A second quarter explosion keys a Farmington blowout

The Farmington Tigers were locked in a tight 6-6 game with Forest Lake at the end of one quarter. Farmington scored 36 straight points in the second quarter in what seemed like a blink of an eye. They cruised into the second round of the 6A playoffs with a 63-20 victory. "I have never experienced anything like that before," Farmington running back Rod Finley Rod Finley ATH Farmington | 2022 State MN said. "We just got behind our offensive line. They did a great job with the guards pulling, and I just had to follow my lineman." Things didn’t start smoothly for the host Tigers. Farmington was on its way to an early touchdown, but a fumble in the red zone gave the ball to the Rangers deep in Forest Lake territory. The defense would hold, and special teams would take center stage. Farmington’s Jonathan Shrum broke through the middle of the line and blocked the punt. A few plays later, the Tigers capped off a 15-yard touchdown drive, with Finley scoring the first of his four first-half touchdowns. Down early, the Rangers’ offense struck right back. They perfectly set up a middle screen to running back Cole Brisbois Cole Brisbois ATH Forest Lake | 2022 State MN . He picked up some blocks and ran untouched 73 yards into the end zone. The score would remain tied going into the second quarter, but the wheels would fall off for the Rangers. Farmington receiver Ben Buesgens Ben Buesgens ATH Farmington | 2022 State MN took the handoff on a counter, cut upfield, and picked up a big chunk of yardage. Finley broke a tackle in the backfield a few plays later and sprinted up the middle for a twenty-one-yard touchdown run. A few plays later, a high Forest Lake snap would bounce into the end zone. Farmington’s Braden Mohr Braden Mohr 6'3" | 240 lbs | DL Farmington | 2023 State MN wrapped up the quarterback, and the result was a safety for the home Tigers. Off the free kick, Farmington was faced with a fourth and six just over mid-field. Quarterback Connor Weed Connor Weed 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Farmington | 2022 State MN threw his best pass of the night – a dart across the field to Brendan Ebel, who hauled the ball in and turned it up the field for a first down. Liking their matchups on the inside, Finley found room inside, made a couple of tacklers miss for a first down. Then, he broke a tackle and drove his way to an 11-yard touchdown. On the next play, Shrum out-positioned and out jumped a Forest Lake receiver and picked off the pass – giving his offense the ball near mid-field. "We are a family on defense," Finley said. "We always have each other’s backs." Faced with a third and long, Weed threw his second perfectly thrown ball. This one was a deep ball down the sidelines that couldn’t have been better if he had handed the ball to wide receiver Brody Hanley Brody Hanley 5'11" | 180 lbs | DB Farmington | 2022 State MN who beat one-on-one coverage down the sidelines. Forty-four yards later, Farmington had opened a 28-6 lead. The Farmington defense continued its great play in the first half by stuffing a quarterback sneak on fourth and short. With the ball back to the offense, the Tigers put the game away. Continuing to pound the middle of the defense, Weed picked up big yards, and then two Finley runs had him back into the end zone – giving the Tigers a 35-6 lead with 26 seconds to go in the first half. Forest Lake continued to be its own worst enemy with a fumble on their first play. With 12 seconds to go, the Tigers had the ball at the Forest Lake 15 yard line. Weed capped a remarkable second quarter with a touchdown run with six seconds to go in the first half. They would go into the half with a commanding 42-6 lead. The offense would add one more touchdown before the coaching staff called off the dogs early in the third quarter – putting in the second team. The defense would sub down shortly after the offense, and the teams would exchange two touchdowns apiece during running time. The 63-20 victory earned for Farmington another home game against Minnetonka.