Patterson handles former league rival Merced in 2024 season opener

When Patterson moved to the Valley Oak League via Sac-Joaquin Section realignment, Rob Cozart and the football team shuffled around their nonleague schedule.

Just two opponents from 2023 remain in 2024: Mountain House, a nonleague opponent in 2023 that is now in the VOL, and Merced.

The Tigers and Bears have battled for the CCC crown in nearly each of the five full seasons they were members of the league, which made for competitive matchups and birthed a rivalry.

“It’s kind of been us or them for a number of years,” said Merced head coach Rob Scheidt. “There’s been some great games. It made a lot of sense when Central Catholic had to drop us with the realignment of the VOL, it just made sense we pick up Patterson and we were happy to do that.”

Merced won their final matchup as league foes, putting up over 40 points in a 45-17 win.

“How it ended for us last year, we wanted to get back,” Rob Cozart said. “We wanted to renew this thing. … I’m glad we were able to make it work. It’s a two-year deal, so we’ll go down there next year.

“This Merced-Patterson rivalry has turned into a good one.”

Friday in the 2024 season opener, Patterson got its revenge. The Tigers overcame a fumble on their first possession and an early deficit, scoring 19 unanswered points to claim a 39-21 win.

Patterson pulls away

Merced looked like it would run away with the game early. Quintell Dupree took the first snap of the season 59 yards, putting the Bears in scoring position. They capitalized three plays later on a four-yard run from Adarias Morales-Saetern.

“There’s a lot of good,” Scheidt said of his team’s performance.

With the game tied at 14, Patterson scored on its final possession of the first half and scored twice in the second half, stringing together 19 straight points, breaking open a 33-14 advantage with 3 minutes, 12 seconds left in the third quarter.

“They didn’t fold,” Rob Cozart said. “Last year when we played Merced, we were coming in 5-0. … We got down early and our guys psychologically were beat. They started reaching in other areas with emotions that weren’t even in their play.”

The offensive outburst in Patterson’s dominant win was driven by a one-two connection brewing since youth football. Junior quarterback Max Medina and senior receiver/defensive back Noah Cozart connected eight times for 163 yards and three touchdowns. The highlight of the game came in the second half, when Medina connected with Cozart for an 89-yard touchdown.

“We’ve been playing since we were kids. We’ve always worked. This morning, we were out here getting work in,” Medina said. “It goes a long way. We make sure to be on the same page because when we’re on the same page, we’re gonna be hard to stop.”

The duo also connected for a 13-yard score to break a 7-7 tie in the second quarter, and a nine-yard touchdown for the Tigers’ final touchdown of the game, making it 39-21.

Noah Cozart says the team’s energy powered the win.

“After their first score, we picked it up,” he said. “We knew what we had to come out and do.”

They also benefited from a strong rushing performance from Jeremiah Lugo. The senior rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries and recorded an interception at defensive back.

Merced was led by dual-threat QB

If the Bears are going to make noise this season, Dupree will have a lot to do with it. He is a versatile quarterback who mixes the run and pass each drive to perfection. But when faced with short yardage situations on third and fourth down, No. 1 gets the ball.

“He’s one of the best athletes in a large area,” Scheidt said of his 6-foot-3, 210-pound senior quarterback. “There’s not going to be many times where we go to a coin flip and there’s going to be guys bigger than him. He’s going to be really exciting to watch play and he’s a lot of fun to coach. We’re excited we’ve got Quintell for one more year.”

Though they dropped their opener, Scheidt was encouraged by what he saw, noting there was some good as well as some things the Bears needed to work on heading into the rest of nonleague play and into their CCC title defense.

“We’re a one-week-at-a-time program,” Scheidt said. “Our focus is going to be on Gregori Thursday. … We’re probably a little banged up because that was just a physical game. But I’ve got a lot of guys that have played a lot of football. I’m excited to see how they respond.”

Patterson building on win

The Tigers know seeing tough competition early in the season will only prepare them for the gauntlet that awaits them in their first season in the VOL.

The more good teams they can see early, the better. After five years of playing the Bears no earlier than week six, they opened with the defending CCC champs.

“It’s probably our toughest Week 1 (opponent) we’ve had in a long time and we need that,” Rob Cozart said. “We need that to prepare us for the VOL. No doubt.”

Patterson took their lumps in the game early but persevered. They learned they can play from behind and still beat a tough, physical, talented opponent that will likely end the 2024 regular season in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

“We need to be able to see when we’re down early, when we have issues with depth or rotation and see the fight in our guys, too,” Rob Cozart said.

The Tigers finish nonleague play with a Week 2 road test against California of San Ramon before taking on Lathrop and Vacaville at home. They welcome Central Catholic to Patterson for their VOL opener. Cozart and the Tigers are hoping this Week 1 win can spearhead something special.

“We needed a good, solid dress rehearsal that was gonna count,” Rob Cozart said. “There were some things we did well, but we’ve got to work on some things. … But it’s always good to come out with a W.”