Patterson spoiled Sierra’s homecoming night and a sparkling varsity debut for freshman running back Darien East on Friday, rallying for 35 unanswered points in the middle quarters en route to a 55-27 running-clock victory.

Fans were treated to a drone show following the lopsided Valley Oak League affair, but the visiting Tigers (3-2, 5-4 overall) put on quite the display of their own at Daniel Teicheira Memorial Stadium.

Junior Max Medina, the leading passer in the Sac-Joaquin Section coming into the week, completed 10 of 18 passes for 234 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Coby Joseph (14 rushes, 123 yards) and Jeremiah Lugo (nine rushes, 79 yards; two receptions, 77 yards) contributed three touchdowns apiece.

“They have some tremendous athletes over there,” Sierra coach Jeff Abrew said.

His Timberwolves (2-2 VOL, 5-3 overall) went toe-to-toe with the SJS Division IV runner-up in the first half, but special-teams blunders helped Patterson get separation.

Sierra tied it at 20-20 with 1:08 remaining in the second quarter after Tali Vaipuna’s 42-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

Rajean Timmons quickly turned the tide with a 71-yard return on the ensuing kickoff, and the Tigers gained additional yardage when he fumbled at the end of the play, but had it recovered by teammate Antonio Verdugo on the Sierra 24-yard line.

Patterson took advantage of the opportunity, jumping ahead for good with Medina’s 12-yard toss to 6-foot-4 sophomore Jace Johnson (four receptions, 41 yards) with 16.5 seconds left in the half.

The Tigers received the second-half kickoff, which was returned 41 yards into Sierra territory. Three plays later, Joseph scored the last of his three TDs from 4 yards out.

Sierra’s offense went three-and-out and punted on its next three possessions, as Patterson continued to build on its momentum.

“Early on, I thought we were competing very well,” Abrew said. “We gave up some big plays on defense and a back breaker on kickoff return toward the end of the first half.

“When they got the ball back at the start of the second half and punched it in right away, that deflated us a little bit. We just couldn’t get it back on track offensively, and we struggled defensively in the second half.”

Already banged up, Sierra’s defense took another blow when senior Ryan McIntyre appeared to injury a leg after pressuring Medina out of the pocket in the second half. The Timberwolves were already without third-year linebacker Brock Felt, who recently underwent season-ending surgery for a leg injury and had to call up sophomore Jaed Alcautar from the JV to bolster a hobbled defensive line.

Felt is not only Sierra’s best defensive player, but a budding star at running back before suffering his injury two weeks ago against first-place Manteca.

Abrew promoted East to the varsity during the Timberwolves’ bye last week, and he proved to be up to the task.

“For being a 14-year-old freshman, Darien really stepped up and played great and with no fear,” Abrew said. “Just really proud of that kid.”

East accounted for three of Sierra’s touchdowns, running for 102 yards on 19 carries. He capped his night with a 7-yard TD with the clock running midway through the final period.

“I was definitely nervous, because I’m a freshman and this is my first game on varsity,” East said. “I was really looking forward to having fun and I did that. I balled out. The offensive line is really good, and I was able to take advantage of that.

“I did the best I could do; we just couldn’t pull it together as a team. We’ll definitely be working harder to improve from this.”

Sierra quarterback Zak Willson finished 12-of-20 passing for 169 yards but was harassed by Patterson’s defensive front led by 6-2, 220-pound defensive end Tresor Mulumba and linebacker Hayden Droogsma. Vaipuna was the T’wolves’ leading receiver with five catches for 71 yards.

Ryan Reyes got the interception for Sierra on Patterson’s final offensive play of the night.

The Timberwolves don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves, as they end their unforgiving league schedule with road games at Oakdale and Central Catholic the next two weeks.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s football and injuries happen,” Abrew said. “We’ve lost some pretty solid defensive players, but we’ve got to find a way to still make plays. We have two tough VOL games left before playoffs, so we have to regroup on Monday and get ready for Oakdale.”