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| Gridiron backing |
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| Written by Mike Vanden Bosch / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 21 November 2007 | |
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Booster club gives backbone, extra funding to PHS sports The Patterson High School football program faced a crossroads of sorts when coach Rob Cozart took over in 2003. Interest in the football program, reflecting the cyclical nature of sports, didn’t peak during Cozart’s first year. In fact, only 17 players suited up for one game against Escalon that season. Around the same time, a small but dedicated group of parents and boosters was looking for a way to invigorate Patterson’s football program as it transitioned to a new coach. Four years later, Cozart and the Patterson Gridiron Club have teamed up to transform the program from the ground up. As Cozart guided Patterson to a winning program in his third year and to the team’s best record in school history this season, the Gridiron Club bolstered the program’s supporting cast. One example of that was when Cozart joined members of the Gridiron Club in transforming the old varsity baseball field into a practice facility. That way, Patterson Community Stadium could remain fresh and intact for games. When Creekside Middle School’s new campus included an on-site gymnasium, it rendered the former Patterson Junior High School field house on the Patterson High campus expendable. It didn’t take long for the Gridiron Club to spring into action in cooperation with Cozart. Volunteers painted the walls, pressure-washed and sanitized the interior and moved weights and benches inside to turn the field house into a fully functional weight room. “I remember back in the day when our parents brought their hard work to the school and built the football field,” Gridiron president Bobby Yamamoto said. “We as alumni and parents want to do our part to make sure the programs keep moving.” The Gridiron Club was instrumental in the installation of pro-style lockers, which replaced the old-school metal lockers. “We gutted the inside of it from the cement down,” Yamamoto said. “Then we got a lot of donations to pay for the materials. The practice field and the locker room projects were probably the most significant projects.” Community donations brought in so much support that the project was completed with a plaque to acknowledge donors and volunteers. Other recent projects have included the purchase of stadium speakers, an end zone camera that allows Cozart to analyze game footage and a computer software program that scouts each team. Cozart said there is a strong correlation between the club and the ascent of the football program. “It’s important to have that kind of program with the support behind you,” he said. “To be successful, you got to have tools and resources like our practice facility and weight room. They’ve been an amazing source of support. It’s so much more than just monetary support.” Varsity football players enjoy a home-cooked meal each Thursday evening courtesy of the Gridiron Club, which enlists the support of donors to add a unique component to the program. “We get donors to sponsor a meal, and we get the money from them,” board member Mark Sarasqueta said. “We let donors decide what they want to donate, whether it’s chicken or steak.”  The Gridiron Club provides a team dinner for the PHS football team every Thursday night. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator It’s a moment that brings players together and satisfies some voracious appetites. “These kids love it,” club treasurer Jennifer Cozart said. “They ask Robby (Cozart) every Monday what they’re having Thursday.” The Gridiron Club has its annual dinner-dance fundraiser in May, which raises tens of thousands of dollars that are poured back into the school’s athletic programs. The club has also sponsored one of eight lanes for the future stadium track, a $25,000 donation. It’s not just the football program that the Gridiron Club seeks to bolster. The group has enlisted funds toward new lighting and a new sound system inside the Patterson High gym and toward team chairs similar to what pro basketball teams use. Fifteen sponsors agreed to fund the sound system and padded chairs. “The community gets to see where their donations and money are going,” Jennifer Cozart said. Sarasqueta described it all as “a big community effort.” “We’ve gone out and asked for things, and we’ve gotten everything we’ve asked for,” he said. Future goals include replacing the football team’s varsity uniforms, enlarging the concession area at Patterson Community Stadium and drawing a larger parent base. The group also plans to fund two scholarships on a yearly basis. “I think Robby and the Gridiron Club have done a great job,” Yamamoto said. “We’ve come a long way. When we went calling, the community stepped forward. I just hope we can depend on them in the future. That’s what will make this thing work — it’s the community.”
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