Football Recap: Patterson Tigers vs. Merced Bears
Patterson took care of business in their home opener on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 39-21 victory over the Merced Bears. For the Tigers, this counts as revenge for the 45-17 defeat the Bears walked away with the last time they faced one another back in September of 2023.
Patterson was led to victory by Jeremiah Lugo and Max Medina. Lugo gained 229 total yards and three touchdowns, while Medina threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns while completing 91.7% of his passes. Lugo was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 65 yards. Ty Todd helped Medina out on the ground, rushing for 103 yards on only nine carries.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Patterson's defense and their seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Farrell Johnson and Dasen Pettis who racked up four sacks between them. Pettis didn't just play on offense: he also picked up two sacks and made seven total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Patterson was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 340 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 159 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Patterson is headed away from home for the first time to square off against California at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Patterson is looking to tack on another W to their six-game streak on the road dating back to last season. As for Merced, they will venture away from home to challenge Gregori at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
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