Bearing Down on Defense

Around Irvine High, they call it “The Bear,” the defense made famous by Buddy Ryan when he was defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears.

In Ryan’s “46 defense” that Irvine has used to reach Friday’s Southern Section Division VI championship game, Mike Patterson has a starring role.

Newport Harbor, seeded No. 2 and league champion in this showdown of Sea View League teams, hopes to avoid being just another high-powered offense that grinds to a halt at the hands of the Vaqueros.

It is Patterson, as the middle linebacker against one-back offenses like Newport Harbor’s, who puts the “Grrrr” in the growl, the bite in “The Bear.”

“Let’s put it this way,” Irvine Coach Terry Henigan said. “We’ve faced some good running backs, and we’re going to be [facing another one in Andre Stewart], and there are certain situations where [Patterson] truly is the only one who can make the tackle. If you don’t have a guy like him in the middle, you better get out of this defense.”

He has never relied on one player so much at this position.

The “46 defense” was named after Bear strong safety Doug Plank’s jersey number because Plank would be used as a defensive back, a linebacker and a rusher. There’s a minimum of five players rushing the quarterback every play, and often six or seven. As many as nine players could go after the quarterback, the exception being the two cornerbacks.

Patterson plays the position that Mike Singletary played.

“My memory’s short, but [Patterson] ranks as good as any defensive player we’ve had,” Henigan said. “He’s right up there near the top.”

Physically, Patterson appears surprisingly slight. He is 6 feet tall, 185 pounds. He is hardly the intimidating monster most middle linebackers are made out to be. Don’t be fooled by the bear trap.

“When he hits you,” Woodbridge Coach Rick Gibson said, “you know you’ve been hit.

“This kid is quick and makes things happen. I watched him [against Mater Dei], and he had some big hits against Matt Grootegoed and some other kids where you would think they would fall forward because of the physical matchup. Very rarely did they fall forward.”

Gibson, who coached Woodbridge to a section title last season, is very impressed with Irvine.

“Nobody’s scoring points on them,” Gibson said. “I think their scheme is fantastic. Their kids are playing like everyone wants to be in on the tackle, and I think it’s because Patterson exudes that confidence on the field.”

He has a nose for the ball too. Going into Friday’s title game against Newport Harbor (12-0-1), Patterson leads Irvine (10-2-1) with 60 tackles, 72 assists and 8 1/2 sacks, including one for a safety last week. In Irvine’s defensive grading system, Patterson has 258 points, 108 more than his next-highest teammate.

“For their scheme, he’s the prototype person,” Gibson said. “He can cover from tight end to tight end. He fills very quickly; he’s very athletic. He’s the kind of kid you have a tough time finding a way to block because he’s so quick getting to where he needs to get.

“The biggest compliment you can give him is that wherever the ball is, he is, even if it’s a pass downfield. He’s always the first or second to the ball.”

Patterson says his secret is in paying attention to detail. And listening.

“I guess I’m just able to read blocks,” he said. “Preparation, watching film, the coaches are really good. My linebacker coach [Ed Brady] played a decade in the NFL. He knows what he’s talking about.”

The last two weeks, Irvine has faced some excellent running backs. In their second-round game, a 9-7 upset of top-seeded Lakewood Mayfair, the Vaqueros held Michael Williams--who needed only 86 yards to reach 2,000 on the season--to 69 yards in 25 carries. Williams, who had scored 45 touchdowns, didn’t score against the Vaqueros.

In the semifinals, Loara’s Billy Chavez entered the game with 21 touchdowns and 1,755 yards, and left it with 13 more carries and two fewer yards.

“We wanted to become a little more aggressive, and we wanted to do something different that opponents don’t see as much,” Henigan said of his defensive scheme, which the Vaqueros have used the past two seasons.

Irvine lost 42 seniors from last year’s team. Patterson and defensive lineman Brandon Mendoza, who rotated into last year’s starting lineup, were the closest the Vaqueros had to returning starters.

“Our defense didn’t have one real starter coming back,” said Patterson, whose brothers, John and Ryan, won section titles with Irvine on the 1991-93 teams. “We weren’t really sure what to expect. We knew we were going to be good because we had a lot of skilled athletes, but we were a little suspicious about our size and strength. But it worked out.”

After two easy games to open the season, and absent one of its key offensive players, receiver James Whitted, Irvine lost twice and tied once in a four-game span, ending with a 12-10 setback to Newport Harbor. The Vaqueros have since won seven in a row, and held opponents to single-digit scoring the last four games.

Now, they must try to contain Stewart, who has rushed for 2,221 yards and 25 touchdowns. Last time, Irvine held him to 113 yards in 30 carries.

But Stewart still scored two touchdowns.

“This is a super challenge,” Patterson said. “We faced him once before and we lost.

“Rematch.”