High school drill: No clowning around for Farmington, as last-minute choreography tweaks spark 6A 3-peat

Farmington coach Marci Hartivgsen jokes that she was having nightmares the night before Saturday’s 6A drill team state championships with the tweaks the coaches made just three days after Wednesday’s semifinals.

“Is this the right choice? Did we do the right thing?” pondered Hartvigsen.

It absolutely proved to be the correct choice.

The Farmington Nixelles slayed at the state tournament at UVU on Saturday, sweeping all three categories to capture their third straight 6A state championship.

Bingham finished runner-up followed by Davis in third.

The biggest changes Farmington made to its performance came in its rodeo clown Show routine. They weren’t minor either.

The coaches took a big risk and tweaked major sections to be as cean as possible on championship Saturday.

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“We had formation changes that were more intricate that could be read possibly by some (as) not as clear of a transition. Like, they would go out and hit, and then go out and hit another formation,” Hartvigsen said.

“We made it more simple to read to make sure that it was going to compete with teams that were getting rewarded that were cleaner and more simple, and so we actually changed sections of choreography.”

Farmington came into the state tournament as the No. 5 seed behind Davis, Bingham, Corner Canyon and Layton, but Farmington co-head coaches Hartvigsen and Shalise Larsen weren’t worried at all about how that RPI ranking might translate at state.

After losing half the team to graduation last year, they knew that this year’s group would keep getting better and better every day this season, even on the eve of the final competition.

“So it was so stacked against us, and we went until we could go no more so it’s just amazing that they get payday for their work,” said Hartivgsen.

There was a belief that there might’ve been a chink in Farmington’s armor with that RPI seed, then its coaches made sure those thoughts never ended their athletes’ minds.

With a new team and last-minute changes, never could Farmington’s coaches have imagined a 6A sweep.

“I mean, we shocked ourselves, if I’m being real. We are so grateful that all the work got paid, you know, that it was payday for us, but even if it didn’t, by the end of the last routine that we did, we didn’t care,” Hartvigsen said.

“They had put everything into it. They had done everything possible. They put the best thing out on the floor, and we’d already won. We didn’t care.”

As the Nixelles celebrated on the floor, taking endless pictures with the trophy and each other, Hartvigsen went out of her way to thank the Farmington fans.

“They’re just unmatched and they just amazing. I mean, I think everybody knows what comes from good parents are good kids, and we have amazing parents that support us and the kids are amazing,” Hartvigsen said.

Farmington team members are: Ava Hammond, Ava Larsen, Eve Beattie, Romnee Bird, Stella Bonnemort, Brooklyn Brenchley, Emily Bull, Millie Bullard, Hannah Bethers, Maylee Carter, Aria Cheney, Josslyn Cook, Shanley Cook, Daisy Dayton, Ella Edmunds, Bella Erickson, Sadie Floyd, Kierra Grant, Taya Hartvigsen, Holland Hartpence, Emerie Hill, Leila Holbrook, Millie Hughes, Jerzie Johnson, Lilly Kesler, Emmary Markham, Sydney Nash, Lily Nield, Kayen Phelps, Clara Short, Ruby Smith and Monroe Tibbs.

Class 6A state championships

Team standings

1. Farmington
2. Bingham
3. Davis
4. Corner Canyon
5. Layton

Military

1. Farmington
2. Bingham
3. Davis
4. Corner Canyon
5. Layton

Dance

1. Farmington
2. Bingham
3. Corner Canyon
4. Davis
5. Layton

Show

1. Farmington
2. Bingham
3. Layton
4. Davis
5. Corner Canyon