It was what the big crowd at Pete Ross Stadium had been waiting for. Their Pointers had just scored their first touchdown of the game against Mater Dei Catholic, a four-yard pass from Brady Allen to Canon Ogden to bring their team from a 9-0 deficit to within two at 9-7 with just 45 seconds left before halftime. The momentum had swung to the Pointers.
But the ensuing kickoff into a steady offshore breeze was caught by Mater Dei’s return man who broke to the left and dashed down the sideline for a touchdown that stretched his team’s lead to 16-7 and that hard-fought momentum had vaporized in seconds.
In the third quarter, the Pointers pounced on a Crusader fumble, giving them a short 27-yard field with just under four minutes remaining. In the waning seconds, Allen went down briefly with a severe leg cramp, and during his absence freshman quarterback Ryder Watson handed off to Rocket Robinson who blasted through the Crusader defense for the Pointers’ second touchdown. The extra point kick was blocked leaving the Pointers again close at 16-13 as hope resurfaced among Pointer fans.
In the fourth quarter, the Pointers found themselves deep in their own territory with a fourth down. A decision was made to go for the first down and a questionable spot by referees preceded an on-field chain measurement showing the Pointers were short by about two inches. The Crusaders scored two plays later and again in the final quarter for the 30-13 final score.
The game marked the Pointers’ first home contest of the season on their newly resurfaced turf field and the fifth of six non-league games. Two of those opponents were Div. I team (Madison, an Open Division team last year, and Mater Dei, a back-to-back state champion) and the Div. II Pointers had hoped to be no worse than 3-2 as they head into the final non-league game and Eastern League opener. Instead, they sit at 2-3 with the frustrating loss to Rancho Bernardo resulting in some lineup changes for the Pointers. Inserting Allen as quarterback was one of the changes made.
“That was a good football team on the other side and our kids played really well,” said head coach Joel Allen.”The defense played great. They(Mater Dei) have won two consecutive state championships and have a running back going to San Diego State and a receiver going to University of Arizona.”
And injuries are beginning to take a toll on the Pointers.
“Guys have been injured and playing but not practicing all week,” he said, so game planning is like ‘I don’t know what we’re going to get.’ Obviously, Brady (Allen) playing quarterback brings something but you lose the chance to throw him the ball. We are hoping to put up a league banner and that starts after we take on San Diego High (tonight).”
One of those injuries is to all-around athlete Aaron Lee who has excelled on both offense and defense besides being last year’s league “Kicker of the Year.” Lee has had hamstring issues all season that have greatly limited his play despite working with doctors and trainers to alleviate the problem. He ran some plays but yielded kickoff and place-kicking duties to Shea Balelo.
Senior team captain Joaquin Edwards is the team’s biggest player at 6 feet 4 inches tall and 315 pounds.
“I really thought we should have won,” Edwards said as he left the team room. “We had it in the bag at first but made mistakes towards the end. I could have played better, there were some things I made mistakes on. I just wish we played better. Hopefully, we’ll get it done next week.”
Indeed, the final score was not a good indication of how well the Pointers matched up against a reigning state champion.
After their Homecoming game against San Diego High tonight (Sept. 22) league play begins with an away game next week at Granite Hills High against Christian High. Then, on Sept. 29 the Pointers are back home for the renewal of one of the county’s longest rivalries against La Jolla for the “Battle of the Shoe.”
Last week the Pointers came out with Allen at quarterback surprising University City who cost them both a league and CIF title last year. The result? A dominating 33-14 Pointer victory.
EXTRA POINTS
The Pointer JV team is 3-2 with wins over University City (34-0) and Mater Dei Catholic (23-0). The Freshmen team had shutout wins over University City (9-0) and Mater Dei Catholic (35-0) to improve to 4-1. In recent weeks, the new girls flag football team sits at 3-3 after their first away losses to Mira Mesa (18-8) and Classical Academy (36-0), with an away win over Clairemont (27-17).
Players invited favorite teachers to don a Pointer jersey and walk onto the field with them to be recognized during pre-game ceremonies for Staff Appreciation Night.
The student section was packed with Pointers once again after behavior issues limited game attendance last year. Few problems were reported following the game.
