Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Cardinals Blast Past Alma
FARMINGTON — Friday’s game began suspiciously like last year’s ended with controversial rulings posturing Alma into an early lead, then the Airedales ran headlong into a red wave and lost 47-29.
The Redbirds outscored Alma 40-7 over a 25:11 span to break the game open.
Farmington sophomore quarterback Cameron Vanzant threw three first half touchdown passes of 58 and 37 yards to tight end Chase Brown, then hit Justin Logue caught a 17-yarder to make it 21-7. Alma scored a touchdown just before the half but Farmington put the next 19 points on the board to open up a 40-14 lead.
Alma capitalized on an 18-yard spot behind the line of scrimmage that included loss of down with Vanzant recovering two fumbles on the same play then throwing incomplete. Replays showed he was never in the grasp of a defender who barely touched him before the pass.
Two more flags were thrown against the Cardinals as they racked up 48 yards lost to penalties in the first quarter including 15 yards marked off Lawson DeVault’s return out to the 45 after Brilee White caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Joe Trusty to give Alma a 7-0 lead.
The Cardinal offense came out onto the field and set their face toward the far goal and they only needed three plays to travel 70 yards. Vanzant hit Brown in stride 16 yards downfield and he outran the Airedales the rest of the way to complete a 58-yard touchdown play.
Farmington linebacker Andrew Disheroon ended Alma’s next possession by batting down a pass in coverage on fourth-and-8. The Cardinals took over at their own 35. Five plays later they were back in the end zone courtesy of another Vanzant to Brown hookup of 37 yards. Both players improvised on a busted play. Vanzant rolled right buying time. He side-stepped a rusher then found Brown coming back outside the right hash at the 27.
Brown angled for the far left pylon and beat all 11 Airedales in a foot race to paydirt for his second touchdown. Luis Zavala kicked the P.A.T. and Farmington led 14-7 with 1:40 elapsed in the second quarter.
Disheroon did in the Airedales again by stopping a receiver two yards short of a first down and Alma punted. Flags came out, negating another good return, and 19 yards were marked off, forcing Farmington to start from its own 16.
Undaunted the Cardinal offense marched 84 yards in 10 plays while overcoming one more penalty to score on Logue’s 16-yard reception. Zavala’s kick extended Farmington’s lead to 21-7 at the 6:17 mark.
Farmington endured another 19-yard markoff on third down that also included loss of down erasing a 7-yard scamper by Vanzant which terminated an opportunity that began in Alma territory at the 41 on Sam Wells’ fair catch of a punt. Farmington fans wanted pass interference against Alma when Logue got pushed running a deep route but no flag came.
Alma went on offense and Farmington defensive end Braden
Bullington had Trusty in grasp. No whistle was blown and Trusty was able to complete an 11-yard pass to Stacy for a first down. He threw incomplete on the next play but a pass interference penalty was called against Farmington, moving the ball to the Cardinal 17.
From there, Alma scored on a 3-yard pass to Stacy, narrowing Farmington’s lead to 21-14 at the half.
At that juncture Farmington had been flagged seven times for 106 yards contrasted to Alma’s 10 penalty yards on two flags, one of which was declined.
Farmington asserted itself offensively in the third quarter, taking the kickoff and going 68 yards in six plays with Brown beating triple coverage on a 4-yard touchdown reception, his third score of the game. A second Cardinal drive traveled 64 yards in six plays capped by Vanzant’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Logue, who added another score on a 20-yard reception pushing Farmington’s lead out to 40-14 with 11:20 remaining in the fourth.
Alma scored twice on Matthew Schlegel 6- yard catch and a Trusty 1-yard run sandwiched around Caden Elsik’s 43-yard run for Farmington. On Friday Farmington goes to Whitehall as the No. 3 seed from the 5A West in a playoff game Friday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.