Berwick beats Patterson for 1st time in 20 years

Berwick exercised its gridiron demons well before Halloween with Thursday’s 42-35 win against nearby and district rival Patterson.
It was the Panthers’ first win against the Lumberjacks since 1996, snapping a 20-year losing streak.
“All the hard work and sacrifice paid off tonight, and nothing makes me happier than to see my boys that happy,” Berwick’s first-year Coach Eric Holden said. “We learned so much in last week’s loss to Erath. We got our first look at a playoff caliber team, and I think the guys realized that they had to continue working hard and getting better to get where we want to go.”
Leading 14-13 at halftime, Patterson grabbed momentum by stealing the second half’s opening possession from Berwick with an onside kick. The ’Jacks’ upped the tempo on the drive, which kept Berwick on its heels. Dontre Nicholas capped the six-play, 49-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run with 10:21 remaining in the third quarter to extend the Patterson lead to 21-13.
A second onside kick attempt was recovered by Berwick (5-1, 2-1 District 8-3A). The Panthers’ passing game then caught fire with quarterback Mitchell Sanford finding receiver Josh Carver for a 28-yard touchdown with 8:48 left in the third. A two-point pass attempt failed, and Patterson led 21-19.
Sanford was 17 of 32 for 260 yards with four touchdowns. Standout receivers Carver (seven catches for 140 yards and a score) and Kenan Jones (five catches for 133 yards and two scores) led Berwick’s pass-catchers.
Running back Josh Jones led the Panthers’ rushing attack with 12 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown, while Sanford had 33 yards on eight carries and a score.
After Patterson went three-and-out, Sanford scored on a 20-yard run with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter, and a two-point conversion pass gave Berwick a 27-21 lead.
Berwick extended the lead to 35-21 with 10:20 remaining in the fourth quarter when Sanford hit Kenan Jones with a 1-yard scoring pass. Sanford then added a two-point run for the Panthers.
Berwick’s defense held Patterson (0-6, 0-2) on fourth-down deep in Berwick territory with 6:31 left in the game to give the ball back to its red-hot offense.
The Panthers’ offense scored on its first four possessions in the second half, the last on a Josh Jones touchdown run that seemed to seal the game. On the play, Jones burst through a bunched Patterson defense and raced 94 yards for a touchdown to extend the Panther lead to 42-21.
But Patterson wasn’t finished fighting, scoring on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Randy Paul, who replaced starter Hector Tolento, to Irvin Celestine. Dajon Richard’s two-point conversion run cut the Panther’s lead to 42-29 with 4:23 remaining in the game.
Tolento was 13 of 27 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown, while Paul completed 6 of 8 pass attempts for 82 yards and two touchdowns.
Standout receiver Jordan Butler led Patterson with five receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Nicholas was the team’s leading rusher with 30 carries for 201 yards and a touchdown.
After cutting its deficit to 42-29, Patterson recovered yet another onside-kick to take the ball first-and-10 at the Berwick 47 with 4:23 left.
On series’ second play, Paul tossed the ball to Richard on a beautifully blocked screen pass for a 32-yard score to cut the Berwick lead to 42-35 with 4:03 left in the game.
Patterson went to the onside kick again, but Berwick’s Cody Roberie snagged the football out of the air, and Berwick drained the remainder of the clock for the historic win.
“We just couldn’t stop them,” Patterson Coach Marvin Dantzler said. “We couldn’t get off the field when we needed to. We scored 35 points, the most we’ve scored all year, but they continued to answer. We just have to pick our heads up. It’s a young team, but we’re fighting and I’m not going to make any excuses. We just have to keep chopping.”
Berwick will travel to unbeaten Kaplan next while Patterson will host E.D. White.