PREP FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Patterson Leads Bishop Amat Over Mater Dei, 21-7

Bishop Amat High of La Puente gave some clarity to the Angelus League football race Thursday night and left Mater Dei grasping for some sort of consistency in the process.

The Lancers overwhelmed the Monarchs for a 21-7 victory before 7,000 at Santa Ana Stadium.

The victory leaves Bishop Amat (7-1, 3-0) in sole possession of first place with one game remaining. The Lancers need only to defeat Loyola next week to win their ninth consecutive league title.

And the Lancers can thank Jason Patterson for their lofty postion.

Patterson, a senior defensive end/fullback, dominated the Monarchs on defense and ran over them on offense.

With two minutes left, the Monarchs (4-5, 2-1) faced a fourth-and-two situation at the Bishop Amat 13-yard line. Monarch quarterback Billy Blanton attempted a naked bootleg but was brought down from behind for a one-yard loss by Patterson, giving the Lancers the ball and the game.

Mater Dei had 189 total yards. Running back Derek Sparks was held under 100 yards for the third consecutive game, gaining only 78 yards in 22 carries.