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| John LeBlond 8 tackles, 2.5 sacks (file photo by Jim Lindquist) |
Four plays into the game kicker/safety Reid Taubenheim suffered an undetermined lower body injury after punting and had to be taken off the field on a cart.
On the the very next play, the Stars' first from scrimmage, junior quarterback Anthony Eckholm connected with Adam Hoffman for a 39-yard touchdown.
One minute and 14 seconds after the opening kickoff the visitors were already in arrears by a touchdown. Unfortunately, it was a sign of things to come.
The Stars made it 10-0 with a 31-yard field goal near the end of the opening period and then tacked on another score in the second on a 66-yard run by the elusive Eckholm to forge a 17-3 halftime lead.
The Tigers, meanwhile had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Mason Gaylord after a 69-yard drive stalled at the Star's five-yard line.
Two other sustained Tiger drives in the opening half had unhappy endings, one on an interception and the other on a failed fourth down conversion at the Holy Angels' 12-yard line.
"We didn't make any big plays in the first half and they did," Farmington coach Mark Froehling said. "We played better in the second half when we showed some fire and passion and executed better but you have to have to play like that the entire game. That first half really hurt us."
To add insult to injury, the Stars scored on two of their first three possessions of the third period to build an insurmountable 30-3 lead.
The first came on another long run by Eckholm (55 yards) and the second on a 21-yard pass from Eckholm to Hoffman.
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| Mac Bassett 5 catches, 131 yards (photo by J. Lindquist) |
The game lasted five minutes short of three hours and was marred by injuries, a hold-on-to-your-hat wind, non-stop penalties and numerous conferences by the officiating crew.
"We got one 15-yard penalty penalty for 'excessive blocking,'" veteran assistant coach Gary Burr said. "I've never heard of such a thing in football."
The final game stats were surprisingly close with the Stars holding a 330-269 edge in total offense. The difference was the big plays put up by Eckholm his speedy friends.
"We have good team speed but they have a couple of players that are faster than anyone we have," Froehling said.
Farmington continued to struggle running the ball, finishing with a net of just 56 yards. The rest of the Tiger offense came through the air with VanWinkle finishing 16 of 38 for 213 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Bassett led the receiving corps with five catches for 131 yards. Johnny Dittman caught three for 28 and tight end CJ Wynings had six receptions for 20 yards.
Kevin Clifton and John LeBlond topped the Tiger tackling charts with 8.5 and eight tackles respectively. LeBlond's numbers included 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss. Nick Workman had sevens stops and Nick Meyer totaled 5.5.
Friday's loss was the third straight for Farmington and dropped the Tigers' season record to 4-3, 3-3 in conference play.
Froehling said the best thing his team can do between now and next Wednesday night's regular season and home finale is to develop a short memory.
"We always say the most important game is the one in front of us," he said. "We can't change history....Football is all about execution and that's what we'll need to do against Shakopee. Execute and come out and play with passion."
