The Clippers varsity football team looked to get their first win at on September 26 against their crosstown school rival, Edmondson-Westside High School. The game took place at Patterson.
“We just look to be physical today, and play our game of football the way we know how to and go out and get a win”, said DL/OL Machi Thompson before the game.
The game started a bit slow, with both teams’ running and passing games failing to rack up points. In the second half, both teams picked up the pace, with the Clippers scoring two passing touchdowns and Edmondson rushing for a touchdown.
Photo: Quaron Walker-Bey
The game almost got a little ugly when the referees and coaches didn’t agree on certain calls on the sideline, while on the field the tension between the players started to rise as the stakes of the game had gotten higher and higher as the game went on.
At this point, in the 2nd half of the game, the Clippers and the Red Storm traded blow after blow. There was a span of plays on the drives where the Clippers made a big play then turned the ball over to the Red Storm, and then the Red Storm made a big play and fumbled the ball. The game was so competitive that it went into overtime. Edmondson started with the ball in overtime until the Clippers received the ball back. The Clippers ended the overtime with a touchdown, giving them their first win of the season.
“We just played our game the way we know how, trusted our coaches and each other, and listened to our coaches, and we came out with our first win today”, said Thompson after the game.
The final score was 20-14 as the Clippers claimed their first victory of the season.
Patterson scores against the Douglass Mighty Ducks (Photo: Vema Maneno)
by Vema Maneno — with files from Yastelin Sanchez Turcios and Dasha Peraza Sandoval
The Patterson boys soccer team has been defending their City Championship from last year, and so far they have done so without a loss. The Clippers have started their season with seven wins, no losses, and one hard fought tie against City.
Last year the team had an incredible season but fell short in the Regional Final, losing in the final minutes to Poly. However, despite losing nine seniors last season, the team has picked up where they left off.
“We have tried to build a culture of family and teamwork,” Coach Ober said. “The results usually follow once we have connected on a personal level with each other and built chemistry.”
Patterson is the most diverse school in Baltimore City Public Schools, and the soccer team is no different. The starting 11 players in the first game of the season had players representing seven different countries, including South Sudan, Honduras, El Salvador, United States, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania.
When you have players from so many backgrounds and experiences, who speak different languages, it is a challenge to build communication and a team identity, but it is something Coach Ober loves.
“The diversity of the team is truly beautiful,” he said. “Getting to know people from all over the world and seeing them connect and build friendships is far more valuable than anything we do on the field. Soccer is the most powerful sport to connect people and I see it year after year. It is their common language.”
The team has to put a lot of effort into preparing for the games.
“I try to build their confidence and help them learn their positioning. We work a lot with positioning drills so they can learn it easier. I also get them to operate as a team so that they can help each other.”
Photos: Vema Maneno, Mabondo Biribuza, Yastelin Sanchez Turcios, Dasha Peraza Sandoval, and Mr. Frederick
Coach Ober believes that it’s important for his players to be successful both on the field and in the classroom.
“Every day we practice and we have study hall once a week. We watch films at times as well during study hall.”
Communication is also important for the team.
“The only errors we ever have are communication errors, like communicating with the coach when you are going to miss practice. Other than that we do not have many issues or errors.”, said Coach Ober.
Coach Ober shouted out the best players that did exceptionally well so far this season.
“Tim has scored the most for us so far most likely. Offensively, Daniel and Joseph have been doing a great job, and Joel, Victor, Yeyson, Martin, and Vema are doing great on defense. Everyone on the team plays an important role and helps the team win.”
On October 15, the Varsity team clinched back-to-back City Championships with a 3-2 double overtime win over Poly. After being down 2-0 with 15 minutes to go, the team rallied behind goals from Tiem Kuiy and Daniel Gutierrez to send the game into overtime.
With only 31 seconds to go in double overtime (which would have ended the game in a tie and made Poly the champions), Daniel Gutierrez hit an incredible goal to end the game and win the title.
On Friday, October 25, the Clippers will face off against Bel Air at Patterson for the Regional Semi-Final playoff. The game starts at 3:45 PM and is free to attend.
Patterson scores the winning goal against Poly to seize the City Championship (Video: Mr. Martin)
Patterson goalie Umutesi Belise blocks Poly from scoring another goal (Photo: Snit Kahsay)
by Snit Kahsay
The Patterson girls soccer team lost 8-0 in their game against Poly on September 12, but according to their coach, soccer is about much more than winning or losing.
“Working with kids and seeing the joy that they get for being in a team and practicing and getting to learn new things” is what inspired Coach Blum to become a coach.
In Coach Blum’s opinion, the most difficult position to play on a soccer team is goalie.
“When a goalie gets scored on they feel like they let the whole team down, so the pressure is on them”, she said.
The Patterson girls soccer team works hard by practicing every day after school for about two hours. Something they hope to achieve by the end of the season is for the girls to get together because they lost a lot of players last year.
One of the challenges the team captain, Alison Licona, faces as the leader of the team is being positive the whole time. This is a very difficult thing to do because just like everyone else she gets frustrated mid-game when something bad happens so she has to try hard to stay positive because she is the role model for the rest of the team. Although they lost 8-0 they kept a positive attitude during the whole game. According to her, it was a great game and they had fun.
“Even though we lost really bad, we did better than the last game, and that’s what matters– we’re getting better” , said Nyagagare Kuiy, one of the players.
The Patterson Clippers girls soccer team had another game before this one and they lost 8-0 in that one too. In their game against Poly they didn’t look disappointed. In fact they looked happy because they played better than in the previous game. The team didn’t let the final score ruin their moods and they enjoyed the game.
Editor’s note: This article was written before the most recent games. The game against City mentioned in the last paragraph has already taken place. We will have an update on the latest football games soon.
The Clippers Varsity Football team has been off to a slow start with a 0-2 record in two very close games.
In the first game of the year, the very young Clippers looked to kick off the season with a good start against Lake Clifton. The Clippers had a hard time stopping runs throughout the game, yet towards the end of the game the Clippers defense was clicking on all cylinders and stopping the Lake Clifton offense. On the last drive, Clippers quarterback Telin Cabean fumbled, which was the last play of regulation. The final score was 8-6 with Lake Clifton taking the win over our Clippers.
The Clippers looked to make a comeback win against Guilford Park High School. The game got off to a slow start for both teams with a 0-0 game going into halftime. Throughout the 2nd half, both teams made plays. The Clippers struggled a bit, but on their last hope, Cabean delivered a 40 yard touchdown to Tyshawn Sneed to tie the game 14-14. Unfortunately, with 45 seconds left, Guilford Park found a way to score with a Hail Mary pass to the back of the endzone for the win.
This week, the Clippers look to get their first win of the season against the City Knights on Thursday evening at 3:45 p.m. at Patterson. The Clippers will be playing without DE/OT Machi Thompson, RB/LB Aaron Washington, and RB/LB Marquise Brown. WR/CB Matt is also out with a ankle injury.
The Patterson track and field team had another record-breaking season this school year.
“I feel like the team is on track to take over the city in the next few years and is changing the way people are going to look at Patterson.”, said team member David Wagner.
The foundation of the team’s march to success is discipline and hard work.
Martin Bakondjo has broken every freshman school distance record that we have. Joel Lukoo is the cornerstone of all of our relays. Quintine Nterere has broken the school’s 800 meter record. Najah White won a gold medal in the Baltimore City Track and Field Championships in the 2 mile. Nathalia Espino broke the school’s freshman record in the 800 meters.
Najah White has given special shout-outs to the boys’ track team for dramatic improvement from the indoor to the outdoor track season. Marshall Mallory also gave a special shout out to sophomore distance sensation Vema Maneno. He has broken the school’s sophomore records in the mile and 2 mile and broke the school record in the half mile.
Marshall Mallory captured the essence of the team’s success when she said, “Our team is mostly filled with very young athletes [overwhelmingly freshmen and sophomores that have to compete against juniors and seniors because there is no junior varsity within track and field] compared to the people that we’re competing against and we’re getting closer and closer to these schools’ times. In almost one to two years, if we keep doing how we are doing, Patterson track and field will be on top.”
This march to the top started in the classroom. Consider that seven of our student-athletes have a 4.0 GPA or better: Martin Bakondjo (4.2), Marshall Mallory (4.2), Libni Colocho (4.0), Joel Lukoo (4.0), Quintine Nterere (4.0), Indira Solomon (4.0), and Dayana Cruz-Banegas (4.0).
The star of the future for Patterson Track and Field is Da’Shawn “Day Day” Stackhouse. He has broken the school’s freshman records in the 400 and 800 meters. Additionally, he is Baltimore City’s fastest freshman in the 400 meters. He is less than a second away from qualifying for nationals. In the years to come, Patterson Track and Field will take over the city and as stated before, our march to success starts in the classroom. .
The Patterson wrestling team had a great season this school year. To learn more about what drives the team, the Patterson Press sat down with wrestling Coach Andrews and wrestler Angel. Here is what they had to say:
Coach Andrews
What inspired you to coach the team?
Being a former Patterson varsity wrestler, I’ve seen over the years that many of the wrestlers did not have the technique needed to compete. To be honest, I was not concerned with my impact on the young people being taught to compete at first.
How did you prepare the team?
Preparing the wrestling team has to be ongoing, meaning constant communication and building a relationship between the coach and a wrestler. It’s not just in school; communicating with the parents/guardians and building trust in the key.
How do you feel about your team’s progress?
Progress has been improving since becoming the head coach in 2019. Now, in the 23-24 season, the wrestling program is starting to peak. We now have athletes that are placing in the regional tournaments. Also, the city tournament next year will be exclusive to those who really buy into the coaching.
How much experience do you have with wrestling?
I started wrestling in the eighth grade, from there going to Patterson High School. I made the team as a 10th grader because I was getting better and learning from great coaches. Many of the leaders of the team during the ’80 to ’83 seasons built up the strength of the team and understood Patterson Pride. Helping for all the years going to coaching clinics and competing, I have well over 15 years.
What were your best and worst years?
My worst year was 2019-2020. COVID shut everything down that year. My recruiting list was 179 males and [it was tough] not knowing what the outcome would’ve been. By far my best year was 2022-2023. We had five wrestlers and a winning percentage as individuals. It lets me know we can compete anywhere at the high school level.
Angel (Patterson wrestler)
Who is your biggest motivation?
My biggest inspiration is Coach Andrews. He pushed me to be a greater person.
What do you want to work on?
I want to work on obtaining a degree in engineering.
What did you nail this year that you didn’t last year?
This season I was more [well] rounded, having only lost once. I limited my technique to a handful [of moves], unlike last year where I would get confused and fall short.
How did you feel about your second year?
I feel like I did as much as I could this year with everything I’ve learned.
What’s your favorite wrestling move?
I personally don’t have a favorite move or set up, I take what I learned from all 3 styles of wrestling.
The Patterson Clippers varsity boys basketball team came back from a rough start to what was ultimately a very successful year, ending their season with a final record of 18 wins to 7 losses.
On Tuesday, December 5th, the boys basketball team lost their first game of the season. In a post game interview with Coach Oliver about the team’s performance, the coach felt his team did poorly because they were undisciplined and wanted to do things their way, resulting in 27 turnovers.
“They need to improve on listening and being disciplined. They need to work on every aspect of the game, free throws, running sets, not throwing the ball away, layups and doing what they are told, improving on the basics.”, Coach Oliver had said at the time.
Coach Oliver is the head coach of the boys basketball team. He has been coaching basketball for over 30 years and at Patterson since 2011.
When asked in December about his hopes for the season, Coach Oliver said he hoped that all his seniors graduate and go to school and that his team wins city, regional and state championships.
The Clippers had another game that Friday, December 8th, against Bard where they won 67-15. They went on to accomplish their goals of winning the city championship against Poly by a score of 55-52 and the regional championship against City with a score of 56-52. The team then went on to win their first playoff game against Edgewood, 66-53.
On March 8th, Patterson competed in their second playoff game against Northeast High School, where they narrowly lost by a score of 69-65. The top scorers in that game were:
Sincere Bartfield -25 points
Caleb Burgess – 10 points
Marcellus Dobbins -13 points
Montrell Burgess – 8 points
Amare Carr – 4 points
There were 12 turnovers in that game.
“Northeast out-rebounded us 45-25.”, explained Coach Oliver. “To other people and our supporters we had a good season, but to me the season was trash; we shouldn’t have lost any games.”
The team ended their season with a record of 18-7 and as Coach Oliver acknowledged, the players’ peers and the school are proud of them.
At the time of publishing, senior Trent Tedder is committed to go to Methodist University and Sincere Bartfield–who won the Player of the Year award for Baltimore City–is committed to go to Baltimore City Community College.
Get ready for the 2024-2025 school year and all our boys basketball team has to offer.
The Patterson track and field team made history at the Baltimore City Indoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday, January 25 at the Prince George’s County Sportsplex. Najah White AKA “Little Nae” won 2 gold medals. She won a gold medal in the mile and rebroke the school record. Then, an hour later, she won a gold medal in the 2 mile.
Additionally, many of our other runners also broke school records. The girls 4 x 400 meter relay team of Ahmawanyah Lewis, Najah White, Dayvia Weaver, and Quintine Nterere broke the school record. Additionally, Rancel Corporan Lagombra broke the school record in the 500 meters. The boys 4 x 800 meter relay team of Joel Lukoo, Vema Maneno, Aaden Hopkins, and Rancel Corporan Lagombra broke the school record. And the boys 4 x 400 meter relay team of Aaden Hopkins, Joel Lukoo, Marshall Mallory, and Rancel Corporan Lagombra broke the school record.
Our track and field team is comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores. In the next year or two, Patterson track and field will take over the city of Baltimore.
Clippers celebrate their victory over City (Photo by Patterson Press)
The Patterson varsity boys soccer team won against City College on October 11 at Clipper Stadium–a win which put them at first in the division for championships and cemented their 6-0 inter-city record this year.
Despite City getting the first point of the game, Patterson quickly put a point of their own on the board. After securing their second point, the Clippers kept the defense tight, ending the game with a final score of 2-1.
“You can’t scare me; I’m a goalie. The goal is my home and you are not welcome here.”, said Tyler Harrison, stating that he had to lock things down after City scored their goal.
Coach Ober said that he’s proud of his team and their win and that they will continue to work on marking corners and playing with energy. He also said that if they continue to improve, the team is on track to win the City Championships for the first time in six years.
Coach Ober named Angel Guevara as the game’s MVP for “scoring both goals and playing amazingly in the mid field, helping to control the game, and leading with positivity and energy.”
Turnout at the game was great. There was strong support for the Clippers by friends, family, community supporters and Patterson’s volleyball and football teams.
Update:
After this game, the Clippers went on to defeat Dunbar 6-1, Digital Harbor 2-0, Catonsville 2-1, and Edmondson 13-0 in their last game of the regular season. They then went on to defeat City again in their first playoff game, advancing them to the regional finals where they faced Poly for a chance to represent Baltimore City in the State Quarterfinals.
Patterson lost that game by one point, with a final score of 2-3, bringing Patterson’s season to an end. Despite this loss, the team had a spectacular season and remained undefeated in the regular season.
pattersonpress.org 