Search
Polls
Latest Forum Posts
| Taking a Knee unclebuck 15-11-08 13:51 |
| Re:Football unclebuck 07-10-08 15:24 |
| Re:Football unclebuck 02-10-08 12:59 |
Login Form
| Patterson football starts title chase on the road |
|
|
| Written by Marc Aceves | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 19 November 2008 | |
|
Playoffs,
First round
There is still plenty to play for, but the Patterson High football team no longer has any room for error. After suffering a pair of disappointing losses against Central Catholic and Hilmar to wrap up the Western Athletic Conference season, the Tigers head back on the road in search of a season-ending three-game winning streak and a Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship. That difficult task starts Friday in Jackson, when Patterson (7-3) plays Mother Lode League champion Argonaut (7-3). “Really, there’s three seasons — preseason, regular season and playoffs,” Patterson coach Rob Cozart said. “What separates playoffs from the others is that you never know how long it lasts. “It’s like playing ‘Survivor.’ You need to be prepared to deal with a loss that ends your season every week and, in turn, it makes you fight harder every week.” The Tigers stumbled while at the top of the WAC standings. Last week’s 13-10 loss to Hilmar (9-1) dropped Patterson into a third-place seed in the section brackets. Now, instead of squaring off with Modesto Christian (8-2) — the Trans-Valley League’s second-place seed, located 20 miles away — the Tigers must take the 90-mile jaunt to Jackson. Still, Cozart realizes that if Patterson prevails over Argonaut, chances are good that the Tigers will face Hilmar in the second round. “If there’s anything positive to come from our losses, it’s that we’ve faced very good teams, and we hope that it will prepare us for the playoffs now,” Cozart said. “We can also use the revenge factor as motivation to get a game with Hilmar and then Central Catholic, but Argonaut is priority No. 1.” Argonaut went undefeated in MLL play this year, capping off its season with a 35-0 win over Amador last week. And ninth-year coach Rick Davis is no stranger to the postseason. He led the Mustangs to a section championship in 2004. Argonaut is led by 10 returning starters. Quarterback John Hickman — who has passed for 698 yards and rushed for another 205 — helms the offense. But the biggest part of Argonaut’s offense and defense is its huge front line. Three-hundred pound lineman Syd Finch highlights a talented crew that includes juniors Mark Garbarini and Chris Serna. The physical line is perfect for the Mustang’s run-oriented offense. Backs Dan Welch (1,112 yards, seven touchdowns) and Steven Bennett (856 yards, six touchdowns) have reaped the benefits of Argonaut’s solid blocking. “This week, we’ll be working toward fine-tuning what we do best and getting our team physically and mentally ready for a tough road game in a hostile environment,” Cozart said. “We will be ready for the challenge, without a doubt.”
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Hits: 122 Comments
(0)
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed