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| Big plays lift Patterson past Sierra |
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| Written by Mike Vanden Bosch / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 26 September 2007 | |
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“It’s good that we have so many different guys that are stepping up to lead the team.”
— Rob Cozart PHS varsity football coach In a game between two unbeaten teams, Patterson’s big-play theatrics Friday proved to be the most unbeatable element for Sierra to tackle. Patterson led only 20-14 at halftime, but the Tigers broke it open with 78-yard and 80-yard touchdown passes from quarterback Daniel Reza to receivers Ronyea Ellington and Robby Samano in the second half, lifting Patterson to a 48-24 win at home. “The guys are playing for something down deep inside of them every week,” Patterson coach Rob Cozart said. “In the second half, we got the momentum, some big plays and some big hits.”  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Sierra sputtered on its first four possessions with two turnovers and two stalled drives. Brian Serpa intercepted Sierra quarterback Mike Garcia’s first pass of the game, returning it to the Sierra 15-yard line. Patterson (3-0) played without the services of starting fullback Gordie Inocencio, who injured his right foot on Patterson’s first offensive play. Inocencio subsequently had his foot iced and did not return. The Tigers had plenty of weapons to fill in for him, though — namely, fullback Keith Yamamoto, whose 8-yard touchdown run put Patterson up 6-0 with nine minutes, 26 seconds left in the first quarter. Following Yamamoto’s score, Patterson forced a fumble on Sierra’s next possession when Larry Taylor recovered a fumble at the Sierra 39-yard line. A 25-yard pass from Reza to Johnny Garcia put Patterson within striking distance. The Tigers capitalized when Reza surged into the end zone on an 11-yard keeper for a 13-0 lead with 5:55 to go in the first quarter.  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Sierra stalled again and was forced to punt. Reza found a wide open Yamamoto down the middle of the field for a 54-yard touchdown pass and a 20-0 lead with 9:43 to go in the first half. Sierra bounced back in a big way with a 2-yard touchdown run from Corey Mootz and an 11-yard pass from Garcia to Nigel Malone. Just after halftime, the Timberwolves cut the lead to 20-17 when Sierra recovered a Patterson fumble and capped a 12-play drive on a 27-yard field goal from Cesar Montoya. “In no way was this a one-sided affair,” Cozart said. “It actually had a chance of being tied. It went from being a blowout to almost being tied. The ebb and flow of the game was killing me. ... I was confident we’d come out on top.” The Timberwolves (2-1) nearly tied the game with 5:10 left in the third quarter, but Cesar Montoya’s 41-yard field goal came up just short. Showing that it pays to give a quarterback time to throw, Reza delivered a perfectly timed pass to Ellington in stride down the left sideline for a 78-yard touchdown to reverse Sierra’s momentum. “Daniel took a hit, and his next pass is for 78 yards,” Cozart said. “That poise is what you need at the quarterback spot. It’s good that we have so many different guys that are stepping up to lead the team. That’s a good problem to have, I guess.” However, Sierra’s Cody Burks stunned the Tigers when he returned a fumble 30 yards to cut Patterson’s lead to 27-24 with 10:16 to go in the game. Patterson (3-0) put the game out of reach three plays later. Samano’s 80-yard touchdown catch gave the Tigers a 34-24 lead. Samano added a 35-yard touchdown run, and Yamamoto returned an interception 78 yards to cap the 21-point fourth quarter.  Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator “We came out pumped in the second half,” Samano said. “We knew we’d have to play harder, run our offense and move the ball. We don’t want to have to rely on the big plays. We want to be able to drive the ball and waste time off the clock.” Patterson has averaged 35 points per game in its three wins thus far. Reza threw for 243 yards against Escalon and exceeded that with 277 passing yards against Sierra. However, a telling stat gives Cozart reason to make adjustments: Offensively, Patterson ran 37 plays against Escalon and one less against Sierra. Escalon ran 67 plays and Sierra 72, which means Patterson’s defense is on the field more than Cozart would like. “We have run under 40 plays on offense two games in a row,” Cozart said. “We got to be able to sustain longer drives. We have to be able to chew more time off the clock, because our defense is getting its fair share of plays. That’s a big jump.” Patterson outgained Sierra in total yards, 406-311, and also outrushed the T’wolves, 129-24. Junior varsity Patterson overcame four first-half turnovers, including three fumbles and an interception, to salvage a 13-13 tie with Escalon. The Tigers trailed 13-0 in the second quarter, but they cut the Escalon lead with stellar play from special teams. Wesley Borba blocked a field goal attempt, and Jake Saavedra returned the block 65 yards for a touchdown for a 13-7 deficit at halftime. Patterson (1-1-1) held off Escalon just long enough in the second half to tie the game, 13-13, on a 16-yard pass from Wyatt Young to Jeanna Lifungela in the third quarter. However, Escalon blocked the extra point to preserve the tie. “If you look at the stats, we should have lost the game,” Patterson coach Steve Cardoso said. “We had a terrible first half, where we couldn’t execute.” Fortunately for the Tigers, the special teams touchdown reinvigorated a squad that was on the verge of a two-touchdown deficit at halftime. “That blocked field goal totally set the momentum in our favor,” Cardoso said. “And our defense stepped up, too. The reason we were in the game was because of our defense. They played their positions well and made tackles. It gave our offense a chance to come back.” Patterson travels to face Summerville of Tuolumne in a nonleague contest Friday. Summerville, which plays in the Mother Lode League, dropped to 1-2 following a 34-12 loss to Sacramento High. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. for varsity and at 5:30 p.m. for JV. To reach Play Editor Mike Vanden Bosch at the Irrigator, call 892-6187.
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