’Jacks to travel to Westlake

Patterson hopes to keep momentum rolling after the season’s first win against Vandebilt Catholic when the squad travels to face Westlake Friday.
“The win was big for the kids,” Patterson head coach Chad Blanchard said of the 41-20 victory, which also was his first as Patterson’s head coach. “They were very excited, and hopefully we use that energy to keep us going for a while.”
The Lumberjacks (1-3) got big games on offense from Tristen Ausama and Mykel Jones. Ausama, a junior running back, carried 12 times for 202 yards and three touchdowns, while Jones, a junior receiver, had two catches for 136 yards and two scores.
Vandebilt got on the scoreboard first, but the ’Jacks came roaring back.
Junior quarterback Sirbatian Charles hooked up with Jones on Patterson’s first play from scrimmage, and he outran everyone for a 68-yard touchdown.
“I thought we needed to (get) him the ball early because he’s very important to what we do on offense, and it paid big dividends for us,” Blanchard said.
Patterson took the 7-6 lead on Christian Soria’s PAT kick.
On the ’Jacks next possession, Ausama started to rip the Terriers’ defense. Ausama and Charles took turns picking up huge chunks leading to an Ausama 4-yard touchdown with 2:12 remaining. Patterson led 14-6 at the end of the opening quarter.
Ausama broke free for 42 yards on the ’Jacks’ next possession and capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown at 9:13 as Patterson extended its lead to 21-13.
“Tristen has done a really, really good job the last couple weeks, and he continues to get better,” Blanchard said after the win. “Our offensive line has been getting better, too, and the last couple weeks they’ve been outstanding.”
Ausama averaged nearly 17 yards per carry Friday. He had his first 100-yard game (105) of the season two weeks ago. This season, he has carried 54 times for 440 yards and six touchdowns to lead the ’Jacks’ rushers.
Charles and Jones connected for another 68-yard touchdown at the 5:58 mark of the second quarter as Patterson took a 28-13 lead into halftime.
Charles was 4-of-5 passing for 144 yards and two scores. He has completed 28-of-59 passes for 508 yards with seven touchdowns and an interception.
Jones has seven catches for 170 yards and two touchdowns, while Daylon Charlot has 10 catches for 260 yards and four scores.
Westlake (1-3) lost to Kinder 21-0 Friday. Kinder scored all of its points in the first 14 minutes of the game.
Meanwhile, its defense held Westlake to 45 yards of total offense and four first downs for the entire contest.
“They run a spread offense a lot like us,” Blanchard said of Westlake. “They are a fast-paced, no-huddle team, and they try to get the ball to their players in space. The quarterback is a good athlete who played receiver against us last year, and they like to do some run things with him.”
Patterson’s defense had its best performance of the season Friday. Nehemiah Augustus, Dariont’e Brown, Charlie Kelly, Blake Dreyer and Malik Bass all had an impact on the game.
Westlake runs multiple defenses, depending on the strength of the opponent.
“We’re just going to have to see what they’re going to try to take away from (us) and make the necessary adjustments,” Blanchard said.
Friday’s kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Additional reporting by www.americanpress.com.