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| Patterson football to tackle tough ’08 schedule |
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| Written by Mike Vanden Bosch / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 22 December 2007 | |
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A walk down memory lane, two familiar opponents, and two entirely new programs characterize the 2008 Patterson High preseason football schedule. Earlier this month, coach Rob Cozart announced the schedule, in which the Tigers bid farewell to two Mother Lode League opponents and greet Division I squads Downey and Modesto in Weeks 4 and 5. “This is probably the toughest preseason schedule we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said Cozart, who will enter his sixth season next year. “I’m really confident with the schedule. I think there will be sound games all the way through.” First, Cozart and the 11-2 Tigers will open the season at Sequoia of Redwood City. As a Bay Area native who moved to Patterson in elementary school, Sequoia brings back fond memories to Cozart, and for good reason. Rob’s dad, Dan Cozart, is an enshrined member of Sequoia’s Hall of Fame, while his grandparents and uncle graduated from the school. The two-year contract calls for Sequoia to come to Patterson in the 2009 season opener for both schools. “I was looking to try to schedule someone in the Bay Area,” Cozart said. “I wanted to see how we compare to Bay Area schools. They’re a medium-sized school with about 1,400 to 1,500 students. We’re comparable in size.” Weeks 2 and 3 feature time-tested opponents. The Tigers will travel to face long-standing rival Escalon of the Trans-Valley League and host Sierra of Manteca from the Valley Oak League. Patterson defeated Escalon, 28-13, in Week 2 this year, followed by a stunning 12-7 victory in the playoffs Nov. 23. “When we split from the Trans-Valley League, we said that we got to continue playing each other,” Cozart said of the Patterson-Escalon rivalry. “That’s a great game and a great rivalry. We travel well, and Escalon travels well. It’s a great game no matter where it is.” Patterson welcomes Downey and Modesto of the Modesto Metro Conference, replacing Mother Lode teams such as Calaveras of San Andreas and Summerville of Tuolumne. The scheduling changes stem from the Mother Lode League voting unanimously to opt out of playing Western Athletic Conference teams Central Catholic and Patterson, Cozart said. “They just did not want to deal with us,” Cozart said. “A lot of it is size-driven. The Mother Lode League hasn’t competed well with the TVL or WAC. Our size is really kind of a determining factor with teams around here, being that we’re so big.” Patterson will host Downey in Week 4 on a Friday night, then travel to face Modesto in Week 5. It isn’t known where Patterson will play since only two of Modesto’s six high schools, Downey and Johansen, have stadiums. To accommodate Modesto’s six high schools, Modesto Metro Conference contests are played Thursday and Friday evenings. “We don’t know where it will be played, or what night it will be played,” Cozart said. “I just know that it’ll be a home game for Modesto.” Cozart sees the schedule change as a tremendous source of motivation to rally his players in the offseason and in the weeks leading up to the Division I challengers from Modesto. “It gets to the point where we have to go get these games,” Cozart said. “This adds to our credibility. I like being able to compete with somebody in order to play a top-notch program.” While Patterson isn’t facing big-name programs like De La Salle of Concord anytime soon, Cozart believes the schedule changes will put Patterson on the map even more. “We feel that this prepares us for being able to compare ourselves,” Cozart said. “This sets the standard so that when we get to playoffs, we have something to go by. “We’re trying to make it as tough as possible without going overboard. This will help us out down the road.”
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