Farmington Sports Roundup
Farmington boys qualify for XC sectional
JACKSON, Mo. – Another strong run by junior Ryan Parson helped the Farmington boys cross country team advance into the Class 4 state sectional meet.
The Knights placed five athletes among the top 25 individuals, and finished runner-up as a team on Saturday morning in the District 1 race at Jackson City Park.
Parson turned in a third-best time of 16:37, trailing only Aaron Dugan (16:11) from team champion Hillsboro and Oakville senior Griffin Bailey.
Matt McElrath (17:28) was 13th and Evan Reeves (17:42) took 20th for Farmington. Adam Griffith clocked a mark of 17:46 and Jacob Oyler crossed the line in 17:50.
Kim Ramos and Elizabeth Sutherland ran together in ninth and 10th places overall at 20:34 for the Farmington girls, who were fifth in the team standings.
The sectional events will be hosted next Saturday by Festus at West City Park.
Five softball Knights chosen First Team all-district
The Farmington softball team exited the Class 4, District 1 tournament early as the top seed, but was recently honored with five players on the all-district First Team after going 18-6 overall.
Pitcher Hannah Hight, catcher Olivia Siebert, third baseman Brittany Link and center fielder Randi Scruggs highlighted a strong senior class, and are joined by junior first baseman Allison Pingel.
Knights shortstop Alyson Tucker and second baseman Emily Briese were named to the Second Team.
All-region volleyball list includes 21 from MAAA
North County, Valle Catholic and Arcadia Valley are each represented by four athletes on the recently announced 2015 MHSVCA Southeast All-Region volleyball teams.
Farmington entered district tournament play as a No. 1 seed, but dropped its opener to host Hillsboro and finished 17-14.
The Knights still landed three on the Class 4 all-region First Team: senior outside hitter Katie Scism, versatile junior Ainslee Finch and senior libero Hunter Vargo.
Ferguson finishes top-20 in state golf
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Farmington senior Carly Ferguson slipped seven strokes Oct. 13 from her top-10 first round score of 78, and placed 20th individually at the Class 2 state golf tournament at Rivercut Golf Course.
A second round of 85 removed Ferguson from medal contention on an afternoon where no player carded a score below par.
Knights dissect Perryville defense in district opener
A persistent mist and breeze could not compromise the Farmington passing attack on Friday night. Neither could the Perryville defense.
Senior quarterback Brandt Busenbark threw four touchdown passes and ran for another before halftime as the 4th-seeded Knights dominated 64-14 in the first round of the Class 4, District 1 tournament.
Farmington (5-5) unofficially rolled up 422 yards of total offense in the first half, and advanced to play top seed Hillsboro next Friday in Jefferson County.
Senior Brayden Krause broke the all-time school record with his 14th career touchdown reception, going 19 yards on a crossing route with 5:08 left in the first quarter.
He tracked down an ensuing high snap and threw a 2-point conversion pass to Cody Friedmeyer for a 15-0 lead, and also kicked numerous touchbacks on special teams.
The Farmington defense slowed the short passing game of Perryville (5-5) throughout the contest, and the lead continued to swell.
Junior receiver Donovan Howard had greater involvement in the Knights’ attack, and had a team-high four catches for 75 yards with three total touchdowns.
His 14-yard grab on a fade stretched the margin to 22-0 early in the second quarter. That play was part of nine straight completions by Busenbark, who was 11-of-16 overall for 202 yards.
Perryville quarterback Brandon Renaud answered with an 80-yard run on the next play, using a pair of nice cutbacks in the open field.
But the Pirates could not sustain momentum, and handed Farmington tremendous field position with a short squib kick near midfield.
Busenbark connected on three throws for first downs before taking a 13-yard keeper to the endzone. After another stop, Howard burst over the middle for a 21-yard reception to make it 36-7.
Renaud finished just 7-of-29 through the air, but fired strikes covering 36 yards to Aaron Mueller and 38 yards to Kevin Mattingly, setting up his own 1-yard touchdown run.
Krause answered instantly for Farmington with a 59-yard sweep to the endzone, using a downfield block from receiver Logan Dotson to go the distance.
Farmington committed three separate 15-yard penalties on the next defensive series, but two more flags and a sack by William Siebert pushed the Pirates into a bizarre 3rd-and-50 situation.
The Knights took over at their own 30, and ran an efficient 2-minute offense. Busenbark got it started with an 18-yard scramble after escaping pressure.
Dotson reached high for nice catch on the run, and sprinted 48 yards for yet another fast score. A running clock was invoked as Farmington carried a 50-14 lead into the break.
Camron Haines broke up a deep pass in the third quarter, and also recovered a fumble while the Knights’ second-string offense tacked on two more late touchdowns.
Howard broke the plane on a fourth-down option play with 8:49 remaining, and Friedmeyer slipped through the middle for a capping 24-yard keeper.
Busenbark turned upfield with a 52-yard keeper on the second play from scrimmage, and Gavin Duncan punching in a 2-yard run on the next snap to give the home team an excellent start.
Brayden Moon made a wild catch on the Knights’ third possession, as the football hit the back of his leg while popping up toward his hands in stride.
Busenbark netted 119 yards on nine carries, and Krause added 85 yards on five attempts in a battle of squads that combined for just five wins last season.
Mattingly picked up 62 rushing yards for Perryville. Austin Mueller recorded a sack in a contest that featured just one turnover.
Editor’s Note: Stories from Farmington Sports Roundup provided by Donn Adamson and Matt King of the Daily Journal sports department.
