Weinzheimer leads prolific Patterson past Livingston

Cody Weinzheimer kept the Patterson High football team’s offense in gear Friday, Oct. 30.

He used the pass to create running lanes, mystified the Livingston defense with gashing sprints, wore down the Wolves with a steady repertoire of big plays and got his teammates playing at full throttle.

The Tigers produced plenty of scoring drives, with touchdowns on seven of their 23 total offensive plays, and rolled to a 62-31 homecoming victory at Patterson Community Stadium.

“We knew going in that we were going to be able to control (Livingston),” Cozart said. “All the way around, I was pleased with (how the team played), and with how they finished off homecoming week.”

And that’s how the Tigers (5-3 overall, 3-0 Western Athletic Conference) likely must play the remainder of the season, with its toughest opponents still to come.

In three nonleague losses earlier this season, Patterson’s timing appeared to be off, the passing game was mediocre and the mistakes piled up. Some questioned whether the rest of the WAC would catch up to the Tigers’ offense.

Not Friday, when Weinzheimer had an answer for everything.

He finished 4-of-5 for 185 yards with three touchdowns and magnificently mixed plays in the first half, when Livingston (5-3, 1-2) couldn’t keep pace with the surging Tigers.

Patterson’s supporting cast was in top form, too. Nathan Shelton ran for 89 yards and two TDs, Wyatt Young caught a 65-yard touchdown, Ramone Ellington hauled in a 79-yard score and Nick Ward snared a 27-yard TD strike. Overall, Patterson produced 449 yards of total offense in its third straight victory.

“We wanted to keep the intensity up the entire game,” Young said. “We came out here and did what we had to do to get this win.

“We’re trying to be a top team. We’re working really hard to get there.”

The Wolves’ offense wasn’t bad, either. Quarterback Rudy Lopez had a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jesus Gonzalez and a 9-yard TD toss to Jasdeep Dhonota. But it wasn’t enough to avoid a second league loss.

Nor could they deal the Tigers another blow. Rather, Weinzheimer kept Patterson near the top of a muddled mass, battling Central Catholic (7-1, 3-0) and Hilmar (7-1, 2-1) for the WAC’s top spot.

“Our guys know that they are going to have to continue to rise to the challenge,” Cozart said. “(The players) are going to have to take it upon themselves to show some ownership of whatever their job is on the field.”

Weinzheimer turned the game in the first half when he led the Tigers on seven scoring drives. The junior quarterback also added a pair of touchdown runs to his big evening.

Back Efrim Jones punched in a 2-yard TD. And Jacob Priester scooped up a Lopez fumble and took it 22 yards for a touchdown to round out Patterson’s scoring attack.

Next up for the Tigers is a clash on the road against the WAC’s other undefeated team, Central Catholic.

“Practice this week can’t be about anything other than focusing (on Central Catholic),”Cozart said. “You can say, ‘We’re taking it one week at a time’ or ‘We’re preparing just like any other game’ and that type of thing, but it’s not.

“When you’re talking league and championship games, it’s a completely different thing. We’re going to raise up our game and compete.”



Junior varsity

No longer undefeated, the JV Tigers are still confident.

Sure, they’re disappointed about missing a chance to prove themselves against one of the WAC’s best, after losing a 14-13 meeting with Livingston.

But the Tigers (7-1, 2-1) expect to stay in the league’s title hunt with two games remaining, when the outcome will mean more than staying perfect in late October.

“I told the team not to hang their heads,” Patterson coach Steve Cardoso said. “This season is not over. We still have two games left. We still control our own destiny.”

The Wolves got on the scoreboard first, going 89 yards on 11 plays and capping the drive off with a 13-yard touchdown run.

Patterson answered behind running back George Garcia, who carried the ball five times for 35 yards on the Tigers’ ensuing drive before quarterback Brian Todd shoved his way through to the end zone on a 1-yard carry to tie the game at 7.

Behind big runs from Garcia and Robert Marroquin, Patterson pulled ahead to open the second half. Todd dropped back to pass and, seeing no available targets, opted to keep the ball and breeze into the end zone for an 8-yard score. The extra point was no good, however, and the Tigers would settle for a 13-7 advantage that would hold until the fourth quarter.

Livingston used a 46-yard jaunt to help set up a 1-yard touchdown run with 5 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the game. The Wolves converted the extra point to eke out the narrow victory.

Cardoso put the loss in perspective.

“We need to win out now if we want that title,” he said. “We’ve got to beat Central Catholic, and we’ve got to beat Hilmar.

“It’s a tough loss, but we’re not out of it.”



Freshmen

The freshman Tigers strung together four quarters of arguably their best offense this season and added an impressive performance from their defense to take a 34-6 win over Livingston on Thursday, Oct. 29.

The offense moved the ball to the tune of 350 total yards. Patterson quarterback Joey Lopes was 7-of-7 passing for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He added 100 yards rushing and a 10-yard TD carry.

J.T. Aguilar had three catches for 100 yards and a score. Tony Pimentel tacked on a 25-yard touchdown grab. And Semisi Tupouata rushed for a 15-yard TD.

“Most of the credit goes to the offensive line who did a great job creating holes for our backs and allowed our quarterback plenty of time in the pocket to find his receivers,” Patterson coach David Guzman said.

Patterson’s Miles Jacks added a 65-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Defensively, Drake Vatuvei had two sacks and forced two fumbles. Teammate Austin Johnson also caused a Livingston fumble.

“This win improved our record to 2-0 in league, and since we already beat Orestimba (the league’s only other freshman team), it gives us the freshman WAC championship,” Guzman said. “Our players worked hard all week, and their main goal was to bring this championship home.

“I’m proud of these players. They have not stopped working hard all year.”

• Contact Marc Aceves at 892-6187 or marc@pattersonirrigator.com.