FORT PIERCE – Tyler Patterson has made his presence felt on the field in a special way.
As one of the Treasure Coast area’s best special teams players – regardless of class – the 6-foot-1, 181-pound kicker/punter impacted games in a way that not many can at his positions.
We can refer to Week 9, the moment that Fort Pierce Central outlasted Fort Pierce Westwood in a very close 19-18 win at Lawnwood Stadium on Oct. 21, 2022.
Patterson’s outsized role in the Cobras one-point win over the Panthers may have played some role into him being coveted by FIU.
Let us take a look back at his amazing special teams game against Fort Pierce Westwood.
“So first play of the game was me kicking off,” Patterson said. “I hit it a little short, then went down and made the tackle later in the game. I made a 30+ yard field goal, then went to kick two 75-yard kickoffs back to back. Then in about the second or third quarter is when I made the huge 70-yard punt.”
Patterson delved into the pivotal fourth quarter, which had an ending to remember.
“The fourth quarter is when things got a little shaky,” Patterson said. “I mishit a punt late in the fourth, but knew I had to stay on it and get out of my head. So the next punt was one of the last plays in the game with around 10 seconds left on the clock. I kicked it and it came off perfectly and pinned them at their own 5-yard line. Our defense got the stop to end the game and give us the back- to-back win against Westwood.”
Watch Patterson’s amazing performance below for yourself.
Patterson recapped the game experience, which was undoubtedly the best part of his senior season at Fort Pierce Central.
“Just the whole night went perfectly,” Patterson said. “The energy was in the air, the stadium was full, and I just played the game I know how to play. The team’s energy was the best we had all year. Everyone was ready to go out and give everything to win that game.”
Patterson had at least one other standout performance in his senior year. It came against Jensen Beach in Week 1, when he recorded at least two punts of 55 yards or greater.
The Fort Pierce Central standout finished his senior season with the following statistics:
•3-for-9 on field goal attempts with five blocked •1,000+ yards in kickoffs with 12 touchbacks; long of 76 yards
•1,000+ yards in punts with 10 being inside the 20-yard line; long of 62 yards
The 4.5-star kicker/punter ended his high school career by performing in the 67th FACA Coaches North-South All Star Game on Dec. 21, 2022.
Watch Patterson’s kickoff below.
With all that being said, Patterson’s reflected on his high school football experience as a whole.
“The coaches were a very big part in my high school career, going from having multiple head coaches and position coaches changing from year to year,” Patterson said. “Coach Cam, my freshman and sophomore year head coach, played a very large role for me during my high school career. Also, Coach [Mike] Watkins helped out so much when I was really starting to get noticed by college later in high school in my junior and senior years. Then there was also Coach Stokes, Coach Jacas, Coach Jacobs, Coach Woods, and Coach Floyd. There’s still more to name, but Central made me who I am today and I’m very proud that I get to say I came from Fort Pierce Central.”
Patterson can now turn to the next level.
The Fort Pierce Central specialist made his decision to verbally commit to FIU on Nov. 21.
Patterson reflected on what led to his final college choice.
“The coaching staff and the environment of the school just feels so welcoming as soon as you step foot on campus,” Patterson said of FIU, the only college that extended him an offer. “Coach Brumfield and Coach [Mike] MacIntyre made the decision very easy for me. I’m very excited to sign in February.”
