Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Battleship Van Buren Sinks In Farmington Harbor
FARMINGTON AERIAL ATTACK PILES UP 260 YARDS, FOUR TOUCHDOWNS
FARMINGTON — Farmington coach Mike Adams and Van Buren coach Brooks Coatney matched wits in a “chess” game and when all moves were completed came a groan, “You sank my battleship.”
This was Pearl Harbor in reverse played out on a high school football field. The scenario was like Farmington ( 5A West) luring a Van Buren (7A Central) into a false sense of security, then launching an all-out aerial assault to bring the big guns down from Arkansas’ largest classification, 42-22, in Farmington harbor — better known as Allen Holland Field.
Friday’s game was so one-sided that a mercy-rule running clock was activated with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter after Cardinal receiver Michael Ingram turned a short reception in the middle of the field on third and 10 into a 42-yard touchdown by cutting back to his right and charging into the end zone.
The play came on the heels of Ruston Dutton’s recovery of a Van Buren fumble, then a dropped interception by Van Buren’s Braden Osman. Undaunted Adams, whose play calling combined with precision execution by Farmington’s offense, kept the Pointers off-balance all night came right back with a pass play to build a 42-6 lead.
Cardinal quarterback Brice Waggle finished with 260 yards passing, completing passes to 5 different receivers. Waggle was 15-of-22 with 4 touchdowns and one inconsequential interception on the last play of the first half.
His favorite target on the night was Evan O’Dell, who caught 8 passes for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns including a spectacular 26- yard scoring reception on fourth-and-3 when he reeled in the ball after tipping it twice for a 14-0 lead with 3:28 showing in the first quarter.
“Overall our offensive line was just amazing, our receivers did a great job that got open. They ran their routes hard and we pulled off the big win,” Waggle said.
The Waggle to O’Dell connection set up Farmington’s first score with a 35-yard completion to the Pointer 5. Fullback Zach Yocum carried the ball in for a 4-yard touchdown.
“We talked about how important it is to get off to get a good start,” Adams said. “We want our guys to have an aggressive mindset. We had a great drive to open the game and we got some confidence from that.”
After going up 14-0, a penalty forced Farmington to kickoff from the 25 and Van Buren drove 48 yards for a touchdown with Pointer quarterback Jordan Barlow sneaking over from the one. The point-after kick missed and Van Buren settled for a 14-6 deficit but Farmington didn’t allow the Pointers to gain momentum.
Justice Hobbs ran off tackle for 7 yards on fourth-and-one, then scored on a 1-yard run as the offensive line opened a gaping hole.
Farmington’s defense forced a three-and-out and the Cardinals got the ball back with 2: 39 left in the first half. Michael Ingram hauled in 5 catches for 75 yards and two scores, the first of which gave Farmington a 28-6 halftime lead.
Van Buren drove to the Farmington 15 but turned the ball over on downs to begin the third. The Cardinals then marched 85 yards in 9 plays capped off by O’Dell’s 40-yard catch and run.
“It was just a really good conducted play,” O’Dell said. “We ran it all week in practice. We had protection. It goes back to our offensive line. Brice threw it really well. It was impossible not to catch it.”
“They [Van Buren] didn’t really throw anything new at us. We practiced all week, we came out, we prepared and we were ready,” said Farmington center Morgan Lewis.
Gabe Sequichie’s kicking was a factor in Friday’s contest. He made all 7 extra- point kicks including three from the 7 after penalties and put a little Cherokee backspin on kickoffs which the Pointers had trouble fielding. Hobbs rushed 22 times for 84 yards and a touchdown to pace Farmington’s ground game and clearly had the attention of Van Buren’s defense, which Adams took advantage of by utilizing the passing game. The Cardinals racked up 379 yards of total offense compared to 221 for Van Buren.
Farmington begins league play on Friday at 7 p. m. against Little Rock Christian as the Cardinals celebrate Homecoming.
Across the 5A West red
blips are appearing on the
radar screen.