Football Recap: Merced Starts Season with Win at Home

Merced took care of business in their home opener on Friday. They came out on top against the Patterson Tigers by a score of 30-23. For the Bears, this counts as revenge for the 39-21 victory the Tigers walked away with the last time they faced one another back in August of 2024.

Vicente Cortez

Passer Rating (Career)

08/22/25 vs Patterson	131
10/18/24 vs El Capitan	111.1
09/27/24 vs Enochs	106.3
08/29/24 @ Gregori	104.2
10/11/24 vs Los Banos	99.3

Vicente Cortez was the offensive standout of the matchup as he threw for 206 yards and three TDs while completing 75% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in passer rating (131). Anthony Tachiera helped Cortez out on the ground, rushing for 58 yards and one touchdown on only five carries.

Dasen Pettis and Jacob Pierce certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. Pettis rushed for 127 yards and one score, while Pierce threw for 194 yards and a pair of TDs.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Merced will welcome Gregori at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Patterson, they will host California at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.