Waggle Fights To Finish For Farmington

FARMINGTON -- Brice Waggle epitomized the rough and rugged Farmington football season this fall.

With the move up from the 4A-1 Conference to the super competitive 5A-West, the Cardinals' main objective was to stick in there and fight, taking whatever necessary lumps along the way during the first year up in Class 5A football. But while the Cardinals as a whole did experience plenty of growing pains as the new kid on the block, Waggle managed to excel in his first full season as the starting quarterback.

Despite a 4-6 overall record and just one win in conference play, there were several highlights to the Cardinals' season. A win against rival Prairie Grove, a 3-0 start in the nonconference stretch and a victory against Class 7A Van Buren showed Farmington had plenty of playmakers.

One of the brightest spots, throughout a season filled with injuries, was Waggle. For his efforts, the junior quarterback is the Class 5A and below All-NWA Media Offensive Player of the Year.

"He did a great job," Farmington coach Mike Adams said. "He played against some great defenses, and late in the year, I think we had one healthy offensive lineman, one playing on one leg and some JV guys out there. So he took some shots, but he did a great job of standing in there and getting the ball to the guys who we needed to get the ball to."

Waggle, 6-foot-3, 190-pounds, gave Farmington a perfect complement to running back Justice Hobbs, the NWA Media Newcomer of the Year from the previous season. Waggle had big targets in the offense, such as All-Area selection wide receiver Michael Ingram. But playing against tougher competition in the 5A-West Conference made Waggle's job all that more difficult.

Still, the Cardinals' signal caller was more than willing to accept the challenge.

"It was just different going up from (Class) 4A to 5A," Waggle said. "It was a lot of fun, honestly, and I can't wait to go see all the other stadiums in the conference. But it was just different, and the competition was harder.

"I think it was better for us. I think we played a lot better this year than we might have if we stayed in 4A."

Waggle passed for 1,978 yards and 20 touchdowns this season and earned all-conference honors. Adams believes injuries to the offensive line and a few play-calling decisions here and there might have been the only things that slowed down Waggle from having an even bigger season.

"We had a game against Huntsville where he only threw about four times and that kept him from throwing from 2,000 yards," Adams said. "But he came in and had a great year.

"He was probably at his best in a couple of games when we got behind early, if we were forced to throw it a bunch. Against Morrilton, he had a great game against a great secondary and against a lot of pressure.

"He performed as well as we could ask him to. He made mistakes from time to time. But he really performed well against the best competition we played."

Waggle expects even more next season from himself and his teammates. With Farmington now having a year of Class 5A football under its belt, he expects those growing pains to be a thing of the past.

"This year will help us a lot," Waggle said. "Your first year in a new conference is always your toughest year, especially moving up to the conference above. So I think with that experience, we'll be a lot better next year."