Farmington shakes up Metro Top 10 football rankings

If Farmington goes on to become a football powerhouse — and with almost-new facilities, a rapidly growing school district and an up-and-coming coach in Adam Fischer, the pieces are certainly in place — then Friday's 28-17 victory over Rosemount will likely be looked at as the program's turning point.

In four meetings over the past three seasons, Rosemount had outscored the Tigers 234-38, including a 76-7 rout in 2014. The Irish, No. 3 in the previous metro rankings, led 10-0 late in the third quarter, and it looked like Farmington was headed for another loss.

Clearly, someone forgot to tell the Tigers.

They rallied with 28 points over the game's final 14 minutes, largely on the three Rosemount fumbles, and handed Rosemount its first loss of the season.

Quarterback Kole Hinrichsen, who has made a habit of putting up big passing numbers, had another superb game, completing 19 of 25 passes for 261 yards, and running back Xander Hall rushed for 67 yards and three touchdowns for Farmington, which improved to 2-4.

Staff writer Jim Paulsen's rankings of the top teams in metro through Week 6.

1. Totino-Grace (6-0): The Eagles didn't let Champlin Park hang around and gain confidence, taking a 21-7 lead into halftime and extending it to 35-7 after three quarters in a 42-21 victory.

3. Eden Prairie (5-1): Want to beat Eden Prairie? Do exactly the opposite of what Prior Lake did Friday. The Lakers turned the ball over five times in a 29-0 loss to the Eagles.

4. East Ridge (5-1): The Raptors didn't need Dominik London, out with an ankle injury, to defeat Forest Lake 42-18. His backup, speedy A.J. Tittle, has 313 yards and four TDs in two games.

5. Burnsville (5-1): I've been remiss in not including Jake Shepley among the Blaze playmakers. Dude has swag, with four interceptions, four receiving touchdowns and a 35.1-yard punting average.

6. Cretin-Derham Hall (5-1): One great quarter proved to be plenty in a 28-14 victory over Roseville. Cretin-Derham Hall scored all of its points in a second-quarter onslaught.

7. Elk River (Class 5A, 6-0): After watching the Elks dismantle Rogers 49-7, I'm convinced they could go toe-to-toe with any team in the state and hold their own.

9. Maple Grove (4-2): There are a lot of Class 6A teams that look ferocious one week and fragile the next. Whipping Minnetonka 42-14 moves the Crimson to the top of that list.

10. Spring Lake Park (5A, 6-0): Consider this a nod to the plethora of very good Class 5A teams that are still undefeated. Outside of Elk River, the Panthers look like the best of the bunch.