Simply put, Farmington needed a win Thursday night.
Coach Daniel Coats’ belief in his team never wavered after an 0-2 start to the season, but at the end of the day, success is measured in wins.
After a humbling blowout loss to Corner Canyon in Week 1 followed by a mistake-prone loss to Bountiful in Week 2, the last thing the Phoenix needed was a three-game losing streak heading into the start of Region 1 play next week.
Farmington’s defense helped paint a more rosy reality on Thursday, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the first half of a convincing 42-14 victory over visiting Maple Mountain.
“It was huge. They’ve been working their butts off, and to keep fighting and to keep fighting and coming up short, you just need that little boost to let you know what you’re doing is worth it and it’s working, so all the work they’ve put in, it’s finally now coming through,” said Coats.
Running back Boston Reinhold, who carried the ball 21 times for 165 yards and two scores, echoed that sentiment.
“It was huge,” Reinhold said. “We stuck to coach’s game plan. My line opened up some great holes for me. I had no one sometimes. Defense, heck of a game by our D. Meant so much to get a win tonight.”
While Farmington’s offense was certainly great in racking up 398 yards, the defense was even better holding Maple Mountain to just 218 yards as the Golden Eagles struggled to get much going with their backup quarterback.
With Maple Mountain’s primary starter in concussion protocol this week, Farmington’s defense made a concerted effort to expose the inexperience.
On the Golden Eagles’ opening drive of the game, Farmington’s Kenyon Brown jumped into the passing lane on a wide receiver screen, easily intercepting the ball right at his numbers and quickly racing 35 yards into the end zone for the quick 8-0 lead following a two-point conversion.
Early in the second quarter, Farmington pushed the lead to 18-0 as Cannon Toone crushed the quarterback on a corner blitz, with Charlie Holbrook scooping the ball up at the 3-yard line and falling into the end zone.
For a Farmington offense that had struggled the first two weeks of the season, seeing the defense put up two scores in the first half was a welcomed sight.
“Any offense can take advantage after something like that,” said Coats.
Farmington’s offense finally found the end zone at the 1:31 mark of the second quarter as Reinhold scored on a 1-yard plunge, stretching the lead to 25-0.
Up until that point of the game, Maple Mountain’s offense had racked up just six yards of total offense thanks to a couple of sacks and fourth down snap over the punter’s head.
It finally found some rhythm in the two-minute offense, though, as Brogan Miles engineered an 80-yard drive, capping it with an 8-yard TD pass to Bennie Killpack to cut the deficit to 25-7 by halftime.
Farmington made sure the momentum didn’t carry over into the second half, scoring on its opening possession on a Reinhold 4-yard TD run for the 32-7 lead.
“Boston is the all-around back. He’s a power guy, he’s a speed guy, he can hit inside, he can hit outside. From running zones to powers to gaps, he can literally do it all, and even better, he can get out and run routs and catch the ball,” said Coats.
With win No. 1 now under its belt, Farmington can confidently turn its attention to Region 1 play next as it opens against defending champ Weber.