Football: A tale of two seasons

Captain Mason Auge (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Captain CJ Wynings (photo by Jim Lindquist)

With apologies to Charles Dickens and his classic "A Tale of Two Cities", the 2013 Tiger season featured the best of times and the worst of times.

There were the season-opening four wins is which coach Mark Froehling's team outscored the opposition by a one-sided 107-44 total followed by an 0-5 finish in which the Tigers were outgunned by an even more lopsided 177-51 margin.

Farmington finished 3-4 in Missota Conference play and tied for fourth place in the final league standings.

"I still see the season as a success," Froehling said. "We didn't meet our goals in terms of wins, but we played good football. The players gave great effort and the team represented the school and community with class."

Froehling pointed to a 19-3 homecoming win over New Prague and several quality performances on both sides of the ball as highlights of the 2013 campaign.

"I thought our players played well in multiple types of game situations," he said. "Playing with a lead as well as having to play from behind."

The veteran Farmington coach said one-touchdown losses to conference rivals Chanhassen and Shakopee late in the year had a major impact on how the season ended.

"We needed at least on of those wins," he said. "We either didn't make the big plays when we needed to or we gave up the big play. By winning one or both of those games we could have improved our seeding position for the section."

Captain Godfrey Mpetey (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Froehling said his large senior class made coaching the 2013 Tiger squad, led by captains Mason Auge, Godfery Mpetey, Tyler Van Winkle and Mason Auge, an enjoyable task.

"I am very proud of this year's senior class," he said. "They played together as a team for a long time and demonstrated great dedication in their preparation for this season. They were great young men to coach and they will certainly be missed."

This year's starting offensive and defensive lineups were dominated by seniors, meaning the 2014 edition of Tiger football will rely heavily on the contributions of players with limited varsity experience.

"We will need them to accept the challenges of filling important roles for us," Froehling said. "The development of each athlete between now and then will determine our ability to compete next year."

Captain Tyler VanWinkle (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers will also be stepping into unchartered territory next fall as they move to the South Suburban Conference.

"The South Suburban is a top-caliber conference," Froehling said. "We will need large numbers so we can compete with the other teams in the league. Our athletes will need to match the work and dedication of those from the other schools. It will be a challenge that we will need to meet."

The 2013 postseason awards banquet will be held in the next couple of weeks at which varsity letters and other individual awards, including all-Missota Conference selections, will be announced. Check this site later in the month for announcement of those awards.