CERES -- Drake Vateuvei was attracting all the attention seconds before the snap. He made sure Central Valley knew where he would line up prior to the field-goal attempt.
CV focused on the bull rusher, creating an opportunity for Ruben Rosas and Miles Jacks to rush in from the other side and block the kick.
Moments later, Patterson and its hundreds of fans swarmed the field to celebrate the 21-20 Western Athletic Conference thriller over CV.
It was the first game at CV, and it started at 2:30. Players were sweating before the first snap, and a number were later helped to the bench as the 95-degree heat drained them.
CV (4-2, 1-1) used a 20-yard catch by Angelo Bermudez to reach the 23-yard line with 12 seconds to play. After running a play to put the ball in the center of the field for Alvaro Rodriguez — his missed PAT early in the fourth quarter was crucial — it was time for the game's last play.
CV lined up to see Vatuvei on the right, Jacks and Rosas on the left.
The kick angled toward Jacks and Rosas, and four big paws went into the air, swatting the ball back to the kicker as the clock struck zeroes.
"We practice that regularly," said Patterson coach Nick Marchy, who lost starting QB Joey Lopes early in the second half. "Some guys stand there, others run in. Everyone has a job. We tell them 'Do your job.' "
The 40-yard kick had no chance.
"The way (backup quarterback) Brandon (Williams) brought got us back in the game, that was the emotion needed to make the last play," said Vatuvei, a terror on the defensive line who also had a TD run.
The game was tied at 14 before Ja'Quan Gardner (153 yards, 20 carries) scored from the 1, his second TD, to open the fourth.
The PAT kick went left, though. It was still 20-14 when Patterson (4-1, 1-0), No. 7 in The Bee's poll, took possession on its 20 with 3:29 remaining.
Williams scrambled for 13, hit Jordan Levu with a 20-yarder down the middle and Vatuvei bowled over defenders for 10 to get to the CV 30.
On fourth-and-12, Williams threw a floater 25 yards downfield to Levu — and he outjumped two DBs while tumbling to the turf inside the 2. It was the second time on the drive the Tigers' exploited the 6-foot-4 Levu. He had an eight-inch edge over the defender and his catches went for 45 yards.
Williams snuck in from the 1 with 1:15 to play and Bryan DeAnda converted the PAT. Williams was 8 of 14 for 80 yards in all, and ran for 25 more.
Bryan DeAnda came out to kick and emergency holder Rosas came with him: Lopes normally tees it. Jacob Gomez's snap was true, and after a bobble, the sophomore linebacker got the ball down.
Earlier, Avion Warmsley (103 yards, six catches) caught a 51-yard TD from Lopes and CV's Abraham Navarro hit Kenny Lopez with a 10-yarder as the teams swapped TDs on their first possessions.
Gardner scored on a 44-yard run in the second quarter to get him over 1,000 yards (1,028 total).
Lopes was lost after being tackled and landing on his left shoulder to open the second half. He said "I'll be back in four days," after the game.
Marchy will hear from the doctors before making plans for Friday's WAC game vs. Livingston.
"We survived and we're glad," Marchy said.
The WAC showdown had a carnival atmosphere, with colorful umbrellas to protect against the sun and the fragrance of linguica on the grill.
"It's very different out in the sun," said Marchy, whose club still has WAC heavyweights Central Catholic and Los Banos. "The heat, the afternoon, no big crowd. A game like this, it can drain you."
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