For veteran Farmington coach Mike Adams little things were the undoing of a potential conference win in a game where the Cardinal passing game performed extremely well.
A 41-33 loss at Greenbrier Friday dropped Farmington to 2-4 overall, and 1-2 in the conference. This was a game the Cardinals needed. Every Farmington completion went for big yardage it seemed. Xavier Staten had 6 receptions for 150 yards and Drew Sturgeon gained 124 yards on 6 catches. Jared Oskey had 2 catches for 57 yards, Caleb Williams 1 for 39 and tight end Jacob Gray 1 for 15.
Williams carried 10 times for 40 yards and backup tailback Reid Turner ran 6 times for 27 yards. Farmington accumulated 475 yards of total offense.
"They loaded the box to take away the run so we tried to take what they were giving," Adams said. "We rushed 20 times for 88 yards. (Quarterback) Trey (Waggle) was 17 out of 24 for 391 yards and 3 touchdowns."
Defensively the Cardinals had problems stopping Greenbrier, which racked up 584 yards of total offense. The Panthers rushed for 238 yards on 43 attempts led by Spencer Sutterfield, who gained 167 yards on 17 carries with 4 rushing touchdowns to pace Greenbrier (3-3, 2-1 5A West).
"We tackled very poorly and allowed them to convert seven third and long situations and a couple of fourth downs, as well. We also missed a couple of extra points and a short field goal try."
Those missed opportunities led to 20 unanswered points by the Panthers over a stretch that began after Farmington took a 21-14 lead in the third and continued into the fourth and became the difference in the game. Greenbrier quarterback Andrew Johnson completed 29 of 33 passes for 331 yards and 2 touchdowns. Greenbrier ran off 78 plays to 53 for the Cardinals and earned twice as many first downs (36-18). Greenbrier was 8 of 15 on third down while Farmington converted just 2 of 10 third downs.
The contest started out as a see-saw affair. Greenbrier scored first on Spencer Sutterfield's run. The next 13 points belonged to Farmington beginning with Staten's reception of a 26-yard touchdown pass from Waggle. The P.A.T. kick knotted the score, at 7-7. In the second quarter, Farmington seized a 13-7 lead on Waggle's 1-yard run. The conversion failed allowing Greenbrier to go back ahead, 14-13, at halftime when Sutterfield broke a 61-yard run and the Panther kick was good.
The Cardinals regained the lead before the third quarter was two minutes old on Drew Sturgeon's 6-yard run. A successful 2-point conversion put Farmington in front, 21-14, but they gave up a pair of touchdowns before the quarter was over. Greenbrier tied the game on a Johnson 5-yard touchdown pass followed by the P.A.T. and went back in front when Reese Hammontree scored on an 84-yard pass from Johnson.
After their second touchdown in the third, Greenbrier attempted an onside kick, but the Cardinals were alert and recovered, taking over at their own 44. A Cardinal drive stalled and they attempted a field goal which was no good.
The teams combined to put four touchdowns on the board in the fourth. Sutterfield's 6-yard run was followed by a failed kick leaving the Cardinals trailing, 34-21. Farmington rallied with Sturgeon scoring on a 50-yard pass from Waggle to cap a 73-yard drive. A 2-point conversion run failed, but the Cardinals had closed to within, 34-27.
Greenbrier's final touchdown came on Sutterfield's 26-yard carry putting the game out of reach. Although Farmington again cut into the lead on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Waggle to Staten, they could not recover an onside kick.
This week the Cardinals try to stay alive in a playoff quest with a home stand against Vilonia. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Friday at Allen Holland Field.
MARK HUMPHREY IS A SPORTS REPORTER FOR THE ENTERPRISE-LEADER
Sports on 10/11/2017