Original Publish Date/Outlet: June 14, 2026 | Minnesota Star Tribune

Article Link: http://varsity.startribune.com/mn-boys-lacrosse-state-championship-farmington-stillwater/601853584

One team had to fall.

And for three quarters Saturday, it looked like it would be Farmington.

Unsuccessful shots throughout the game, despite being on the offensive, led Farmington to unfamiliar territory to begin the fourth quarter of the boys lacrosse state championship game against Stillwater at White Bear Lake High School.

In the final quarter, however, the Tigers rallied. Both teams scrambled up and down the field for several minutes before Stillwater tied the score 9-9 with a minute to go.

Overtime felt inevitable, until the final possession. Farmington senior Brooks Furney launched the ball into the net with 3 seconds to go, securing a 10-9 victory and the Tigers’ first state title.

“The fans were super loud,” Furney said. “We all had this burst of energy, and we could pull it away. I think we felt that all game.”

Stillwater never fully pulled away from Farmington, but after Robert Appert IV scored in the third quarter to extend the Ponies’ lead to 8-6, it seemed as though the Tigers might be in trouble in a low-scoring game., Farmington was running out of opportunities to overtake Stillwater’s lead

Farmington coach Mitch Grengs said his team chose to focus and keep fighting.

“If we would’ve gotten caught up on the score, in the situation, it probably would’ve drowned us out,” Grengs said. “But we chose to keep climbing and chose to ignore the situation.”

That they did. The Tigers came out aggressively in the fourth. AJ Vinar and Furney scored within the first three minutes of the quarter to tie and give Farmington the lead at 9-8.

For Grengs, a Farmington alum, winning the title meant more than hoisting hardware.

“I’ve watched us come up short in a lot of situations,” Grengs said. “I’ve watched us lose in section championships in a variety of sports. I’ve watched us come up short in state. For me, this means the world. It shows that Farmington can be winners, and we are winners.”

Even when down, Grengs said he never questioned the fight of his team.

“We’ve seen them, basically, since they were 12 years old,” Grengs said. “Followed this youth group up, and we’ve seen it. They’ve been fighting consistently since that age. They stayed together, and they continue to work towards a moment.”

Furney is headed to Division II North Greenville — located in Tigerville, S.C. — to continue his playing career. While he knows there’s more in store for him with lacrosse, he said this will be something he remembers forever.

“I think it’s kind of bittersweet in a way,” Furney said. “We have to be done, and we have to move on. We’re all graduated now, so we have bigger and brighter futures ahead of us.”