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"Veteran" girls cross country team still young; first meet is Sept. 3

The 2010 edition of Tiger girls cross country is a bit of a contradiction on its own. On the one hand, it returns six of its top seven runners from the team that finished ninth among 14 teams at last October's Section 1 Championships. On the other, the roster includes just one senior. Call it a young, veteran team.

"We didn't have any seniors last year," second year coach Heidi Revels said, "and I am really excited about our returning runners. I expect the four oldest runners to continue to be strong leaders and the two younger ones to continue to improve."

The six returning veterans include senior Nicole Clifton; juniors Bailey Opsal and Marissa Stewart; sophomore Maria Kiminski; freshman Maricia Pacheco and eighth-grader Sofia Chadwick.

Opsal and Clifton were the top two Farmington runners at both the conference and section meets in 2009.

Other runners to watch include eighth grader Tori Jacoby and seventh grader Maricella Pacheco.

"Tori ran at both the varsity and junior varsity levels last year," Revels said. "and Maricella placed at several middle school races as a sixth grader. I'm expecting her to be quite an asset for us this season."

Revels said she has two goals for the upcoming season: 1) to move up from last year's sixth place finish in the Missota Conference and 2) to get more runners out for the team.

"With all of the fall sports it's been tough to keep our numbers up," she said, "but I am already aware of a few younger girls who will be joining us this fall. I believe it's possible for us to move up in the conference because of all of the experience our younger girls gained last year. We have a lot of talent and I think we will start to see the hard work pay off as the season gets going."

Connie Berg returns as assistant girls coach this fall.

The Tigers get their first chance to test their mettle Friday, Sept. 3, when they travel to Eagan for the Dakota County Championships.

Football Scrimmage Saturday, Aug. 28

The Tiger football team will host its annual pre-season football scrimmage this Saturday, Aug. 28, at 9 a.m. at the high school.

Varsity and B-squad teams from Richfield, Park Center and Minneapolis Southwest will be on hand with each school facing off against the other three in a controlled scrimmage.

Varsity teams will scrimmage in Tiger Stadium while the B-squads will square off on the practice fields east of the high school.

Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

CC boys looking to rebound; first meet is Sept. 3

After wining it first-ever Missota Conference crown in 2007 and finishing second in 2008, the Tiger boys cross country team slipped to fifth in last year's standings. Led by returning state meet qualifier Elliot Fenske, this year's team is looking to move back near the front of the pack.

Coach Keith Revels, in his fourth season at the helm of the Tiger running program, said last year's slide had a lot to do with ill-timed illness and injuries, two things he hopes to avoid in 2010.

"Timing is everything when you get to conference and section meets," he said. "You really need to be healthy, especially if you don't have a lot of depth."

Revels should have a little depth with five of his top seven varsity runners returning, although the presence of graduates Nick Arenberg and Levi Freetly will be sorely missed.

In addition to senior Fenske who ranked fifth in both the conference and section meets last fall, seniors Carl Elmer and Matt Thomas, juniors Lincoln Kirchoff and Chad Retterath, and sophomore Alec Wilson bring some varsity experience to the lineup.

"Carl is an extremely hard worker and both he and Chad had very good track seasons last spring," Revels said. "Lincoln and Matt both have the ability to be a top five runner for us and Alec has another year under his belt."

Justin Rees, Brandon Strohfus and Josh Ruthenbeck head a long list of 50 runners from last year's junior varsity squad. Underclassmen Trevor Breezley, Andy Morris, Brandon Heller and Adam Wallenta have also shown promise in early practice sessions.

Revels picked defending champion Red Wing as the team to beat in the race for Missota honors with Lakeville North, Lakeville South and Owatonna the pre-season favorites for Section 1AA honors.

"Losing two of our top five scorers from last year team means that some guys have to step up and drop time," Revels said. "With only six returning lettermen back, help from the junior varsity or newcomers is a must."

Shawn Anderson and Jon Holmes return as varsity assistant coaches for the 2010 season.
The Tigers will get a look at how they stack up against some of the best teams in the metropolitan area when they open their season, Friday, Sept. 3, at the Dakota County Championships in Eagan.

Golf benefit for Kyle Malin set for Sept. 18

Friends and family of 2002 Farmington High School graduate Kyle Malin have announced a benefit golf tournament to be held Saturday, Sept. 18, at Heritage Links Golf Course in Lakeville.

Malin, a standout Tiger athlete and son of FHS teacher and coach Jon Malin, was critically wounded July 14 by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on patrol with the United States Army in Afghanistan. Malin lost both legs in the explosion and has subsequently undergone several surgeries at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.

The golf fundraiser is intended to assist Kyle, his wife Alicia and their two pre-school aged sons as they negotiate the road to recovery.

The format for the benefit fundraiser will be a four-person scramble with an 11:30 a.m. shotgun start at Heritage Links. The $75 per person entry fee includes 18 holes of golf with cart, range balls, skins game, prize raffles, silent auction, a post-tournament dinner and entertainment.

Non-golfers wishing to participate may register for a post-tournament package that includes dinner and entertainment by the Bohemian Duo. Tickets may be purchased through Sept. 14 at the Farmington High School Athletic Office and Miller Hartwig Insurance in Farmington and Lakeville.

Entry forms for the tournament are available at the Farmington High School Athletics Office or by sending an e-mail to kylemalingolfbenefit@gmail.com. For more information, contact Byron Olson at (763) 300-5825 or (952) 469-3075.