Nick Patterson, Hogan Denny lead Mooresville past Lebanon in Class 4A sectional opener

Patterson accounts for 270 total yards and four touchdowns

Nick Patterson and the Mooresville Pioneers shook off a rough start to their Class 4A sectional first round game against Lebanon on Friday night.

The Pioneers turned the ball over twice early, including a pick-six by Patterson, but the quarterback and his team bounced back.

Patterson ran for three touchdowns and connected with Hogan Denny for a score as Mooresville defeated Lebanon 34-24 to advance to the sectional semifinal round next week.

“It was a pretty tough start for us,” Mooresville coach Mike Gillin said. “We made some mistakes. We preached all week that we couldn't make mental mistakes but we made a bunch that first half. Give our kids credit though – Nick and the boys stayed in there and played hard and got the lead at halftime and got two touchdowns up. That was huge for us.”

Mooresville (8-2), which won its third straight game, will next play Brebeuf Jesuit (6-3) in the semifinal round.

The Pioneers got a big boost by the return of wide receiver Hogan Denny, an Indiana University baseball commit, from an injury that caused him to miss several weeks. Denny returned to catch nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Led by Patterson and Denny, Mooresville scored 21 points in the second quarter to take a 28-12 lead into halftime.

“The 16-point lead made it a lot more relaxing at halftime then it would have been in a one-touchdown game,” Gillin said. “They’ve got all those athletes. They can take it to the house any time. I was very impressed with their team. They were really good.”

Lebanon (6-4) had a five-game win streak snapped last week with a 30-14 loss to Western Boone.

Patterson completed 20 of 32 passes for 185 yards and his touchdown pass to Denny. He ran 18 times for 85 yards and three scores, including a late touchdown in the fourth to secure the win.

“The (last) drive was huge because it put us up two scores again and we didn’t turn it over or get any crazy penalties,” Gillin said. “Good win for us. We get to go forward. I’m wore out.”

Mooresville at Lebanon football

Photos from Tyler Hart

Tyler Hart, SBLive Sports