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Steady hand guides Apple Valley to wild win over Farmington

By Drew Herron, SportsEngine, 09/16/16, 1:45PM CDT

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Senior quarterback Noah Sanders threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles rallied to win.

Noah Sanders (12), the Apple Valley Eagles QB runs the ball down the field while keeping Avery Filapek (4) of the Tigers from tackling him. Noah threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns as Eagles top Tigers 27-26. Photo by Chris Juhn

Apple Valley quarterback Noah Sanders (12) runs the ball down the field while keeping Farmington's Avery Filapek (4) from tackling him. Sanders threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns as Eagles topped the Tigers 27-26. Photo by Chris Juhn, SportsEngine

The two-minute offense that quarterback Noah Sanders has to command for Apple Valley is not all that complicated.

For its lack of luster, the offense shined Friday night in front of the home fans thanks to Sanders, who used it to help Eagles work their way out of a hole and stave off a hungry Farmington team in a dramatic come-from-behind 27-26 victory.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior capped the win by connecting with tailback Mario Lewis on a 14-yard touchdown pass that proved decisive with just 39 seconds left on the clock.

It was a wild finish in a game that took nearly four hours to complete after being delayed by lightning for 40 minutes,and saw the upstart Tigers score 19-unanswered to make Apple Valley earn this pivotal East Metro District showdown.

“We only run about four plays out of (the two-minute offense), and we were banging it left and right,” Sanders said of the final scoring drive. “Our line was playing outstanding, and I never got touched.”

Sanders completed 19 of 36 pass attempts for 298 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for 50 yards on 10 carries to help Apple Valley (2-1) remain relevant in an ultra-competitive division race that is top-heavy with Lakeville North (3-0) and Rosemount (3-0), the No. 2 and No. 6 teams in the Associated Press Class 6A high school football poll, setting the pace.

“It helps having a quarterback like (Sanders),” Apple Valley head coach Chad Clendening said.  “And, I think the entire offense did a great job of that in the fourth quarter.”

Apple Valley’s score bookended a fine start and finish, with plenty of tense moments between. After jumping ahead 14-0, Eagles could not cage the Tigers. Senior Xander Hall returned two kicks for TDs -- both were 85 yards -- to put Farmington back in business.

By the end of the third quarter, Farmington had a 20-14 lead, but Sanders said Apple Valley never felt like it was on the ropes.

“We had a confidence about us the whole time,” Sanders added. “Even when we went down 13 (points), we knew that we weren’t about to be stopped and that we would find ourselves in a situation like this in the end.”

Much of the offense for the Tigers (1-2) centered around quarterback Kole Hinrichsen. The senior went 13-of-29 passing for 240 yards and scored a touchdown with his feet, but Farmington was not consistent enough through four quarters and never got its timing down.

Apple Valley, meanwhile, answered with lighting strikes. The Eagles defense pressed Hinrichsen heavily down the stretch and capitalized on Ethan Thomas’ interception in the final seconds to seal the win.

“We have a lot of persistence,” Sanders said. “We’ve got a line that doesn’t quit, and a running back that keeps at it. And our defense was outstanding tonight.”

Clendending said he credits the Eagles senior leadership for help this squad endure this odd contest against a much-improved geographical rival.

“It’s cliché, but around here we say, ‘Keep your head down and shovel,’ that was the message,” he said.

“It was a great team effort. It’s the kind of effort that you hope to use as a spring board,” he added, stressing that the Eagles will enjoy this win before flipping the switch to Burnsville (2-1) next week.

“Tonight,” he said. “They absolutely deserve to enjoy this.”

Kole Hinrichsen (3), QB for the Farmington Tigers gets tackled by Ben Speece (6) of the Apple alley Eagles. The Apple Valley Eagles defeated the Tigers in a close game 27 to 26. Photo by Chris Juhn

Farmington quarterback Kole Hinrichsen (3) gets tackled by Apple Valley's Ben Speece (6). The Eagles defeated the Tigers 27-26. Photo by Chris Juhn, SportsEngine

First Report

Apple Valley repelled a second-half surge from Farmington to top the visiting Tigers 27-26 in dramatic fashion Friday night.

Eagles senior quarterback Noah Sanders connected with Mario Lewis on a 13-yard touchdown strike with 39 seconds remaining to put Apple Valley ahead and stave off a second-half collapse.

Apple Valley (2-1) started brightly, with Lewis scoring on a 19-yard run late in the first quarter. The Eagles pushed their lead to two touchdowns midway through the second when Sanders connected with Shane Sande on a 11-yard touchdown pass. 

After an hourlong pause, the combination of halftime and a 30-minute weather delay, Farmington’s offense came roaring to life.

Xander Hall's 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown just after the break was his second of the game and sparked the Tigers' offense. Farmington (1-2) went on to score 19 unanswered points and had a seemingly comfortable lead early in the fourth quarter.

Tigers quarterback Kole Hinrichsen produced two TDs in the second half and appeared to have turned the game around when he hit Isaac Ferm on a 78-yard strike early in the fourth to put his team ahead 26-14.

Apple Valley would answer twice, however, to avoid complete disaster.

Hinrichsen went 13-of-29 passing and finished with 240 yards, while also finding the end zone once with his feet.

Sanders finished the game 19-of-36 passing for 298 yards and three TD passes.

Photo Gallery

Shane Sande (2) of the Apple Valley Eagles makes a catch to get the first down for the Eagles. Apple Valley defeated the Farmington Tigers by scoring 2 touchdowns in the last 6 minutes of the game to upset the Tigers 27 to 26 at home. Photo by Chris Juhn

Shane Sande (2) makes a catch to get the first down for Apple Valley, which defeated Farmington by scoring two touchdowns in the last six minutes of the game. Photo by Chris Juhn, SportsEngine

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