Loara Surprised Esperanza in ’86

The Esperanza High School football team appeared to have things well in hand against Loara in 1986.

It was a battle of unbeaten teams, and the Empire League championship was on the line. The Aztecs had taken a 14-6 lead and their defense held on the next series. They were about to get the ball back.

Or so they thought.

Loara lined up in punt formation, but instead of kicking, Jeff Patterson threw a high spiral, designed to simulate a punt. The intended receiver was hit by an Esperanza player, who thought he was simply blocking. Pass interference was called and the Saxons retained possession.

They then drove for a touchdown and tied the score, 14-14, with a two-point conversion. The game ended in a tie, and the teams shared the league title.

“We were in control of that game,” Esperanza Coach Gary Meek said. “Then they pulled that, and everything changed. They caught us napping.”

Loara Coach Herb Hill had put the fake kick into the playbook that week, with the idea of drawing a penalty. He had studied game films and noticed that the Aztecs tended to block aggressively on punts. He might not have given it a second thought, but assistant coach Jerry Halpin walked into his office the Monday before the game and said he’d seen a wonderful trick play.

“Jerry had seen that fake punt while watching a Canadian Football League game that weekend,” said Hill, now retired. “When he told me about it, I knew it would work. We just had to wait for the perfect situation.”

It came in the third quarter, when Patterson took the snap and threw the ball.

“I’m thinking we’re in good shape,” Meek said. “Then Patterson wheeled and threw. Our kid never had a chance. It was pass interference all the way. It was a real surprise.”

Of course, not everyone on the Aztec side was shocked. Patterson is the son of Esperanza Athletic Director Jim Patterson.

“On Monday, I said to Jim, ‘Did you see that darn fake punt they ran,’ ” Meek said. “He said, ‘Yeah, I knew about it last Tuesday.’ My own AD knew it was coming and couldn’t tell me.”