Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Defense Carries Cardinals
FARMINGTON OPENS WITH 24-6 WIN OVER ROGERS HERITAGE
FARMINGTON — Farmington’s defense dominated scoring 15 points off 4 interceptions, a blocked punt return and a sack for a safety as the Cardinals defeated Class 7A Rogers Heritage Friday.
Coming in head coach Mike Adams knew defense would have to carry the Class 5A Cardinals and Defensive Coordinator Jay Harper pulled out all the stops in shutting down Heritage. After the offense produced a critical 8-play, 79-yard scoring drive capped by Ian Cartwright’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Caden Elsik to lock in a 6-0 lead when the extra-point kick missed, Farmington’s defensive unit hammered Heritage from all angles.
The War Eagles’ next series went three-and-out. Heritage starting quarterback Carter Hensley completed just 5-of-23 passes for 73 yards with more than half coming on the first play from scrimmage when Hensley connected with sophomore Tillman McNair on a 41-yard gain into Farmington territory. Farmington’s Josiah Ingraham stuffed a run and the opportunity quickly fizzled on back- to- back incompletions.
In the second quarter Hensley was sacked by Aiden Robinson on a linebacker blitz setting up Caden Teague’s blocked punt on fourth-and-17, which Teague recovered and ran into the southern end zone for a touchdown. Farmington went for two, but a pass failed leaving the Cardinals with a 12-0 lead with 10:11 remaining in the second, which became the halftime score when neither offense could sustain a drive.
In the third quarter, Jacob Jay picked off an errant Hensley pass deep in Farmington territory and returned the ball to midfield. Two runs by Elsik advanced the ball to the War Eagle 34, but Farmington couldn’t capitalize upon the turnover. The Cardinals earlier squandered other chances when Decory Thomas snagged a Heritage pass near the sideline and came down in- bounds at the War Eagle 31. Cartwright tried to leap over the top, but was stopped on fourth-andone at Heritage’s 14.
Another interception by Donovan inside the 10 with a big runback to the 50 also ended without any points for the Cardinals when Cartwright was sacked on the last play of the first half. Adams didn’t want a repeat of the scenario with Farmington losing 13-7 to Pea Ridge at home on Sept. 16, 2016, when they couldn’t punch the ball in off several interception returns in the red zone so when Cartwright threw an interception, his only turnover of the game despite suffering 10 sacks, senior quarterback Tate Sutton, whose recovery from missing the past two seasons isn’t fully complete, was inserted.
Before that happened, Heritage launched a comeback drawing momentum from the turnover. The War Eagles marched 90 yards in 12 plays converting fourthand-five on a Hensley 13-yard completion to the Cardinal four. Noah Fricke’s two-yard plunge cut Farmington’s lead in half making the score 12-6 after a botched snap on the P.A.T.
Sutton was the third quarterback used by Farmington in the contest. Junior Myles Harvey, who started at cornerback on defense, took a snap as quarterback in the third, but was sacked.
An Elsik fumble gave Heritage a short field starting at the Cardinal 44, but James
Payne ended the drive by stopping Hensley three yards short on fourth down. The third quarter concluded with six points separating the teams.
When a drive stalled Sutton laid down a pin-point punt that rolled dead at the War Eagle one, and Harper challenged his defense. Farmington smothered a running play limiting Heritage to a 1-yard gain. On second down Hunter Nass blitzed untouched from outside linebacker wrapping up Hensley in the end zone for a safety increasing Farmington’s lead to 14- 6 with 9:36 to go.
Despite good field position Farmington couldn’t move the ball and another wellplaced Sutton punt went out- of- bounds at the War Eagle 8. Nass and Hayden Cox stopped a pair of runs and a cornerback blitz forced an incompletion on third down causing the War Eagles to punt.
Farmington ran the ball five straight times and settled for a 38-yard field goal attempt which junior kicker Luis Zavala sent through the uprights making the contest a two-score game at the 2:36 mark of the fourth period.
Donovan sealed the game by returning his second interception 22 yards for a touchdown to make the final 24-7.