Things went downhill for West St. Mary after that, with Patterson rolling up 473 total yards and limiting the Wolfpack to 54 on the way to a 49-0 win. The ninth-ranked Lumberjacks (6-3 overall, 3-1 district) averaged 18 yards a play in the first half, and used substitutes for the entire second half, when a running clock was used.
“The kids played hard and executed on offense,” said PHS coach Tommy Minton. “What can you say? They did what we asked them to do.”
  
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“He only touched the ball 18 times last week, and seven times tonight,” said Minton. “Hopefully he can have fresh legs for the playoffs. It’s not about stats, it’s about peaking at the right time.”
For West St. Mary, which starts only a handful of upperclassmen, it was another tough night, but another chance to gain experience. The Wolfpack (0-8, 0-4) contributed to Patterson’s runaway win with a punt snap out of the end zone for a safety on their first possession, four lost fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown, and a blocked punt that also was returned for a touchdown.
“As a coaching staff, it’s a difficult situation,” said WSM coach Andre Lockley. “But at the end of the day we have to realize they’re children, and they deserve to be coached football, which is a game we love.”
After the safety, Carlos Alvarez boomed the free kick from his 20 to the Patterson 12, and PHS took over at the 27 after the return. Patterson quarterback Nick Nolan had runs of 18 and 17 yards and a 12-yard pass to Josh Jones in a seven-play scoring drive capped by Hilliard’s 18-yard run with 7:40 to go in the first period.
A fumble return for a TD ended West St. Mary’s next possession and gave the Lumberjacks a 22-0 lead, and a three-play, 98-yard scoring drive was topped off by a screen pass from Nolan to Jones that went 67 yards for a touchdown with 1:35 left in first period for a 29-0 lead.
Kyle Pellerin blocked a West St. Mary punt early in the second quarter, and Trevon Steward returned it for a touchdown that made it 36-0. Jones threw to fullback Tremaine Lightfoot for a 21-yard score on a second-and-20 play late in the half to make it 42-0 at the break.
Nolan rushed five times for 72 yards and completed four of five passes for 113 yards and a touchdown with one interception, that by West St. Mary defensive lineman TyJuan Lockley on a shuffle pass. Jones had three catches for 92 yards and a TD, and Raheem Griffin had three second-half catches for 42 yards.
Patterson also scored on its first possession of the second half on backup quarterback Justice Jones’ one-yard sneak. That play came after a 30-yard run by Antoine Todd. Todd had two carries for 46 yards.
“The big thing was, when looking at the playoffs, the last three games are the first film that your opponents are going to see,” said Minton. “We are trying to break a lot of tendencies, and spread the ball around. We don’t want (opponents) just ganging up on 4 (Hilliard).”
After an injury to fullback Troy Lumpkin, West St. Mary went with a heavy package in the second half with linemen Thei Washington and Tremar Connor lining up as fullbacks in front of Jontre Tillman or Robert Martin.
That gave the Wolfpack its most consistent offensive success, with Tillman finishing as WSM’s leading rusher with 24 yards on a dozen carries. Washington had three runs himself for 19 yards, and Connor carried once for five yards. Martin finished with five yards on two runs.
“It’s obvious that our youth and inexperience is hurting us,” said Lockley. “We just want to teach them to compete for four quarters and never give up.
“I’m going to coach til the last second of the last day of my job. We have one more opportunity to win, and that’s what we have to prepare for.”
Patterson closes out the regular season at home against Berwick, and WSM finishes at Franklin in a pair of games featuring neighboring rivals.
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