Patterson Irrigator

JACKSON — The eye black had long been washed away from under quarterback Daniel Reza’s eyes. Not by soap and water, but sweat, and probably a few tears.

Just minutes before, Reza and the Patterson High football team walked off the field with a stunning 24-21 overtime victory on the road against Argonaut in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs.

The Tigers needed an epic fourth-quarter surge to secure their comeback conquest and to save their season. 

All of that — the Tigers’ final drive, stretching 92 yards in just 1 minute, 8 seconds before winning the contest on an overtime field goal — had taken a toll on Reza. Looking emotionally and physically spent, the senior still had plenty left in him to celebrate with his teammates.

“We told each other that we were a better team then they were and that we needed to comeback and win (this game),” Reza said. “We knew that we had more heart, and it showed.”

Trailing 21-14 and with 1:24 showing on the game clock, Patterson’s offense came alive.

The Tigers strung together a nine-play drive, capped off with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Reza to Ronyea Ellington on fourth down, just behind the left pylon at the front of the end zone.

The touchdown score electrified the Tigers’ sideline and bleachers, sending the game into overtime.

“All around, this is probably the greatest team effort that I’ve seen in a long time,” Patterson coach Rob Cozart said.

By rule, both teams were allowed the opportunity to score in the extra session. Each began a drive at the opposing team’s 10-yard line. The Mustangs won the overtime coin toss and elected to take the ball first.

But on first down, Argonaut’s offensive line was flagged for a false start penalty, pushing the team back to the 15-yard line. After a 1-yard run and a pair of incomplete passes, the Mustangs lined up to attempt a 32-yard field goal.

Argonaut kicker Russ Ellyson’s attempt veered wide to the left, and it was Patterson’s turn to try for the win.

Three straight running plays gained a total of 7 yards, and Tigers kicker Eric Mejia lined up for the 20-yard, game winning field-goal attempt. His kick sailed high into the fridgid evening air, tumbling end-over-end and splitting the uprights for the win.

“This was an amazing win for us,” Cozart said. “This game typifies and defines what type of team this is. We are a never-say-die type of team. And we’re not going to back down from a fight.”

Both teams struggled to produce any type of offense in the early going, and the first quarter ended with a 0-0 tie.

Patterson had the game’s first chance to score with 6:25 remaining in the second quarter. But Mejia’s 37-yard field goal try came up short.

With the ball at their own 18-yard line with 2:33 left in the half, Argonaut went to the air, surprising Patterson with a 12-yard flea-flicker from quarterback John Hickman to tight end Zach Devaney.

The Mustangs’ typically methodical offensive unit marched up field, eventually finding itself at the Patterson 16-yard line with 41 seconds left. Hickman again hooked up with Devaney, this time for a touchdown and a 7-0 halftime lead.

“We were down at the half, but we came out and made our adjustments,” Cozart said.

Patterson responded almost immediately in the second half.

After again forcing the Mustangs to punt on their opening drive of the half, Patterson set up at their own 23-yard line. On first down, Imani Brown ran straight through Argonaut’s defensive line, ripping off a 77-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.

Argonaut — sticking with the passing game — answered on the ensuing drive. Hickman tossed a swing pass out to running back Mark Garbarini for a 4-yard touchdown, reclaiming the lead, 14-7.

Argonaut had the opportunity to extend its lead with 6:06 left in the fourth quarter. The Mustangs set up for a 38-yard field goal attempt, but ran a fake. Steven Bennett tried to scramble to the outside of the Tigers’ defense, but was tackled nearly three yards shy of the first down.

Reza hit Jake Saavedra with a pass for 8 yards and a first down, converting on a third-and-5, and a late hit on Saavedra gave the Tigers an extra 15 yards.

With 2:13 remaining, Reza found Ellington down the middle of the field for a 20-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14.

But the Tigers’ celebration was short-lived.

Argonaut’s Daniel Tate snared the ensuing kickoff and disappeared up the sideline for an 85-yard return to the Tigers’ 1-yard line. Hickman scored on a sneak two plays later, giving the Mustangs a 21-14 advantage.

“Most any team would back down and crumble after (Tate’s) return,” Cozart said. “We knew that we had to do what we had to do to get back in it.”

Emmanuel Brooks tried to free himself up on the subsequent kickoff but was tackled at the Tigers’ 8-yard line.

Backed up at its own 10, Patterson quickly found itself facing a crucial third-and-4 with only 54 seconds to play. Reza rolled out and hit Brooks along the Argonaut sideline for 7 yards and a new set of downs.

Reza rolled out again, this time to his left, where he found Ellington open. Ellington leapt over his defender, pulling the ball in for a 40-yard gain. Argonaut was also penalized for roughing the passer, and the additional 15 yards set Patterson up at the Mustangs’ 15-yard line with 35 seconds left.

Reza’s first three passes missed their mark, setting up a fourth-and-10 with the season on the line.

Reza took the snap and immediately scrambled out to left, where he patiently waited for an opportunity to find his favorite receiving target. He slung a pass to the front corner of the end zone, where Ellington was waiting to catch the game-tying score.

“That could have either been the last play of the season or a way to take the game into overtime with a chance to win,” Reza said. “It felt so good to get that touchdown.”

Patterson made one final defensive stand in the overtime before Mejia’s kick sent the Tigers home a winner.

“Our fourth-quarter performance illustrates the way that we should have played all year,” Ellington said. “And for the rest of the playoffs, that’s the team we will be.”

Patterson (8-3) travels to face a familiar opponent in Hilmar (10-1) next week in the semifinals.

Hilmar rolled over Modesto Christian 55-14 in its first-round game on Friday. The win sets up a rematch of two Western Athletic Conference rivals. Hilmar took the first meeting between the teams at home in the season finale, 13-10.

The Tigers will undoubtedly be seeking revenge.

“We lost the game against Hilmar; they didn’t win it,” Reza said. “We’re just going to go out (next week) and practice hard to be ready.”

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