During the Section 1AAAAA playoff game on Tuesday night between
Farmington High School and Lakeville North High School, a ball was kicked during the second change of possession and it went backwards, that is, once it became airborne.
The 40-mile per hour wind gusts played havoc with both teams over the first 20 minutes of the opening half that featured among other things: a -12 yard kickoff; a two-yard punt; a kickoff that sailed through the uprights; runaway officials' caps flying around the field like Frisbees and a pass reception by an unsuspecting line judge, according to the
Tigers press team.
Lakeville North eventually cruised to a 39-14 victory in the windy game against the Tigers, but the contest will be remembered most for being played in conditions that included brutal gusts of wind, according to the local weather report.
The kickoff in the video was the most dramatic example of the part the wind played in the game, and it was a strong boot from Lakeville North's kicker, but it only got the ball 12 yards behind the original line of scrimmage, when a gust of wind made it look like it was made from Flubber, the
Absent-minded Professor's invention.
The game's second kickoff, technically, at least for the record book, accounted for minus-12 yards, and the kicks that followed later in the game were equally fluky. With Lakeville North holding a 7-6 lead in the first quarter, the two teams traded punts that travelled the following distances, in succession: 15 yards, 28 yards, 39 yards, 2 yards and 18 yards.
Later in the game, a kickoff sailed through the uprights. If that had been a legal field goal, it would have counted as a 70-yarder said the Farmington Independent. The Independent also has an updated video of the kick-off with the ball
highlighted to make it easier to see.
Needless to say, neither team spent much time passing the ball, a factor which didn't help Farmington keep the favored Panthers off balance. Through three quarters, Lakeville North outgained the Tigers 121-10 in total yards.
Given the wind on Tuesday, it was a moderate achievement that neither team blew away, let alone the football.
