Tigers make their lead stand up

Farmington football improves to 3-2 with victory at Rosemount

Farmington hadn’t held an opponent scoreless for a half in any of its first four football games. That changed last week – and just when the Tigers needed it.

The defense held firm, forcing a fumble at the Farmington 3-yard line, and the offense chewed up the clock as the Tigers won 21-14 at Rosemount on Sept. 27. Farmington moved back above .500 at 3-2, while Rosemount (1-4) lost its fourth consecutive game.

All the scoring in the Farmington-Rosemount game came in the first half. In the scoreless second half, “the big thing was, our defense forced a fumble inside our 5-yard line,” Farmington co-head coach Rick Sutton said. “Then we went on a 20-play drive, using up 13 1/2 or 14 minutes total and most of the fourth quarter.”

Time-consuming drives are a bit out of character for a quick-striking Farmington offense that averages almost 28 points a game. “Anybody who’s watched us knows that’s not our style,” said Sutton, who’s also the Tigers’ offensive coordinator. “But it was great to see us go on a drive like that – no penalties, no big mistakes – and protect our lead.”

Farmington scored first with a special teams touchdown. The Tigers blocked Rosemount’s first punt, with junior Austin Raveling recovering in the end zone. Later in the first quarter, Brock Wyandt ran 17 yards for a score and a 14-0 Farmington lead.

A 45-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Caswell to Kelan Johnson and 34-yard touchdown run by Caswell got Rosemount back to even, but Farmington regained the lead before halftime on a 17-yard pass from Jonah Ask to Cole Wilcek.

Ask passed for 104 yards and rushed for 47. Wyandt had 72 yards rushing and Layne Johnson rushed for 52. Wyandt and Cody Renzy had five and four receptions. Linebackers Danny Sather and Chris Rehak each made eight tackles, and Rehak had a sack.

The 14 points Rosemount scored are 12 fewer than Farmington allowed in any of its first four games. The Tigers’ defense is coming along, Sutton said. “We’re young on defense and we’ve played teams with a lot of good offensive players,” Sutton said. “But we’re seeing fewer mistakes every week.”

Senior defensive back Mason Eby and junior linebacker Cole Busse have slotted in well on defense, the coach said. The offensive line has had some injuries, but players such as senior Nick Berg and sophomore Rocco Fulk have filled in capably.

The final three regular-season games are big for Farmington, which has a path to a No. 2 seed for the Class 6A playoffs if it wins out. A No. 2 seed means the Tigers could play the first two playoff rounds at home. They face a tough assignment at sixth-ranked Eagan (3-2) at 7 p.m. Friday, but their last two regular-season opponents, Burnsville and Coon Rapids, are a combined 0-10.

Rosemount plays at home against Lakeville South (2-3) at 7 p.m. Friday, then plays at 4-1 Shakopee on Oct. 11 before closing the regular season at home Oct. 17 against defending Class 6A champion Centennial.

Cooper 35Apple Valley 20

Robbinsdale Cooper scored in bunches to defeat Apple Valley on Sept. 28 in the Eagles’ homecoming game.

The Hawks (4-1) scored three touchdowns in the second quarter – two of them 11 seconds apart – to erase an early Apple Valley lead. Then when the Eagles pulled within one point early in the fourth quarter, Cooper scored twice more to pull away.

Hawks quarterback Tavorian Thompson threw four touchdown passes, each to a different receiver.

Apple Valley quarterback Jackson Thornburgh completed 13 of 20 passes for 73 yards and one touchdown. He rushed for 86 yards and two scores.

Thornburgh’s 4-yard touchdown run in the first quarter gave Apple Valley a 6-0 lead. In the third, he threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Quieris Barnslater. Forty-eight seconds into the fourth quarter, Thornburgh’s 3-yard run brought the Eagles within a point at 21-20. Apple Valley went for a two-point conversion to take the lead, but the Eagles’ pass was broken up.

Barnslater, a junior, finished with eight catches for 51 yards.

Apple Valley (1-4) plays at St. Thomas Academy (3-2) at 7 p.m. Friday before returning home to face Bloomington Jefferson on Oct. 11.

Mike Shaughnessy can be reached at mike.shaughnessy@apgecm.com.