Tigers Flag Football End Preseason on a High-Note

Patterson High School’s Flag Football team closed out their preseason last Thursday night as they faced Franklin High School’s Yellowjackets.

Franklin started the evening with possession of the ball, but were quickly forced to punt by Patterson’s defense. Quarterback Sophia Renteria connected with receiver Bossy Uhatafe on their first drive of the night to give the Tigers an early 7-0 lead after they converted the extra point.

The Tigers’ defense continued to give the Yellowjackets no room to create offense, as they forced an interception which gave Patterson the ball in a dangerous area. Once again, Renteria was able to find Uhatafe, who made her way into the end zone to make it 13-0, as this time the Tigers didn’t convert on the extra point.

Patterson carried that lead into the second quarter, but quickly built on it. For the third time in the evening, Renteria completed a pass to Uhatafe in the end zone, extending their lead to 19-0. The remainder of the first half would be scoreless, and the Tigers carried their lead into the short halftime break.

Unsurprisingly, Renteria and Uhatafe’s connection was on display again in the third quarter, as on the first drive of the second half, they added another touchdown onto the scoreboard to make it 25-0.

After Franklin was forced to punt the ball for the fourth time, Renteria added some points onto the board herself, running into the end zone to make it 31-0.

Alyssa Ruiz joined the scoring party with a touchdown of her own, making it 38-0 early I the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately for the Tigers defense, they wouldn’t be able to maintain the shutout, as they scored a rushing touchdown before time ran out. Regardless, Patterson walked away with a dominant 38-6 victory in their final preseason game.

“It's incredibly important because we have so much competition, and we're just trying to get that that vibe to win,” Renteria said of the win after the game. She then spoke about her connection with Uhatafe throughout the night, adding: “Bossy's just a dog. I'm always with her. We just have that connection. I know that she could catch it. I know she knows that I could throw it to her. So that we just have that chemistry.”

“It was really fun,” Uhatafe said of her four-touchdown night. “It was really great with my team. My team is awesome.”

When asked how important it is for the Tigers to get off to a strong start in league play, Uhatafe replied, “It's really important. Everyone has to show up in practice, be on time, and listen.”