Patterson clinches back-to-back CCC football championships with win over Golden Valley
Golden Valley High quarterback Eleazar Garza was trying to do what he’s been excelling at all season against Patterson on Friday night late in the first quarter — make a play with his feet.
However, this time he wasn’t getting up. The Cougars senior was laying on the turf, with his left leg in obvious pain.
When the Golden Valley players realized who was down on the turf, their sideline went still.
Knocking off the defending Central California Conference champions Patterson was already going to be a challenge for the Cougars at full strength. Defeating the Tigers without one of their dynamic playmakers would be nearly impossible.
Ultimately Patterson was too explosive as freshman quarterback Max Medina threw three touchdowns and senior running back Lolo Mataele powered his way to 187 rushing yards and two long touchdowns as the Tigers clinched at least a share of their second consecutive CCC championship with a 35-13 win over previously unbeaten Golden Valley at Veterans Stadium.
“We haven’t had a back-to-back in probably decades over in Patterson so this is something that is very special to us,” said Tigers coach Rob Cozart, whose team improved to 8-1 overall this season and 5-0 in the CCC.
Golden Valley (7-1, 3-1 CCC) was trying to climb to the top of the CCC for the first time since 2005.
The Cougars started fast, capitalizing on a Patterson fumble at its own 13-yard line midway through the first quarter.
Two plays later, Garza ran around the left side for an 8-yard touchdown run to give GV a 7-0 lead with 7:05 left in the first quarter.
Patterson answered quickly as Medina connected with Leo Refil on a 54-yard touchdown pass, as the Tigers took advantage of a blown coverage by the Cougars to tie the game at 7-7 with 37 seconds left in the first quarter.
On Golden Valley’s next play, Garza went down with an injury to his left leg. The Cougars quarterback had to be helped to the sideline.
“When you’re going into a tough game like this you have to have all your bullets loaded,” said Golden Valley coach Rick Martinez. “When one goes down it changes the dynamic of the game. Obviously he’s not just our quarterback, he’s our leader.”
It took Golden Valley a few possessions to get the timing right with backup quarterback Abraham Bautista.
Meanwhile, Patterson scored touchdowns on its next two possessions.
Medina found Jeremiah Lugo for a 10-yard touchdown pass and Mataele broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 21-7 lead with 5:31 left in the first half.
Trailing by two touchdowns, Garza tried to come back in with his left ankle heavily taped, but he re-aggravated the injury attempting to drop back to pass and he was finished for the night.
“It definitely changed the impact of the game,” Cozart said. “It changed what we did on defense.”
Without having to worry about the threat of the quarterback running, the Tigers defense could focus on stopping GV running back Jahkylle Smith.
Smith, who came in averaging over 185 rushing yards per game, was held to just 64 yards on 16 carries.
The Cougars’ sideline did perk up after Bautista connected with Delbert Davis on a 58-yard touchdown that cut the Patterson lead to 28-13 with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
However, Mataele put the game away with a 71-yard touchdown run late.
“It’s like thunder and lightning,” Cozart said. “Sean (Hansen) can find the little creases and he can stop on a dime. He makes some great cuts and puts people in some difficult spots for open-field tackles, but there is an element that Lolo will bring that is a little bit more thunder.”
“If you’re going to tackle him you’re going to feel it,” Cozart added. “It may take two guys to tackle him sometimes. It’s a great option to have in our backfield.”
Patterson can clinch the CCC championship outright next week at home against Buhach Colony. Golden Valley will try to rebound against winless El Capitan.
“I told them I’m proud of them,” Martinez said. “You feel like your legs are cut out from underneath you but they responded. This could have been a lot worse than it was, but we battled a bit.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2022 at 12:05 AM.
