The Scorps are bridesmaids no more.
Fueled by a stellar game in goal by Brycen Campbell, who withstood an early barrage of scoring chances, and timely goals from Thaddeus Carter, Nathan Rodgers and Niko Lewis, third-seeded Farmington captured its first boys soccer state title Saturday at the APS Soccer Complex with a 3-0 win over No. 5 Los Alamos.
"It means a lot," Carter said. "We practiced really hard, and we did a lot to get here. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
The Scorpions' victory marked the first time since 1991 that a team from San Juan County captured a state title in boys soccer. That year, the Aztec Tigers knocked off the Bloomfield Bobcats for the Class 1A-3A crown.
"That's the year I was born right there," Rodgers quipped. "It's about time. I think it says we can compete with anybody. When we put our minds to it, there's nothing stopping us. I was really cheering for PV — I thought it would have been great to play them in the championship with two Farmington schools."
The significance of the victory was not lost on Scorpions coach Pete Rankin — or the large contingent of FHS fans that included Piedra Vista's boys team, for that matter. The Scorps' title-clinching victory was the perfect ending to a truly special weekend
"It means a lot," said Rankin, who got the loudest applause of anyone when he received his medal for the Scorps' win. "It's something we've been working for for a long time, and it really speaks to the character of the players, the parents and the community as a whole. Soccer in Farmington has come a long way, as PV knocking off Pius in the quarters and us winning the title speaks to that."
FHS (19-3, 3-0 postseason) had to weather an early storm from the Hilltoppers (17-7, 3-1), as Los Alamos came out seemingly a step quicker than the Scorpions in the first 20 minutes of the match. Campbell kept Farmington from falling behind, stopping a free kick attempt by Graham Delano and thwarting a point-blank opportunity by Daniel Rodriguez to keep the game scoreless.
"I had to be sharp for a little bit, but the defense picked it up and got it done," Campbell said.
The sophomore keeper's early efforts were rewarded in the 23rd minute when Farmington grabbed the lead. Riley McGovern saw Carter open to his right, and gave him a perfect pass. Los Alamos keeper Ryan Dunham came out to challenge the ball, but Carter found his spot and fired the ball into the left side of the net for his third — and most important — goal of the season.
"That's one of the biggest goals I've ever scored," Carter said. "Usually, I just cut back, but I was like, just take the shot now.' It felt tremendous just to make it in."
The teams continued to go back and forth for the rest of the first half, until the Scorps created a scoring opportunity just before halftime on a great individual effort by CJ Klepac. Klepac's nifty moves led to a corner kick for FHS, and Rodgers headed Jeff Woolsey's kick in for a 2-0 lead in the 40th minute.
"It was pretty crazy," Rodgers said. "I just jumped as high I could, and I just saw this guy standing right there. I was like, I don't know if this is going in.' I've had plenty of headers with two guys on the post that hit those guys and don't go in. That one just blew the guy right over, so I was like, all right, I'll take it.' It was just a great momentum boost for us."
Los Alamos coach Evan Gartz acknowledged that Rodgers' goal dealt a major blow to his team's psyche.
"That was a dagger," Gartz said. "The defense started panicking, we couldn't get our attack going and their midfield just possessed better than ours. We just could not develop anything. They just put us on our heels the whole day."
Armed with a two-goal lead, the Scorpions turned their focus to protecting their goal. While Campbell made even the tough saves look easy, including a partial break by Delano, Farmington's aggressive defense kept Los Alamos from getting many quality shots on net.
The Hilltoppers became more desperate as time ticked away, while the Scorpions chose to keep their foot on the gas until the final whistle. That led to some physical play, with Lewis drawing a yellow card — and the ire of the LAHS fans — after a hard collision with 'Toppers midfielder Andy Thoma. The Hilltoppers received a yellow card shortly thereafter for a similar play against FHS' Jesse Little.
Los Alamos' desperation also meant that the Hilltoppers had to push most of their players forward, leading to some quality chances for the Scorpions on the offensive end. Farmington capitalized with about 15 minutes left, as Presley Paxson found Lewis in front of a wide-open net for the game's final goal.
"When that third goal was scored, I knew they weren't going to score three goals on me," Campbell said. "They weren't going to do it in the last 10 minutes."
The disappointment of making it so deep in the tournament as a No. 5 seed only to fall short was evident on the Hilltoppers' faces in the immediate aftermath of the match. However, Gartz said the 'Toppers shouldn't hang their heads, especially since they return the majority of their team next season.
"Coming in as a fifth seed — which we deserved — and being second in the state is an overachievement for our team," Gartz said. "I'm really proud of them for that. Our core team is coming back — our team was young this year, so we're going to have a great team next year."
On the other side, when the whistle blew to end the game, the Scorps rushed the field and huddled together in celebration, with their fans chanting, "We're number one!" A banner was unfurled saying the Scorps took state "for Pete's sake," a nod to Rankin. Each player and coach received a medal before the team was awarded the Blue Trophy for their championship.
It was a moment that Rodgers and his teammates had always dreamed of.
"It's picture-perfect," Rodgers said. "Everything that could have gone right went right."
No. 3 Farmington 3, No. 5 Los Alamos 0
Los Alamos (17-7) 0 0 — 0
Farmington (19-3) 2 1 — 3
Farmington wins Class 4A championship
First Half — 1, Farmington, Thaddeus Carter 3 (Riley McGovern), 23rd minute. 2, Farmington, Nathan Rodgers 8 (Jeff Woolsey), 40th minute.
Second Half — 3, Farmington, Nico Lewis 7 (Presley Paxson), 65th minute.
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