Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Intangible Factors Tip Game In Alma’s Favor
FARMINGTON — Someone should ask Alma coach Doug Loughridge if he believes in miracles.
Loughridge had a frontrow view up-and-close to witness his Airedales accomplish an improbable win. Alma was graced to get out of the woods without giving up more points than it scored while beating Farmington, 35-28, at Allen Holland Field Friday, Sept. 28.
Looking back at the game a credible argument could easily be presented that intangible forces, which for the purpose of this evaluation shall be referred to as favor, smiled down on the visitors and shunned the Cardinals preventing their best efforts from producing points.
“We turned the ball over on our end of the field twice and made two critical errors on special teams. Those two things combined, you can’t do that against a good team,” said Farmington coach Mike Adams referring to a muffed snap in punt formation, followed by a fumble that led to Alma’s first touchdown, Keegan Rosebeary’s 6-yard run, that diminished a goal line stand on the previous series.
The Cardinals answered with quarterback Eric Hill finding Drew Sturgeon to complete an 11-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the second quarter.
“Eric’s been throwing the ball better in practice and it showed tonight,” Adams said. “Drew Sturgeon had a monster night. Although we had a couple of drops, all of our receivers did good. The passing game finally came around to where we knew it could be. Now we have got to get our running game and our passing game going together.”
Potential Rushing Touchdown
Favor looked the other way on a handful of key plays that determined the outcome. Trailing 14-7 in the second quarter, Farmington senior tailback Reid Turner lined up deep in the I-formation behind the fullback with the line of scrimmage at the Cardinal 39. With tremendous blocking up front, Turner took a hand-off getting outside those responsible for Alma’s containment and the right hash at the 42. As he crossed the 50, he turned the corner with one man to beat but after zipping past him stepped out-of-bounds at the Airedale 30.
That was touchdown No. 1 Farmington didn’t get. The Cardinals turned the ball over on downs at Alma’s 16. Although Hill completed a pass to Sean O’Connell on fourth-and-8, the receiver was ruled down as he leaned over to make the reception after a 4-yard gain. Had there not been such a quick whistle and the play continued potential to sustain the drive existed.
Well-Executed Play
On Farmington’s next drive with the score unchanged, Hill connected with reserve tailback Tony Mayo, who floated out of the backfield uncovered on a designed play. Making the catch two yards behind the line of scrimmage at his own 43, Mayo saw a lot of real estate between him and the nearest Alma defenders. He wasted no time making fast tracks towards the north end zone as a Cardinal lineman hustled to spring him with a block at the 50.
Mayo was clearly outrunning three Alma defenders as he sailed past the 40. As he neared the 30, senior wide receiver Kolton Reeves, all of 125 pounds, blocked the lone Airedale remaining between Mayo and the end zone. Mayo hesitated for a moment then went inside, which he is coached to do to avoid getting pushed out-of-bounds. Reeves maintained his block, but a lunging dive by a man chasing Mayo brought him down at Alma’s 20-yard-line. If Mayo cut outside he might have scored.
That became touchdown No. 2 Farmington didn’t score when Alma senior Tanner Shelton intercepted a Cardinal pass on fourth down two yards deep into the end zone.
Had the Cardinals scored on one of those drives, the game could have been tied, 14-14, at halftime; while scoring on both drives would have potentially put Farmington up, 21-14, at the half. Either scenario would have produced a different game.
Take Away Six
Farmington received the second half kickoff and advanced the football 67 yards to Alma’s 13. On second-and-seven, Hill dropped back to pass and not seeing an open receiver made a quality decision to run the football. He took a hard hit at the goal line which couldn’t compensate for his speed and determination carrying the ball across the plane. A flag was thrown and holding called against Farmington nullifying the score.
That was touchdown No. 3 not counting on the scoreboard severely hampering Farmington. A pass targeting Sturgeon was broken up in the end zone on third down when a defender hit him as the ball arrived. In a perfect world Hill’s rushing touchdown would have been rewarded with Farmington asserting a 28-14 lead at the 6:33 mark of the third quarter.
But it didn’t happen because of the penalty and a fourth down throw fell incomplete giving Alma the ball at its own 16.
Instead, 2:53 later Alma capped an 84-yard, 10-play drive with Landon Blair’s 2-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown that pushed the visitors into a 21-7 advantage. Character Statement Making a statement about their character, the Cardinals achieved many shining moments beyond that juncture. In spite of a multiplication of frustrations, Farmington showed intestinal fortitude.
Sturgeon returned the ensuing kickoff to Alma’s 46 and Farmington capitalized on a short field needing only six plays and 1:54 to score on Hill’s 12-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Sturgeon, who was smacked turning his body around in mid-air but hanging onto the ball. Sturgeon kicked the P.A.T. drawing Farmington within, 21-14, with 1:35 left in the third and the Cardinals weren’t done yet.
Colton Kilgore dropped Felix Wright for a 7-yard-loss on first down and the Cardinal defense forced a three-and-out. Farmington drove 60 yards in 8 plays culminated by Mayo’s 3-yard touchdown run, that, coupled with Sturgeon’s point-after kick evened the score at 21-21 at the 9:43 mark of the fourth quarter.
Momentum Reversal
Just when momentum at last appeared to have finally swung towards Farmington the pendulum reversed course over the next 6:46.
“I’m proud of our effort, our guys kept fighting,” Adams said. “In the fourth quarter I felt they (Alma) were more physical running the ball than we were tackling the ball. That was the difference in the game.”
While Farmington wasn’t able to finish a long run for a touchdown, Alma did so with Rosebeary busting loose from would-be tacklers on his way to a 41-yard score.
Loughridge had seen all he wanted of Farmington’s offensive prowess so he called for an onside kick, which the Airedales executed to perfection with Coltin Bowerman running under a pooch kick the Cardinals never touched until the ball was securely within his hands.
Alma took over at Farmington’s 34 covering the distance in four plays. Shelton literally dragged several tacklers into the end zone on a 23-yard touchdown run by the Airedale quarterback. Farmington had several chances to get him down but didn’t. Favor went the other way again.
Tenacious Cardinals
Farmington doggedly hung on with tenacity. Even after turning the ball over on downs, the defense got it back, yet Adams had to expend two time-outs.
On their last possession which began down by 14 with a mere 1:19 to play and 64 yards away from the goal line, Farmington looked anything but a team which favor had turned its back on. Alma junior defensive end Karsten Beneux (5-11, 188) sacked Hill putting Farmington in fourth-and-26 from its own 35.
Adams burned his last time-out with 53 seconds showing. Under duress, Hill completed a short pass to Sturgeon, who was brought down well short of a first down. Yet, the intangible factor of favor showed up one more time and Farmington was granted a reprieve by virtue of a pass interference penalty against Alma.
On the replay of fourth down, this time from the 50; Hill hit Reeves for 15 yards. With the clock running, Farmington hurried to the line of scrimmage and Hill lofted a beautiful 35-yard touchdown pass to Sturgeon. A successful point-after kick narrowed the gap to 35-28 but only 17 seconds remained.
Recruiting Favor
Alma recovered Farmington’s onside kick attempt and ran out the clock cashing in on intangible forces turning the game in its favor.
The question begging to be answered is how to posture oneself to draw favor when facing game circumstances and situations that influence the outcome. That will be examined next week while looking back at the University of Arkansas Razorbacks’ epic disappointment while coming within one out of winning the 2018 College World Series.