Such was the plight for Farmington and East Catholic/Cheney Tech at the hosts' first home Saturday night game in fifteen years, the two teams settling for a 21-21 tie in a critical Nutmeg League game.

Farmington (3-1-1) took the opening kickoff and a 6-0 lead, moving 75 yards in 7 plays. Todd Marsh (3-for-18, 76 yards) connected with Martin Jones for a 34-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring.

East Catholic (4-1-1), which compiled 280 of its 309 yards of offense on the ground, drove to the Farmington 11, but Farmington's Scott Brown burst through the line to block J.T. Lauer's 28-yard field goal attempt.

Farmington employed its shotgun offense to increase its lead as Marsh (22 carries, 75 yards) employed the option extensively in leading Farmington on a 67-yard march. When Marsh scored from seven yards out on the option, then caught holder Shamik Desai's pass on the extra point, Farmington led 14-0.

"We were feeling pretty good at that point," Farmington coach Jeff Bemis said. "But they adjusted on us."

East Catholic coach Bill Baccaro expressed surprise at Farmington's offense, saying, "When we scouted them, they were an I-formation (offense). They changed the entire offense. They really had us reeling, and it took us quite a while to adjust to it."

While Bemis said the Indians have used the offense in the past, the Eagles certainly needed no adjustments offensively, driving deep into Farmington territory before a timeout allowed Farmington to regroup, forcing East Catholic to turn it over on downs. After the Indians went three-and-out, East Catholic converted when Joe Hartigan (19 carries, 106 yards) scored from 17 yards out to make it 14-7, setting up a third quarter in which the hosts took control and the lead.

After the break, the Eagles converted the lone turnover of the game, an interception at the Farmington 33, into seven points when powerful Dahna Deleston (18 carries, 189 yards) scored from the three.

On its next possession, East Catholic took the lead when Deleston took a pitchout to his left, cut through traffic, and reached paydirt 63 yards later,giving East Catholic a 21-14 lead.

"I'm very proud of my guys," Baccaro noted. "We were down 14-0, and they could have packed it in. We came back and the kids played great."

Farmington, despite gaining only 40 yards after halftime, was able to tie it midway through the fourth, receiving a first down as the result of a debatable pass interference call on fourth down in the East Catholic end zone.

Given the new life, Marsh was able to plunge in from the one, and the game was tied after Sean Garvey's extra point with 5:04 left.

"I think (Marsh) played the game of his life," Baccaro said. "I thought we had him stopped a few times, but when you're 6-foot-9, and you fall forward, you gain a couple of yards."

That resulted in both teams trying desperately to win, but unable to get a scoring opportunity. The Eagles took the kickoff, and drove 40 yards before the Farmington defense was able to stymie East Catholic on fourth-and-1 from its own 47 with 2:58 left that Bemis felt was important.

"I certainly am aware of the strength of their kicker's leg," Bemis said. "We didn't want to let him get a shot, but we needed to make sure we didn't allow a big play."

In any event, both teams failed to earn another first down, with the game ending, perhaps fittingly, with Marsh throwing a long pass with no Farmington receiver in sight.

"We didn't lose," Bemis said. "And that's the best thing we can say about this game. We fought back (after falling behind), but we wanted to win."

Farmington 21, East Catholic 21

Farmington (3-1-1) 6 8 0 7 - 21

East Catholic (4-1-1) 0 7 14 0 - 21

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

F - Martin Jones 34 pass from Todd Marsh (kick failed), 8:46.

Second Quarter

F - Marsh 7 run (Marsh pass from Shamik Desai), 9:36.

E - Joe Hartigan 17 run (J. T. Lauer kick), 2:46

Third Quarter

E - Dahna Deleston 3 run (Lauer kick), 5:50

E - Deleston 63 run (Lauer kick), 1:38.

Fourth Quarter

F - Marsh 1 run (Sean Garvey kick), 5:04

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING: Farmington - Todd Marsh 22-75, Brandon Williard 9-39, Roosevelt Terry 7-21; East Catholic - Joe Hartigan 19-106, Dahna Deleston 18-189, Bryan Williston 4-(11), Christ Huhtala 2-(4).

PASSING: Farmington - Todd Marsh 3-18-1 -1, 76 yards; East Catholic - Chris Huhtala 2-7-0-0, 27 yards, Joe Hartigan 1-3-0-0, 12 yards.

RECEIVING: Farmington - Martin Jones 2-64, Stefan Squillante 1-12; East Catholic - Akwan Shabazz 1-19, J.T. Lauer 1-12, Joe Hartigan 1-8.

Missed Field Goals; Lauer, 28 yards, (blk).