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.
Patterson's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Dasen Pettis, who rushed for 127 yards and one score, 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 four sacks. Jace Johnson was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. Patterson got some further help from Hayden Droogsma: he picked up a sack and made 15 total tackles.
Among those leading the charge was Vicente Cortez, who threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Those 206 passing yards gave him a new career-high. Anthony Tachiera helped Cortez out on the ground, rushing for 58 yards and one TD on only five carries.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Patterson will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against California at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Merced, they will challenge Gregori at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
