Farmington rolls past previously undefeated Alma

By Steve Andrews | Photos by Sadie Rucker 

FARMINGTON – With backup quarterback Sam Wells leading the charge for the second straight week, Farmington started off fast and never slowed down Friday night, knocking off previously unbeaten Alma 43-8 at Cardinal Stadium. 

Wells, a 5-foot-10 senior, was one of the team’s top defenders until he was thrust into his new role after all-State junior quarterback Cameron Vanzant injured his foot in a game against Rogers two weeks ago. Wells nearly led the Cardinals to a win over Harrison last week, before falling to the Goblins 21-14.

This week he appeared a little more settled and was a threat on the run and through the air. He completed 7 of his 11 passes for 81 yards but really kept the Airedale defense off balanced with his speed, rushing 12 times for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns.

“I’m just happy for my team that we were able to get this win,” Wells said. “We had lost our last two games, so this is a good feeling to have again.”

After opening with two wins, the Cardinals (3-2, 1-1) dropped a pair, to a 7A Rogers team, then last week’s 5A-West opener at Harrison.

“I’m just so proud of our coaching staff, because they did such a good job this week getting our players ready,” Cardinal head coach J.R. Eldridge said. “I felt like our players had a great week of practice, and put in a lot of energy, a lot of effort, a lot of focus, to try to get a bad taste out of our mouths. They had that desire to get rid of that bad taste of losing, and it paid off.”

Farmington opened the game with an efficient 75-yard scoring drive. Wells rushed for 27 yards on the drive and threw for 23 more. Luke Elsik got the final yard on a touchdown blast up the middle, before Cooper Gardenhire tacked on a 2-point run to make it 8-0.

After Alma (4-1, 1-1) turned the ball over on downs, Farmington fumbled it right back on its next possession.

Airedale quarterback Joe Trusty then got his offense in gear and drove 65 yards to knot the game at 8-8. Trusty ran it in from the 3, then hit Jackson Daily for the 2-point conversion.

From there it was all Cardinals. 

On the third play of the ensuing drive, Wells reversed field and bolted down the left sideline for a 28-yard score, putting Farmington back in front 15-8 early in the second quarter. After Michael Douglas blocked an Alma punt, Russell Hodge accounted for all 38 yards on three runs for the Cardinals, including a 1-yard jaunt to extend the lead. Gardenhire once again converted the 2-pointer, to make it 23-8.

“The kids just executed, even when we did stuff wrong, we were able to battle back,” Eldridge said. “So, I was just really proud of how our players continued to battle throughout the entire game.”

The Farmington defense came up big late in the half with two interception – by Gardenhire and defensive lineman Scout Morrison – thwarting any momentum Alma tried to gain.

Hodge tacked on two more touchdowns before the intermission, scoring from a yard out, then scooting in from the 4-yard line with 10 seconds remaining to make it 36-8. Hodge finished with 97 yards on 12 carries and 4 touchdowns.

Farmington racked up 303 yards on the ground, which Wells attributed to the offensive line.

“I was just really proud of our O-line tonight, because we asked them to step up and they did,” he said. “The gaps were big, and we ran it all over them. I’m sure the stats are going to look good, and I’m really proud of those guys.”

Hodge scored his fourth touchdown on a 6-yard run late in the third quarter, which capped the scoring and instituted the running-clock mercy rule for the final stanza.

The Cardinals outgained the Airedales 384-175 in total yardage.

“This was a great opportunity for Sam to really get comfortable playing quarterback, and I thought he did an outstanding job getting after it,” Eldridge said. “We felt like our gameplan was concise for him and he just did a great job executing it. He will continue to get better they more we practice it.

Vanzant is expected back sometime this season, but for now he is listed as “week to week” according to Eldridge.

The Cardinals hit the road to Dardanelle next Friday night, while Alma hosts Pea Ridge.