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FARMINGTON — Farmington senior tight end Mitch Nielsen had a suggestion for his coach Daniel Coats.
He noticed Weber was set up with just one safety over the top and knew the perfect play.
"I told Coats to run slants over the middle because I knew that they had nobody over me," Nielsen said. "So if I just cut underneath the safety, I could get a first down."
And Coats obliged to the request of his athletic tight end. The result? Well, it worked out better than even Nielsen thought. He was right, no one was there to cover him as he cut across the middle for a first down, and then there was no one to tackle him as he made his way down the field for a 75-yard touchdown catch and run.
As he trotted off the field after the big play, he excitedly yelled: "I told you! I told you!"
He was just getting started, too. That score was the first of three touchdown catches for Nielsen in Farmington's 35-7 win over Weber Thursday as the No. 6 Phoenix improved to 4-0 on the season; Weber stayed winless at 0-4.
"Mitch Nielsen is a phenomenal athlete. Just a guy that I trust wholeheartedly," Coats said. "I've had him for so long — four years now of him doing his thing in our program. I trust him with the world. Fourth down, first down — I don't care what it is — when we need to play, he's our guy."
The final score may not reflect it, but the Phoenix needed Nielsen's first score in the second quarter. At that point, it was a 7-7 game and Farmington couldn't seem to get out of its own way.
A promising drive ended in a fumble and an interception was wiped out due to a roughing the passer penalty. There were bad throws, missed blocks and penalties that kept stalling drives.
In fact, the only reason the Phoenix were on the board at that point at all was due to Jed Judkins recovering a blocked punt in the end zone.
Nielsen's huge play seemed to have a calming effect on Farmington.
"That's just his MO; that's always him," Coats said.
Indeed, Nielsen's three touchdowns — he had a 25-yard jumping catch in the end zone and a 40-yard touchdown run on another slant route — weren't even an outlier. You only have to go back to last Friday to find the last time he found pay dirt three times.
So what's been the catalyst for his recent huge numbers?
"Our entire team is athletes. There's not a single guy on the field I don't trust with my whole heart," Coats said. "Other teams are gonna prepare for that. And so if they key in on one guy, the other guy's gonna be open. That showed tonight."
While Farmington's offense caught fire with 22 points in the third quarter to run away from Weber, the Phoenix's defense, once again, showed it was among the best in the state.
Farmington forced six turnovers, which included two punt blocks. The Phoenix have held opponents to single digit points in the last three wins.
"With our defense, doing what they do, it makes it really easy for the offense to bounce back," Coats said.
And listening to Nielsen makes it even that much more simple.
