but had to dominate play down the stretch to prevail in games three and four.

The Tigers closed out game three on s 7-3 spurt and then broke a 20-20 tie in the finale with a 5-1 closing burst.

Kenzie Hesse had a huge offensive day for the winners with a 25-kill performance. Emma Fahning added 13 kills and also recorded a half dozen service aces.

 Setter Ruthie Schmitt spread the ball around the court and tallied 35 set assists for the four-game set.

Defensively, Fahning led in digs with 15. Schmitt added 11 and Hesse and libero Diana Comes each came up with nine.

Kenzie Hesse (right) and Emma Fahning combined for 38 kills (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Comes chimed in with a team-high 26 serve receptions with Fahning and Hesse also hitting double figures with 19 and 16 respectively. Hesse and Morgan Cecchittini each came up with a pair of blocks.

Thursday's contest with Mayo (22-4), a 3-1 winner over Winona in the quarterfinals, is a rematch of a regular season get-together that saw the Spartans post a 3-1 victory at Tiger Gym.

 "The girls approached last week with an air of confidence about them," Woody said. "This seemed to continue on the bus when they received the news about their Thursday night opponent.  They verbalized their belief that they can beat Mayo and felt they should have in September."

Football: Irish take it to Tigers in section

Jordan DeCroock 7 catches (file photo by J. Lindquist)

Way back in 1969, several years before playoffs were a staple in Minnesota High School football, No. 1 ranked Farmington played the hammer in a memorable 70-0 rout of Missota Conference rival Rosemount.

Forty-four years later the Tigers assumed the role of the nail in a 49-0 blowout loss to the Irish in the Section 3AAAAAA quarterfinals played Friday night at Rosemount Stadium.

The contest couldn't have started any worse for the visitors who saw the state's third-rated team use a short field and a blocked punt turn into two touchdowns in the game's first six-and-a-half minutes.

The South Suburban Conference champions went on to score on their next four possessions of the opening half to build a lopsided 42-0 lead at intermission.

"They (Rosemount) are a very good football team," Tiger coach Mark Froehling said. "They have a lot of good athletes on both sides of the ball and they are deep. They are a lot like the Chaska team that won our conference."

Chaska downed the Tigers by an identical margin when the teams met in Chaska midway through the regular season.

Rosemount had four touchdown on the board before the visitors gained their second first down. The Tigers gained a net of just 12 in the first two quarters. It was that kind of night.

But the winners didn't win many friends among the fans in the east bleachers during the opening half. The Irish attempted a needless onside kick after their fourth score and twice called timeouts late in the half to try to tack on even more points long after the game's outcome had been decided.

"They have a lot more football to play and were probably approaching the situation like they were ahead by seven points," Tiger coach Mark Froehing said.

Rosemount called off the hounds after the break, using reserves in a second half where the Farmington offense picked up a few more yards but no points.

The only score after intermission came on a stunning 96-yard run from scrimmage by Rosemount's Lowell Green.

The Tigers finished with just 89 yards of offense for the night, 49 passing and 40 running. Rosemount amassed 264 rushing and 160 passing for a game total of 424 yards.

Tiger quarterback Tyler VanWinkle closed the books on his senior season with 12 completions in 21 tries for 89 yards with an interception. Jordan DeCroock caught seven of the passes for 43 yards.

Eli Rockett team-high 5.5 tackles file (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Eli Rockett topped the Tiger tackling charts with 5.5 stops. Mason Auge added five, Nick Workman 4.5 and Kevin Clifton four.

Despite the disappointing post-season outcome, Froehling said he was pleased with his team's effort.

"I am proud of my boys," he said. "They stayed together. They played hard to the end under some difficult conditions. We are a family and that's what families do. These boys have been a wonderful group to coach all season."

Farmington finished the season one game below .500 with a 4-5 record. Rosemount (8-1) advances to the section semifinals against district rival Eastview next Friday night.

Boys X-Country: Hyytinen back to State

Junior Justin Hyytinen is returning to the state meet (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Justin Hyytinen continued his stellar junior season with a runner-up finish at the Section 1AA Championships held Thursday afternoon at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna.

Hyytinen, who ranked fourth at the section finals last fall, clocked 15:53 around the winding 5000-meter course advanced to the Class AA state meet for the second straight season. Hyytinen ranked 29th overall at the 2012 state finals.

"Justin knew what he needed to do going in to the race and he pulled through," coach Lisa Lippold said. "He ran a smart race and we are already discussing strategy for the state meet."

Red Wing squeaked by Lakeville North 90-91 to claim section team honors as both teams earned berths in the state team competition. Rochester Century placed third at 104, followed by Owatonna 135, Winona 158, Albert Lea 173, Farmington 184, Rochester Mayo 205, Lakeville South 205, Faribault 214, Austin 281, Northfield 313, Hastings 346, Rochester John Marshall 376, Zumbrota-Mazeppa/Kenyon-Wanamingo 393 and Kasson-Mantorville 437.

Farmington's seventh place finish in the team standings was one slot below where it finished last season but according to Lippold doesn't adequately reflect how her team performed.

"This meet was the best we have ever run," Lippold said. "It was awesome to see them all peak at the right time and leave nothing on the course. We had great running weather and have had some good last practices. It all came together Thursday."

Alex Hart was the second Tiger in the chute, lowering his season-best time to 16:54 in 25th place, four seconds and two places in front of teammate Sean Dougherty.

Senior Sean Dougherty was the third Tiger finisher

"Alex keeps improving and getting experience that will only help him in the future," Lippold said, "and Sean had a fantastic race. It was good to see him finish his senior season like that."

Devon Webb ranked 62nd in 17:42; Hunter Sevenich 67th in 17:50; Matt Anderson 86th in 18:19 and Derek Cole 97th in 19:01. All in all, 110 runners competed in the varsity race.

Farmington finished 10th among 15 teams in the junior varsity race with Ryan Newton leading the way for the Tigers with a 46th place finish in a field of 388. Josh Grimm ranked 52nd, Peyton Woller 60th, Richard Halverson 62nd, Trent Kortenbusch 63rd, Jackson Schneider 64th and Christopher Erickson 67th.

"The meet as a whole was a great way to end the season," Lippold said. "This is such a neat, smart and talented group of boys. It has been so rewarding to watch them succeed this year."

The section meet marked the end of the season for all of the Tigers except Hyytinen who will travel to St. Olaf College in Northfield next Saturday, Nov. 2, for the state meet.

Tiger Scoreboard: October 26, 2013

Volleyball
Section 1AAA quarterfinals at Albert Lea
Farmington 3 Albert Lea 1
22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-21
No. 5 Farmington plays at No. 1 Rochester Mayo next Thursday (October 31) in section semifinals 

Football
Section 3AAAAAA quarterfinals at Rosemount
Rosemount 49 Farmington 0

Girls X-Country: Peterson on to State

Seventh-grader Lauren Peterson finished 6th overall and earned a trip the state meet

Lauren Peterson put an exclamation point on an outstanding first season with a sixth place finish in a 111-runner field at the Section 1AA Championships held Thursday at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna to earn a trip to next weekend's Class AA state meet.

The speedy seventh-grader toured the 4000-meter course in a season-best 14:52 to eclipse the FHS school record on the Brooktree course set by Tiger boys' cross country coach Lisa (Dingman) Lippold in 1998.

"Lauren went out strong early in the race and stayed with the top 10 pack throughout," coach Heidi Revels said.

Peterson wasn't the only Tiger to have a big day at the section meet. Senior Maricia Pacheco, a state meet qualifier last fall, missed a return trip to state by two places, lopping a half minute off last year's section time with a 15:23 clocking.

Lakeville South out-pointed cross town rival Lakeville North 85-44 to win the team title with both schools moving on to the state meet team competition.

Austin ranked third at 114, followed by Red Wing 145, Farmington 153,  Albert Lea 161, Northfield 166, Rochester Century 199, Owatonna 211, Rochester Mayo 212, Faribault 293,  Winona 316, Rochester John Marshall 331, Zumbrota-Mazeppa/Kenyon-Wanamingo 398, Hastings 412 and Kasson-Mantorville 516.

The Tigers' fifth-place ranking was one place higher than their standing at the 2012 section finals.

Maricia Pacheco (foreground) knocked 30 seconds off her 2102 section time

In addition to Peterson and Pacheco, five other Tigers, two on the varsity team and three more on the junior varsity squad, turned in personal record times in their final meet of the season.

"What an amazing day for Farmington girls' cross country," Revels said. "Our goal is always to reach our peak this time of year and the girls definitely stepped up and gave it all they had.

"It's very exciting to bring someone to the state meet but it's also a joy to look back at all the team has done this season and to see the runners confident and meeting their individual goals."

The two additional personal bests came from Anna Palodichuk and Sami Hyytinen, the third and fourth Tiger finishers. Palodichuk checked in at 35th place in 15:57 and Hyytinen was 39th in 16:01.

Sofia Chadwick placed 56th in 16:29; Maricella Pacheco 73rd in 16:59 and Emily Schaffer 78th in 17:07.

The junior varsity team placed ninth among 13 teams with Mariana Montbriand leading the way with a 35th place finish, two spots in front of Sara Cummings. Abby Bollig finished 55th, Alexis Johnson 73rd, Hannah Morgan 78th and Kara Revis 88th.

Peterson will spend the next week training for the state meet scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2, at St. Olaf College in Northfield.

Tiger Scoreboard: October 26, 2013

Girls Cross Country
Section 1AA Championships at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna
Lakeville South 44, Lakeville North 85, Austin 114, Red Wing 145, Farmington 153,  Albert Lea 161, Northfield 166, Rochester Century 199, Owatonna 211, Rochester Mayo 212, Faribault 293,  Winona 316, Rochester John Marshall 331, Zumbrota-Mazeppa/Kenyon-Wanamingo 398, Hastings 412, Kasson-Mantorville 516
Seventh-grader Lauren Peterson qualifies for the Class AA state meet.

Boys Cross Country
Section 1AA Championships at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna
Red Wing 90, Lakeville North 91, Rochester Century 104, Owatonna 135, Winona 158, Albert Lea 173, Farmington 184, Rochester Mayo 205, Lakeville South 205, Faribault 214, Austin 281, Northfield 313, Hastings 346, Rochester John Marshall 376, Zumbrota-Mazeppa/Kenyon-Wanamingo 393, Kasson-Mantorville 437.
Junior Justin Hyytinen qualifies for the Class AA state meet for the second consecutive season.

Volleyball: Tigers face Albert Lea in quarters

Senior Ruthie Schmitt 35 set assists, 2 service aces (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington made short work of Red Wing in an opening round match of the Section 1AAA tournament played Wednesday night at Tiger Gym.

The fifth-seeded Tigers swept the three-game set by scores of 25-17, 25-12, and 25-18.

"We had moments of brilliance and moments that were not pretty, but that is volleyball," Tiger coach Mike Woody said. "We did a really good job of running a balanced offense which created opportunities all across the net."

"Kenzie (Hesse) and Emma (Fahning) played very well on the outside in all aspects of the game, while the rest of the team was very solid overall."

Fahning and Hesse, a pair of aggressive freshmen hitters, both filled up the stat sheet, tying for the team-high in kills with 13 apiece. Fahning added 14 serve receptions, 13 digs and pair of service aces while Hesse chipped in with eight digs and eight receptions.

Senior setter Ruthie Schmitt kept the offense humming with 35 assists over the three games and also served up a couple of aces. Vanessa Garske added a pair of of service aces for the winners.

Diana Comes 12 serve receptions, 9 digs (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Libero Diana Comes had a solid night, recording 12 serve receptions and nine digs. Summer Skokan and Morgan Cecchittini each came up with a block.

The opening round victory earned fifth-seeded Farmington (18-11) a trip to Albert Lea Friday night to take on the fourth-seeded "other" Tigers who sit at 15-9.

"If we can pass well and play solid defense, we can win." Woody said. "Anytime we do those two things well, our offense always seems to follow suit.  

"We also need to play to win down the stretch in the close games.  We have given away too many games that we were in position to win by playing not to lose."

The winner of Friday night's match-up advances to the section semifinals slated for next Thursday, Oct. 31 at the higher-seeded school.

 
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Tiger Scoreboard: October 24, 2013

Volleyball
Section 1AAA opening round
Farmignton 3 Red Wing 0
17-25, 12-25, 18-25
No. 5 Farmington (18-11) plays at No. 4 Albert Lea (15-9) in the quarterfinals Friday night

Girls Swimming: A championship tune-up

Diver Kendall Novak (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers dropped a 96-88 dual meet decision to Section 1AA rival Rochester John Marshall Tuesday night at the Dodge Middle School pool but coach Jen Marshall wasn't all that bothered by the final numbers.

The more important issue concerned the remainder of the schedule, namely the upcoming Missota Conference and Section 1AA meets.

"I love having this meet the week of the conference championships because it gives us a chance to fine-tune things in our races," Marshall said.

"We also swam some off-events in an effort to make sure we are putting personnel where they will be most successful, both individually and for the team."

Farmington won four events in its final dual meet of the year, three by individuals and one in a relay.

Kaitlyn O'Reilly (100 butterfly) and Kirsten Kracke (50 freestyle) each grabbed a first in a swimming event and diver Kendall Novak continued her hot streak with a victory on the one-meter board.

The relay win came in the 400 freestyle where the foursome of Kracke, O'Reilly, Cora Ruzicka and Chelsea Gehrke led the field.

The Tigers also scored second place finishes in four individual events and two relays. The individual runner-up finishes came from O'Reilly in the 100 backstroke; Kracke in the 100 freestyle; Ruzicka in the 200 individual medley and Sara Kintner in the 200 freestyle.

The quartet of Kracke, O'Reilly, Ruzicka and Gehrke placed second in the 200 medley relay. Hannah Seitzinger, Emily Ley, Grace Roach and Ellie Sundet combined to take second in the 200 freestyle relay.

The Section 1AA True Team section champions also earned third place points in six other events: Gehrke in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke; Ley in the 50 freestyle; Sundet in the 500 freestyle; Ruzicka in the 100 butterfly and Kintner in the 100 breaststroke.

Saturday the girls travel to Shakopee for the Missota Conference Championships. The Section 1AA meet is scheduled for Nov. 7 and Nov. 9 in Rochester.

"We're looking forward to Saturday and the rest of championship season," Marshall said.

Senior Cora Ruzicka (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tiger Scoreboard: October 23, 2013

Girls Swimming and Diving
Rochester John Marshall 96 Farmington 88

Girls Tennis: A big net gain

11-6 dual meet record: Farmington Invitational champions

At the end of last season Tiger coach Jack Olwell was cautiously optimistic that his young team would improve upon its 5-12 dual meet record in 2013. Little did he now how much it would do so.

Though this years lineup was still dominated by underclassmen the Tigers put together a stellar season, going 11-6 in dual meets, winning their own invitational tournament and finishing runner-up at the season-opening Mound Doubles Invitational.

"We exceeded my expectations by a wide margin" Olwell said. "After the drought we have been in we saw some light at the end of the tunnel last year. But when Claire Padrnos  moved it disrupted what had been a great doubles line-up.

"Then Jessie Novotny moved to singles, giving us a brand new look in both singles and doubles (no returning in tact teams) and the rest is history. A number of players had career years; we had great senior leadership; we won all four of our 4-3 matches and generally played out of our minds."

Olwell awarded varsity letters to 13 players and two managers for their efforts during the 2013 season: seniors Megan Stivers, Alyson Kelly, Emily Lathrop and Austin Tremmel (manager); juniors Becky Genzler, Kayla Rees, Hannah Toomey, Samantha Gallagher, and Garrett Brown (manager); sophomores Lindsey Fairchild, Beth Fairchild, Molly Rudorfer, Jessie Novotny and Callie Olmscheid and freshman Ryan Jara.

Megan Stivers All-Missota Conference (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Other team members included junior Jordan Smith, sophomore Bridget Lensing and freshmen Lizzy Sanders, Olynka Verdusco, Anna Houseal and Dee Hesse.

Stivers was team captain, the team's most valuable player and an all-Missota Conference selection based on her 9-9 record playing at the very competitive No. 1 singles position..

The Fairchild twins compiled a team-best 17-5 record at No. 1 doubles and shared Player of the Year honors while receiving all-league honorable mention.

Novotny was tabbed as the team's "most improved" player and Jara took home the Tiger Award for attitude and work ethic as well as her 12-9 win-loss record at No. 2 singles. Olmscheid also put up good numbers at fourth singles, finishing 13-7 overall.

With just three players, and only one varsity starter, graduating from this year's squad, Olwell is excited about his team's chances in the near term.

"At 11-6 overall and 3-4 in the conference we had the best showing in both in more than a decade," he said. "And we had a great crop of freshmen who will be challenging for varsity spots next year. Their improvement was remarkable from the start to the close of the season. Even after the season ended players continued to want to practice."

And while the numbers and the future both look good, Olwell was quick to point out they weren't the only things to celebrate about the 2013 season.

"We also had a lot of fun this year," he said.

                                  

Beth Fairchild

Lindsey Fairchild

 

Volleyball: Tigers open section at home

 

The Tigers drew the fifth-seed (among 12 teams) and will open Section 1AA tournament play at home Wednesday night (Oct 23) against 12th-seeded Red Wing. Farmington swept the Wingers 3-0 when the two teams meet during the regular season.

The winner of Wednesday's match advances to the section quarterfinals Friday night at Albert Lea who along with Rochester Mayo, Owatonna and Northfield earned a first round bye.

Other first round match-ups include No. 11 Austin at No. 6 Rochester Century; No. 10 Hastings at No. 7 Faribault and No. 9 Rochester John Marshall at No. 8 Winona.

Wednesday's Farmington-Red Wing match begins at 7:00 p.m. at Tiger Gym.

Soccer: Two Tigers All-State

Jared Wolt and Isabelle Ferm 2nd team All-State

The Tigers boys and girls soccer programs received affirmation of their recent successes when a player from each squad received all-state honors Sunday at the annual Minnesota High School Soccer Coaches Association awards banquet held in St. Paul.

Isabelle Ferm and Jared Wolt, both senior captains, were each named to the all-state second team.

The trip to the all-state awards dinner was the second straight for Ferm who made the first team as a junior.

The senior standout, also an all-state track performer last spring, was the linchpin of a Farmington defense that allowed just 16 goals in 19 games and carried the team to its second straight appearance in the Section 1AA finals.

First-year coach Tracie Randall said having Ferm on the field made her coaching duties a lot easier.

"Izzie is an exception student athlete," Randall said. "She led the team as a captain and helped transition me into my new position.

"She made contributions with her winning attitude, her respect for her team, school, and all coaches, and her desire to help the program grow by setting a good example of how a student athlete performs on and off the field."

Wolt also led his team to a berth in the section finals but from the other end of the field. He was the team's leading scorer with 14 goals despite sustaining a knee injury in the eighth game of the season that caused him to miss two games and limited his mobility the rest of the way.

"Jared drew attention when he was on the field," Tiger coach Julian Buss said. "He was double and triple-teamed and had to battle for the goals he got...Our season would have turned out quite differently if we hadn't had him up at the forward position."

Buss added that Wolt, also a standout 800-meter track runner for the Tigers, brought more to his team than goals.

"He was the vocal leader of the squad, directing players effectively on the field and emotionally leading the group as well," he said.  "In games when Jared was injured he took notes and contributed to the half-time analysis of the game. 

Girls Swimming: Tigers 11th at True Team State

The Tigers went up against the best in Minnesota Saturday, placing 11th in a 12-team field at the 2013 Class AA True Team Championships held Saturday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

The list of qualifying teams read like a Who's Who of high school swim teams in the Gopher State with Wayzta winning the title with 2042 points.

Perennial state power Stillwater ranked second with 2042.5, followed by Eden Prairie 1834, Minnetonka 1804, Edina 1803.5, Mounds View 1600, Centennial 1487.5, Rosemount 1382.5, St. Michael/Albertville 931, Prior Lake 915, Farmington 822 and Blaine 637.

"We had a decent meet considering the point of the season we're in," coach Jen Marshall said. "Many teams suited (wore fast suits) and rested for the meet but we swam right though it without resting or suiting and several girls had some nice time drops.  Kendall Novak had her best meet thus far in diving, too."

Kaitlyn O'Reilly came through with the lone top ten finish for the Tigers with a ninth place showing in the 100 backstroke.

Section 1AA True Team Champions

Two Farmington entrants finished 11th in their respective races: Kirsten Kracke in the 100 freestyle and the 200 freestyle relay quartet of O'Reilly, Kracke, Cora Ruzicka and Chelsea Gehrke.

Novak took 14th place in the one-meter diving competition and  O'Reilly turned in a 16th place finish in the 200 individual medley.

Kracke placed 17th in the 50 freestyle as did the 200 medley relay foursome of Kracke, O'Reilly, Gehrke and Ruzicka. Gehrke was 19th in the 100 butterfly.

Ruzicka finished 24th in the 200 freestyle and Tori Sontag landed in 25th place on the one-meter board.

Tuesday the Tigers entertain Rochester John Marshall in their final dual meet of the year before heading into what coach Marshall calls "the championship season". That kicks off Saturday with a trip to Shakopee for the Missota Conference Championships.
 
"Our sights are on the championship season," she said. "That has always been our focus and we won't change our training for the conference, section and state meets.

"It was an honor to be at True Team State as we were able to race with the best in the state. It was a great experience."

Tiger Scoreboard: October 20, 2013

Girls Swimming and Diving
Class AA State Meet at the the University of Minnesota
Wayzata 2342, Stillwater 2042.5, Eden Prairie 1834, Minnetonka 1804, Edina 1803.5, Mounds View 1600, Centennial 1487.5, Rosemount 1382.5, St. Michael/Albertville 931, Prior Lake 915, Farmington 822, Blaine 637

Boys Soccer: Tigers fall in section final

Senior captain Blake Smith (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Owatonna successfully defended its Section 1AA title with a 2-0 win over the Tigers Tuesday night on rain-soaked Lincoln Field in Owatonna.

The Huskies scored a goal toward the end of in each half, both on rebound shots from close range, to advance to next week's state Class AA tournament.

The loss ended another winning season for the Tigers who finished the 2013 campaign with  an overall record of 8-5-5 and advanced to the section title game for the first time in program history.

Despite coming out on the short end of the score at Owatonna, coach Julian Buss couldn't say enough about his team's play in its first-ever section final.

"We played some of the best soccer I have ever seen from Farmington," he said. "We played like a section finalist."

Buss singled out several players for their efforts in the final game of the 2013 season:

Senior captain Jared Wolt (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Matt Dubois: "Matt played a physical and intelligent game at sweeper. He definitely kept Owatonna's chances down.

Blake Smith: "He made some great runs and worked the middle of the field."

Robin DeCastro: "Robin was right there with Blake winning 50-50 balls and moving the ball upfield."

Hunter Meyers: "He led the team with a consistent high level of play. He was a true leder by example and ability."

Senior captain Eric Stoeckman (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Jared Wolt: "He fought and fought for a goal. Even though he was double and triple-teamed, he got off nine shots and four of them were on goal."

Eric Stoeckman: "Eric got the job done on defense like he does every game."

Goalie Jake Agnew: "Jake was ready for Owatonna. The two goals they got were attributed to their forwards getting open looks and finishing in loose ball situations."'

Buss said Ryan Parco, Rafael Romero, Jeffrey Gutierrez and Caleb Gochenour also played well in the title game.

"Owatonna was a good opponent," Buss concluded. "They earned the win."

Senior captain Hunter Meyers (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Volleyball: Sabers edge Tigers in season finale

Diana Comes 26 digs, 24 serve receptions (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Shakopee nipped the Tigers 15-12 in a deciding fifth game Tuesday night at Tiger Gym  to win a see-saw 3-2 verdict in the final regular season match for both teams.

Farmington captured the first and fourth games 25-23 and 25-22 and lost games two and three by scores of 24-26 and 18-25.

The Missota Conference loss dropped the Tigers final season mark to 17-11; 2-5 in conference play.

"What a great match," Tiger coach Mike Woody said. "We played great defense in four of the five games. In the end we played cautiously in game five and that was the difference."

Freshmen hitters Kenzie Hesse and Emma Fahning both had big statistical nights in the losing effort. Hesse had 16 kills and Fahning 14. Vanessa Garske chipped in with nine.

Setter Ruthie Schmitt recorded a season-high 50 assists and also contributed a pair of service aces.

The long games provided some robust defensive numbers with no less than five players hitting double figures in digs, led by libero Diana Comes with 26. Fahning came up with 24, Schmitt 20, Hesse 17 and Hanna Baer 17.

Comes also topped the Tiger charts in service receptions with 24. Fahning and Hesse each had 21 and Baer chimed in with 10. Garske and Morgan Cecchittini led in blocks with three apiece.

With the 17 wins in his back pocket, Woody figures his team could be seeded as high as fifth or as low as eighth for the 12-team Section 1AA tournament that begins next week. If that's the case, the Tigers would be playing at home in the opening round match scheduled for Wednesday, October 23. Final seeding for the week-long tourney takes place this weekend.

Football: Failure to finish

Mason Gaylord set up the first Tiger TD on a fake punt (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington's failure to turn long drives into points proved to be the difference in Wednesday night's 21-14 Missota Conference loss to Shakopee at Tiger Stadium.

The regular season-ending defeat was the fourth straight for the Tigers after a 4-0 start. Farmington finished 3-4 in the Missota. Shakopee was 5-3 overall and 5-2 in conference play.

The home team didn't lack for opportunities, especially in the second half. Three times after intermission the Tigers moved the ball deep into Sabers territory only to turn the ball over on downs. The final drive ended at the Shakopee 22-yard line with less than a minute to play.

"We played some good football tonight," Farmington coach Mark Froehling said. "I thought our defense did a pretty good job of containing an offense that is difficult to stop. Shakopee is tough team to play on a short week because of all of the different things they do.

"We were able to run a little better tonight and the offense put us in position to score. We didn't finish off our drives like we wanted to but I thought the effort and execution were much better than last week."

The teams traded touchdowns in the first half with the Sabers converting a Tiger interception on the first play of the night into a seven-play scoring drive and a quick 7-0 lead.

Derek Klotter 13-yard TD pass (photo by J. Lindquist)

The Tigers bounced right back with a score on their next possession on a grinding 15-play, 81-yard march capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Tyler VanWinkle to Derek Klotter. The key play was a 15-yard run out of punt formation by Mason Gaylord.

Not to be outdone, Shakopee took the ensuing kickoff and headed the other way on a 69-yard drive to re-take the lead.

Late in the second period, Gaylord stepped into the spotlight again, scooping up a Saber fumble and returning to the Shakopee five-yard line. Three plays later VanWinkle hit tight end CJ Wynings for the score and the teams hit the halftime break tied at 14-14.

Nick Meyer's fumble recovery gave Farmington a chance to take the lead early in the third period but the drive sputtered and stalled at the Shakopee 31.

Seven-plays later the Sabers scored the winning points on a 41-yard bootleg that caught the Tiger defense completely by surprise.

In the fourth quarter, Farmington would end up twice turning the ball over on downs in the shadow of the Shakopee goal posts, once at the 14-yard line and the other at the 22 as the clock wound down.

"We didn't make the big play when we had the chance," Froehling said. "That was the difference."

The Sabers had 281 yards of total offense to 230 for the Tigers. 257 of the Shakopee total came on the ground. Farmington rushed for 85 yards and threw for 145.

Klotter led the Farmington rushers with 49 yards on 18 carries; Noah Kary picked up 29 on 11 tries.

VanWinkle was 17 of 25 through the air for 145 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Mac Bassett had five receptions for 55 yards and Wynings five for 25. Jordan DeCroock made three catches for 20 yards. Klotter and Tyler Johnson had two catches apiece.

Kevin Clifton was in on 12 tackles (photo by Jim Lindquist)

On the defensive side of the ball, Kevin Clifton was in on a dozen tackles, Mason Auge and Kade Kearney six apiece, and Michael Thompson five.

The Tigers drew the short straw for the Section 3AAAAAA tournament. They were seeded No. 8 in the section dominated by South Suburban Conference schools and will play at top-seeded Rosemount next Friday night.

Kickoff is 7:00 p.m. at Rosemount Stadium.

Tiger Scoreboard: October 17, 2013

Football
Shakopee 21 Farmington 14

Boys X-County: Hyytinen King of the Conference

Missota Conference champion Justin Hyytinen (photo by Jim Lindquist)

As a sophomore last fall Justin Hyytinen finished a distant second at the Missota Conference Championships, some 27 seconds behind winner Joey Deurr of Chaska.

Tuesday afternoon at Cedar Lake Farm in New Prague Hyytinen hit the finish line three seconds ahead of Chaska's Spencer Urick to claim the 2013 conference individual title. Hyytinen's finishing time over the challenging, 5000-meter, course was 16:24.

The conference championship is the first for a Farmington runner since Ben Kampf led the field at the 2004 league finals and just the third Tiger ever to wear the Missota crown. Roger Thelen was conference champion in 1982.

"Justin went out strong and relaxed and made his move about a mile and half in," coach Lisa Lippold said. "That's what secured the win. Having a year of experience under him has really helped Justin excel this season."

As a team the Tigers placed fifth overall in a talented field. Shakopee edged Red Wing 56-64 to win the championship hardware. Chanhassen slipped by district rival Chanhassen 73-76 to finish third. Farmington totaled 125, followed by Northfield 168, New Prague 178 and Holy Angels 233.

Alex Hart all-Missota Conference

Hyytinen wasn't the only Tiger to have a big day. Sophomore Alex Hart clocked 17:11 to place 12th overall and earn all-conference honors.

"Alex knew where he wanted to place and he ran a strong race," Lippold said.

Sean Dougherty was the third Tiger in the chute, finishing 27th in 17:41. Hunter Sevenich ranked 39th in 18:20; Derek Cole 46th in 18:35; Devon Webb 50th in 18:57 and Matt Anderson 51st in 19:11.

"Overall the boys ran a good race," Lippold said. "Devon (Webb) has been having troubles with a foot injury and that showed today."

Farmington took sixth in the junior varsity race with Ryan Newton the first Tiger in the finishing chute in 21st place. Jackson Schneider ranked 26th; Richard Halverson 31st; Peyton Woller 33rd; Trent Kortenbusch 40th; Josh Grimm 41st and Zach Teiken 47th.

Out of 20 Tigers running the junior varsity race, 11 achieved personal-best times.

Next up for the Tigers is the Section 1AA meet scheduled for next Thursday at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna. Hyytinen finished fourth there last year to earn a spot in the state meet where he ranked 29th overall..

Girls Soccer: Repeat performance in finals

Rachael Welzin heads a shot toward the Panther goal (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Same teams, same site, same stakes, same exact result.

One day short of the first anniversary of Farmington's 2-0 loss to Lakeville North in the 2012 Section 1AA championship game, the Tigers fell to the Panthers by the identical score.

North scored on a penalty kick midway through the first half to take an early lead and then added an insurance goal with six minutes left in regulation to claim a state tournament berth.

Farmington coach Tracie Randall said she didn't see the loss coming.

"We had been playing very well in the tournament and had spent a lot of time getting mentally and physically prepared for this game," she said. "To be honest, I don't think we came ready to play tonight.

"I could see it in our warm-ups and the way we started the game. The mental aspect of this game is so important and tonight for some reason we just didn't have it."

North had a couple of prime scoring chances early but one shot hit the cross bar and another was corralled on a sprawling save by Tiger keeper Ashley Becker.

Ashley Becker 13 saves (photo by J. Lindquist)

The penalty kick was called for a tripping infraction by the Tigers in the front half of the box with North's Lauren Brownrigg booting the ensuing shot by Becker into the lower left corner.

"We don't score a lot of goals and that was devastating for us," Randall said. "You could see it on our play the rest of the half."

The best Tiger scoring opportunity of the half occurred with 6:35 to play when Rachael Welzin's header off Hannah Miller's corner kick was saved by Panther keeper Alexi Joyce.

Becker (13 saves) kept the Tigers within a goal with some acrobatic stops in the second half before the Panthers scored late on a rebound shot by Alyssa Ettl to put the game away.

"Becker was brilliant tonight," Randall said," But we could never do much up top."

The Tigers, who managed just three shots on goal in the contest, finished the 2013 season with a 10-5-4 record.

Free downloadable, high resolution image files from this game compliments of photographers Jim and Ruth Lindquist are available at http://sidekick.smugmug.com

Girls X-Country: Tigers 5th at Missota Championships

Maricia Pacheco All-Missota Conference (file photo by Jim Lindquist)

Senior Maricia Pacheco and seventh-grader Lauren Peterson paced the Tigers to a fifth place finish at the 2013 Missota Conference Championships run Tuesday at Cedar Lake Farm in New Prague.

Farmington took sixth at the 2012 league race held last October at the New Prague Golf Course.

"We moved up a spot from last year but I wouldn't say it was our best race," Tiger coach Heidi Revels said. "It was a tough, hilly course but I think there may have been some anxiety on running in the 'big race' for the younger girls."

A strong Chanhassen team placed three runners among the top 10 to win the meet with a low team total of 46 points. Chaska took the runner-up spot with 77, followed by Shakopee 88, Red Wing 91, Farmington 124, Northfield 125, New Prague 157 and Holy Angels 175.

Pacheco, an all-conference honorable mention performer the past two seasons, led the Tigers with an 11th place finish to earn a spot on the all-conference squad. Pacheco toured the 4000-meter course in 16:00.

Lauren Peterson all-conference honorable mention

Peterson hit the finish line in 16:11 to place 14th overall and earn all-league honorable mention. The speedy seventh-grader was the second middle schooler to finish the varsity race.

Another seventh-grader, Anna Palodichuk, was the third Farmington finisher, taking 27th place in 16:35. Junior Sofia Chadwick ranked 34th in 16:54; freshman Sami Hyytinen 39th in 17:09; sophomore Maricella Pacheco 41st in17:26 and seventh-grader Emily Schaffer 49th in 17:45.

The Tiger junior varsity finished fifth among seven teams with Sarah Cummings leading the way with a 21st place finish. Abby Bollig placed 24th; Mariana Montbriand 26th; Alex Johnson 41st; Hannah Morgan 45th and Kara Revis 48th.

Sarah Cummings led the JV runners

Next Thursday the Tigers head to Owatonna for the Section 1AA Championships to be held at Brooktree Golf Course.

Farmington finished sixth as a team there last fall and Pacheco ranked 12th overall to earn a spot in the 2012 Class AA state meet.