Alumni Tracker: November 2014

Red Taubenheim

2014 FHS grad Reid Taubenheim is having a strong freshman season for the University of North Dakota football team. Taubenheim, who owns all of the FHS placekicking records, has converted 11 of 12 extra points and nine of 13 field goal tries this fall.

Tiger grad Bubba Friedlund, an all-MIAC offensive lineman for Bethel University last fall, has helped the Royals to a 7-2 record this season...Another former Tiger, Godfrey Mpetey is a freshman lineman at Bethel...CJ Record, a 1000-yard rusher in his playing days for the Tigers, has five tackles and five assists as a safety for Southwest Minnesota State...2013 FHS male Athlete of the Year Darren Beenken is a back-up quarterback at Winona State University.

2012 male Athlete of the Year Drew Hegseth is a junior linebacker at St. John's University...Former all-Missota Conference performer Josh Patterson is a freshman offensive lineman at the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City...Patterson's high school teammate Jordan DeCroock is a freshman wide receiver at Augsburg College.

The Tigers didn't advance in the 2014 football playoffs but Farmington was well-represented in the Class 6A state quarterfinal game at Edina between South Suburban Conference powers Rosemount and Lakeville North last Friday night. Principal Jason Berg and ex-Tiger Pat Carey were both on the officiating crew working the contest won by North 14-13.

Mike Markuson

Three former Tiger football players have been working the sidelines as coaches this fall. At the collegiate level, Mike Markuson (1979) returned to coaching and has helped Eastern Illinois to a recent four-game winning streak as the assistant head coach in charge of the offensive line. 2004 male Athlete of the Year Matt Simon is in his first year as wide receivers coach at Western Michigan.

At the high school level, ex-Tiger and St, John's University player Andy Pierskalla was defensive coordinator for Bloomington Jefferson which won the Section 3AAAAA title and advanced to the state tournament for the first time in many years... Pierskalla's high school classmate Nate Rowan had an interesting summer working as an intern for the Kansas City Royals who lost a seven-game World Series to the San Francisco Giants.

Former Tiger all-stater Sam Leske was a top defender for the Gustavus Adolphus College men's soccer team that won the MIAC playoff title this fall...Jared Wolt, an all-Missota Conference forward for the Tigers last season, scored a pair of goals and started nine games for St.Mary's University in his freshman season with the Winona school.

Ruthie Schmitt

 Two ex-Tiger girl's soccer standouts, freshman Isabelle Ferm and sophomore Sydney Eckert, saw a lot of playing time for Viterbo University (Wisconsin) this season...Another former Tiger soccer player, Ashley Kimmel,was a defender for St. Olaf College.

Ruthie Schmitt, a standout Tiger volleyball player last fall is a freshman on the Briar Cliff University team in Sioux City, Iowa....
2009 FHS female Athlete of the Year Kirstee Rotty was an assistant volleyball coach at Rosemount High School this fall.

Ex-Tiger state meet track runner Tyler Lerbakken is a sophomore on the Hamline University men's cross-country team.


Ex-Tiger and Gustavus Adolphus College cross country runner Anton Moody was elected to the Grand Marais City Council last Tuesday night.