Knights capture district crown in 21-0 shutout of Cape Central

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By MATT KING

mking@dailyjournonline.com

FARMINGTON – A spectacular performance by the Farmington defense afforded head coach Brent Eckley the luxury of dialing up two especially risky fourth-down calls on Friday night.

One play was salvaged by senior quarterback Tatem Tinsley with composed improvisation. The other stemmed from confidence and audacity. Both served to ignite enormous scoring drives.

Less than a full year into an intriguing change of program direction, the Knights have returned to the state playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Coy Fripp rushed for 177 yards on 15 carries in his return from a horrific hand injury, and the Knights blanked Cape Central 21-0 to capture the Class 5, District 1 championship.

Josh McCarthy collected two more sacks, and fellow linebacker Bryce Busenbark made three tackles for loss to help secure the first shutout victory by Farmington since the 2022 postseason.

“The defense was elite tonight. Our guys rallied to the ball, and I thought we outhit them,” Eckley said. “Our kids spent time this week tackling after practice. The commitment they made was important.”

The installation of a high-tempo spread offense and decision to utilize fewer two-way players have allowed Farmington to outlast larger opponents throughout the season.

Tinsley, a back-up QB in the option wishbone last season, completed 9-of-16 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 98 yards on 17 carries.

Fripp missed three games – with a first-round district bye week in between – following a weightlifting accident that pinched off a segment of his right ring finger last month.

He bobbled a potential touchdown on a double pass during the opening possession, but energized his sideline with a dazzling 80-yard run for a 14-0 lead on the initial snap of the second half.

“It’s definitely been fun. I’m just glad to play with my two brothers,” Fripp said. “We have a great group of guys. Coach told us this would be hard, but that we would become a better team.”

Farmington (9-2) saw previous promising threats stall. Tinlsey missed Walker Laut on a deep post, and just eluded the reach of McCarthy on another throw to the end zone.

Punting would have been the safe choice after consecutive tackles for loss by Iverson Dorsey and Jonathan Williams left the Knights facing fourth-and-16 from their own 14-yard line.

But Eckley followed an inclination to keep his offense on the field, even though a failure to convert would have presented his thriving defense an unenviable task in the red zone.

Isaac Fripp leaped to catch the deep throw over the middle for 34 yards against single coverage. The Knights increased their lead a few plays later, and the visiting Tigers were deflated.

“You probably won’t see that on Sundays,” Eckley joked. “We called a play and had what we wanted, but it didn’t go to the primary route. It went to the second one. When they put one man back, they were only playing defense with 10. I thought we had a chance, as tight as the game was, so we took it.”

Laut followed with a 15-yard reception, and Tinsley picked up 11 on a keeper before zipping a 19-yard touchdown strike to McCarthy with 6:15 left in the third quarter.

Cape Central (8-4) got 208 rushing yards on 39 carries from Torrance Murray when the teams clashed five weeks ago, but could not produce similar consistency in the rematch.

Top running back KeyShawn Boyd was back in the lineup, but Busenbark met him in the backfield to punctuate an opening three-and-out series.

McCarthy drilled quarterback Ayden McGuire for a sack before a high snap pushed the Tigers farther back on their next possession.

Jaxon Tinsley approached from his safety position to create another negative play in the first quarter, leading to third straight punt by the opposition.

Cape Central dodged a good throw by Hutson Buchanan that Coy Fripp could not squeeze, and earned another stop as Dee Williams tackled Isaac Fripp short of the marker on a fourth-and-3 swing pass.

“It was a really physical, competitive game,” Eckley said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times at the fringe of the red zone when we had chances, but our offense kept on plugging.”

The Knights crossed midfield again on their third possession after Tatem Tinsley scrambled for 27 yards, but faced fourth down after a stop in the backfield by Jathan Spain.

Tinsley somehow escaped intense pressure in the pocket, rolled toward the right sideline and fired a 33-yard pass that Nolan Blankenship caught on his knees behind a defender.

Coy Fripp scored from 4 yards out on the next play for a 7-0 lead with 9:20 left in the second quarter. The Knights were somewhat fortunate to keep it through halftime.

A short kickoff handed excellent field position to the Tigers at their own 48, and Murray promptly picked up 19 yards on his longest run of the night.

Cape Central eventually reached the Farmington 10, but a quick throw went through the hands of tight end Tyson Williams. Busenbark then stuffed McGuire on a fourth-down keeper.

McGuire overthrew a wide-open Boyd in the flat for a turnover on downs at the Farmington 23 late in the third quarter, and was 8-of-17 overall for 72 yards.

Buchanan intercepted a tipped pass in the end zone to preserve the shutout, and Coy Fripp capped his productive outing with a 44-yard run after breaking a tackle.

Laut netted 41 yards and matched Blankenship, Isaac Fripp and Coy Fripp with two receptions each. Porter Hermann registered a sack late in the second quarter.

Farmington snapped a six-year district title drought, and will host Kirkwood in the state quarterfinal round next Saturday.

“Sometimes kids will refuse to quit because of the investment they’ve made,” Eckley said. “And these kids have worked their tails off. They’re getting up early and training on four mornings a week to make themselves better. I’m happy that they stay committed and deserve this.”

Boyd totaled 77 yards on 17 carries, and Murray had 66 yards on 12 attempts for Cape Central. Spain posted a game-high three catches for 46 yards.

Dee Williams intercepted Tinsley in the end zone with about three minutes remaining, and De’Shawn Sims sacked him during the first half.