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| Victory party |
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| Written by Mike Vanden Bosch / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 28 November 2007 | |
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Last-second defeat of Escalon sets up shot at championship crown ESCALON — It took a champion-caliber goal-line stand to put the Patterson High football team a step closer to its goal of a section title.  The team, Coach Cozart and the fans celebrate mid-field after the Escalon game. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator The team made history when the final buzzer sounded Friday, as the Tigers stopped Escalon running back Jesus Duran from finding the end zone, giving them a 12-7 semifinal playoff victory at Lloyd C. Engel Field. For the first time since 1976 — the year the modern section playoff format was introduced — Patterson High will compete for a Sac-Joaquin Section championship. “We knew it was going to be a tough ball game,” Patterson coach Rob Cozart said. “Tonight, we sealed the deal, we got over the hump. The guys were just destined to make history, and they’ve done it through every single game.” With the highest number of wins in school history, Patterson (11-1) will face Central Catholic in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m. at University of the Pacific in Stockton. From the opening kickoff, Patterson and Escalon engaged in a seesaw battle in which neither team could pull away. Escalon committed two of its four turnovers in the first quarter on a pair of fumbles. Imani Brown recovered Nick Aprile’s fumble at the Escalon 35-yard line, while Josh Mendoza recovered Jacob Caton’s miscue at the Patterson 3-yard line.  Ronyea Ellington hauls in a short slant pass. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Backed up near its own goal line, Patterson marched 47 yards on 10 plays before its big-play offense sprang into action. Quarterback Daniel Reza bolted 50 yards down the right sideline on a keeper for a 6-0 lead with eight minutes, 20 seconds left in the second quarter. Though Robby Samano was held to 9 rushing yards, the two-way starter made some noise on defense when he intercepted a tipped Aprile pass to preserve Patterson’s 6-0 lead with 3:11 left in the first half.
 Patterson defense stops Escalon running back. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator On Escalon’s second possession of the second half, the Cougars lost yet another fumble after driving to the Patterson 12-yard line. But the pendulum quickly swung back in Escalon’s favor. Reminiscent of Central Catholic’s second-half fumble recovery in the end zone in Week 8, Nick Williamson returned a fumble 4 yards for a touchdown for a 7-6 Escalon lead with 4:57 left in the third quarter. The fumble came after a missed pitch from Reza to running back Josh Ham. Patterson rebounded in a hurry, as Reza found a streaking Ronyea Ellington on a slant down the middle. Ellington tipped the pass, hauled it in with one hand, and rumbled 46 yards with 1:42 left in the third quarter for a 12-7 lead. Two missteps by the Tigers gave Escalon opportunities to score in the fourth quarter and put the game in jeopardy.  Escalon's players overcome with emotion after their touchdown attempt was stuffed at the goal line. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Jake Loureiro intercepted Reza’s pass at the 41-yard line with 5:22 left. But Alfredo Serrano sacked Aprile for an 11-yard loss, eventually forcing the Cougars to punt. On the second miscue, punter Danny Ramos booted an uncharacteristic 12-yard punt off the side of his foot, giving Escalon possession at the Patterson 46-yard line with 2:23 left. But Serrano came up big again with a 5-yard sack to force a fourth-down situation. However, Patterson was called for pass interference, giving Escalon the ball at the Patterson 34. An 18-yard pass to Caton, coupled with a 15-yard Aprile scramble, in which he nearly scored, brought the Cougars to the 1-yard line with 34.3 seconds left. On first and goal, Patterson stopped Duran for a 1-yard loss. Aprile spiked the ball with 1.3 seconds left, setting up the game’s dramatic finish. In the huddle, All-League linebacker and team captain Keith Yamamoto exhorted the defense to deliver. “I was telling them in the huddle that it was going to be our last play and that the play would define our season,” Yamamoto said. “We knew what Escalon would do.” On the game’s final play near the 2-yard line, Patterson’s linemen and linebackers stopped Duran short of crossing the goal line, inside the 1-yard line. Jorden Faatiga’s initial surge helped pull down Duran.  Patterson High football team and fans rush the field after a Tiger playoff victory. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator The officiating crew briefly conferred to examine where Duran was tackled but promptly ruled he had not crossed the goal line. Hundreds of Patterson fans immediately flooded the field during an unprecedented midfield celebration. “Escalon is a great team with a great program,” Cozart said. “We have great games with each other. That’s why we (wanted) to keep that rivalry going with them after we split from the (Trans-Valley League). It was an awesome game and an awesome rivalry.” In advancing to the section final, the Tigers avenged a 38-17 semifinal playoff loss to Escalon two years ago. Patterson defeated Escalon 28-13 in Week 2 earlier this season behind three touchdown passes from Reza. “I was impressed with the way the defense came together,” Cozart said. “I was impressed with the way we buckled down.” To reach Play Editor Mike Vanden Bosch at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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