FARMINGTON – Farmington looked to break free from the cycle that has been their up-and-down offense, and it came at an ideal time on homecoming night.
The Scorpions went airborne offensively and coasted to a 34-7 victory over Durango Friday night at Hutchison Stadium in Farmington.
“It was our first complete game, and that’s (what) we feel like it should be. Our kids finally put one together,” Scorpions coach Jeff Dalton said. “We found short routes, and we got the ball to a lot of different playmakers.
“The guys did a great job just catching the ball and playing good, controlled football.”
Farmington quarterback Isaiah Jaramillo dumped the ball to his targets for multiple short bursts down the middle.
The 5-yard receptions added up, as did those for 10 yards or more. And the Scorpions gradually made their way down the field.
“The cleaner we get, the better our offense is going to be,” Dalton said.
FHS wide-out Jacob Brown got FHS on the board just over eight minutes into regulation with a 3-yard touchdown reception. He later made a big over-the-head catch down the right side, broke a tackle and took it to the house for a 92-yard score.
Farmington also moved the chains with some deep outside routes. Brown later had a 31-yard TD reception slanting left toward the middle crease, his third score of the night.
Meanwhile, Durango’s offense had a rough night. Demons quarterback Max Hyson, who ran for a touchdown on a 3-yard QB keeper, struggled to connect to his receivers.
Passes were a bit out of receivers’ reach, went over their heads or fell short. Other passes were simply broken up by the FHS secondary.
“(It was) pretty tough. Give (Farmington) the credit. They came out fired up, and they had a little more fire than we did,” Durango coach David Vogt said.
“I don’t know if it was the magic of the homecoming (night). Their kids just made plays, and we didn’t. It’s all about getting back to the fundamentals, blocking (on) the offensive line, running clean routes, putting the ball where it needs to be.”
Farmington (2-2) will have bye on Sept. 22, while Durango (3-1) will play at Bayfield at 7 p.m. Friday.
Matt Hollinshead covers sports for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4577.
