FARMINGTON, Minn. — "That's a long time. Pre-World War II," said Farmington senior guard Tyler Beckwith.
A celebration 87 years in the making.
"I told the guys after the game, that's before World War II," said Farmington head coach Tharen Johnson.
For the first time since 1937, the Farmington boys basketball team is headed to state.
"That's before fast food, that's before restaurants, that's before television, that's a long time ago guys," said Johnson.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was leading the country the last time the Tigers made it to state. Tharen Johnson's team has won 23 games this season, a new school record, and enters this week on a seven-game win streak.
"We've always had teams get close, but this year's team, they're a very tight-knit group, and I think that's what it took to get there," said Johnson.
Brandon Hernseer averages 20 points per game, one of four players averaging double figures in scoring.
"We are great friends and we've been putting in that work for a very long time," said senior guard Brandon Hrncir.
"We are just a tight-knit group, we all know each other super well and our chemistry is really good," said Beckwith.
Chemistry will be key as the Tigers seek the school's first win in state tournament play this week.
"It's been a long journey from that first year when we only won one game, to now getting to the state tournament, so it's been both the lows and the highs here," said Johnson.
Watch more coverage of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest reports from the KARE 11 sports team in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.