Patterson kicked off their season on the road on Friday and hit a couple of potholes. They took a 30-23 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Merced Bears. The Tigers gained 111 more yards on the day, but it was the Bears that made the best use of them.
Despite the defeat, Patterson had strong showings from Dasen Pettis, who rushed for 127 yards and one touchdown, and Jacob Pierce, who threw for 194 yards and a pair of TDs.
Even if they lost, Patterson's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Hayden Droogsma, Royale Tago, and Jace Johnson, who each picked up one sack apiece. Another thorn in Merced's side was Droogsma, who picked up a sack and made 15 total tackles.
Merced can attribute much of their success to Vicente Cortez, who threw for 206 yards and three TDs while completing 75% of his passes. Those three passing touchdowns gave Cortez a new career-high. Anthony Tachiera helped Cortez out on the ground, rushing for 58 yards and one score on only five carries.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Patterson will square off against California at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Merced, they will take on Gregori at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
