Pacheco’s Teneng too much for Patterson

In T.K. Teneng’s version of a perfect football world, he’s racing down the field with no opponents in sight. He prefers the wide-open spaces.

Not that it matters. He’s a threat each time he touches the ball.

“When I get in the open, it feels more natural to me,” Teneng said.

Teneng, Pacheco High’s 5-foot-6 156-pound powder keg, rushed 19 times for 193 yards and 4 touchdowns Friday night. His final carry, an 8-yard scoring burst with 1:04 left, vaulted the Panthers past Patterson 48-41.

Quarterback Aric Barton pitched to his left to Teneng for a 20-yard gain to the 8, a play so effective the Panthers (3-3, 1-0) dialed it up again on the next snap. The decisive TD was his 15th of the season, reason enough why Pacheco will be a major player in the Western Athletic Conference race.

“We rely on T.K. Teneng quite a bit,” coach David Snapp said. “He’s done that all year for us.”

Pacheco was 0-3 over the years at Patterson Community Stadium, a point Snapp stressed all week. The breakthrough came at the expense of the defending WAC champions (1-5, 0-1), who were 11-1 a year ago but now licking wounds after a painful homecoming loss.

The Tigers climbed a steep hill all night. Quarterback Kevin Todd (concussion) exited early in the game and was replaced by slotback/safety Gabe Sanchez, who almost singlehandedly kept Patterson within striking range.

Sanchez (23 carries, 118 yards) passed for 3 touchdowns, but it was his improv runs – many on planned passes – that sustained the Tigers. Patterson rallied from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to 41-41, thanks to Sanchez. He scored on 4th-and-goal from the 4, then tacked on the tying 2-pointer, absorbing hits on the goal line on both plays.

“He (Sanchez) brings us explosiveness, and he’s going to have to lead us for a while,” Patterson coach Rob Cozart said. “Gabe stepped up and the guys rallied around him.”

Cozart’s Tigers, hobbled by injuries, can’t make the puzzle pieces fit. They blew a 21-0 lead last week against Liberty, then were forced into catchup mode by Pacheco. The result was Patterson’s third loss this season at home.

An avalance of big-play touchdowns fortified Pacheco all night. Two of Teneng’s scores came on rips of 65 and 50 yards, and Christopher Munoz turned a quick pass from Aric Barton into a 62-yard catch-and-run TD. Pacheco’s old-school veer offense didn’t bother with many first downs.

Then again, kickoff returns don’t require moving the chains. Shane Barton, Aric’s twin, opened the second-half with a 95-yard romp to the end zone, as he stepped down the Pacheco sideline while breaking tackles.

“We had them on the ropes numerous times,” Snapp said. “We couldn’t finish plays, but we did when we needed to.”

This story was originally published October 8, 2016 at 2:51 AM with the headline "Pacheco’s Teneng too much for Patterson."