PATTERSON — Manteca clinched at least a share of the Valley Oak League title Friday on Patterson’s senior night, holding off the most dangerous passing attack in the Sac-Joaquin Section in the 39-27 win.

“That’s a really good football team, and this is a really tough place to play,” Manteca coach Mark Varnum said. “When we needed to step up and make plays, we did.”

Enter Nikko Juarez and Quinn Martinez.

Juarez scored four touchdowns, one on an 83-yard kickoff return in the second quarter. It was an immediate response to Patterson’s first productive series of the game. The Tigers (3-3 VOL, 5-5 overall) failed to get a first down on their first three drives.

They got on the board when Max Medina, statistically the top passer in the SJS, hit Jeremiah Lugo for a 10-yard touchdown with 3:09 left in the half. That closed them in, 12-7.

Then Patterson decided to test Juarez on the ensuing kickoff.

“We knew it was coming,” Juarez said. “In practice, we were calling it. Obviously, they don’t want to kick it to No. 2 (Martinez), because no one is catching him. When they kicked it to me, we just took it to the house.”

Offensively, Juarez, now recovered from a shoulder injury that limited him in the past month, rushed for 149 yards on 25 carries. His 3-yard touchdown iced the victory with 1:36 to go, but it was perhaps an earlier scamper that was the finisher.

On fourth-and-2 from the Patterson 41, the Buffaloes (5-0, 8-1) opted to go for it and converted on a 14-yard dash by Juarez.

“I have so much trust in my line, and we have so much trust in each other,” Juarez said. “There’s no doubt that we’re getting that (first down) at the end of the day.”

Martinez’s big plays came in the third quarter.

Trailing 19-14, the Tigers threatened to take the lead on the first drive of the second half. Medina tried to connect with his best receiver, Noah Cozart (four receptions, 133 yards, two TDs), on a deep ball, but Martinez beat him to it for the interception and gave his team good field position with a 52-yard return to the Patterson 35.

Manteca capitalized on the turnover, stretching its lead to 26-14 on Maava Tialavea’s 2-yard run.

“Coach (Rick James, Manteca’s defensive coordinator) had rearranged our defense,” Martinez said. “No. 2 (Cozart) is their deep threat and was doing pretty good this game, so coach said, ‘I want you to match up on 2 on this play.’ On the play, they went over the top, and used my speed to pick it. That gave us some momentum.”

On Manteca’s next offensive drive, Owen Gully (5-of-6, 68 yards) spotted him for a 42-yard pass that led to Kyrin Barajas’ 1-yard touchdown to make it, 33-21.

“When we needed something to happen, Quinn did it again,” Varnum said. “He does it every single week.”

Manteca’s usually-dominant defense took a hit early in the game when linebacker and senior captain Ruben Moreno went down with a shoulder injury. Patterson was able to establish its running game soon after.

“That’s definitely a big loss — that’s a leader on this team,” Martinez said. “At the end of the day, we have to get our business done. We hope to see him back soon, because that’s a real big piece to our team.”

Manteca is accustomed to owning time of possession with its run game, but Patterson won that battle Friday. The Tigers amassed 390 yards to Manteca’s 252. Medina completed 13 of 27 for 232 yards and three touchdowns, while Coby Joseph ground out 121 yards and a touchdown on 21 rushes.

“Today was definitely a big test for us,” Martinez said. “We had to take Patterson seriously, because obviously in the playoffs, teams aren’t going to be easy to beat.”

The Buffaloes cap the regular season next Friday, Nov. 1 on their first true home game of the season. They’ll unveil the renovated Guss Schmiedt Field in a first-place showdown with traditional rival Oakdale, which can force a possible three-way share of the championship. Central Catholic is also in the running and hosts Sierra.

Manteca wants the outright title after last earning one in 2019 when it was split with Oakdale and Central Catholic. The Buffaloes have eight VOL titles since 2000.

“That’s how it should be — Oakdale and Manteca for all the marbles,” Varnum said. “It’s going to be quite a spectacle, but we’re going to focus on defending the home turf and getting that ’chip.”