
When a football team loses its starting quarterback, top running back and defensive leader, one would think the team was in trouble. Think again. Despite the setbacks, Point Loma High School’s (PLHS) team depth took the spotlight as the Pointers trounced Patrick Henry 46-13 in the finale of the annual kickoff triple-header at Bennie Edens Field. The win improved the Dogs to 2-0 in the young season, while the visitors fell to 0-2. Starting quarterback Keegan Fitzgerald, running back Leslie Rogers and defensive lineman Will McDonough, three key players, watched from the sidelines as their replacements didn’t skip a beat. Junior Sean McKaveny, a transfer from St. Augustine, stepped into the starting signal-caller role and threw two touchdown passes, including a 23-yarder on a fourth-down play to Jordan Sparkman. Making his third TD reception in two games, Sparkman was tackled short of the end zone. Using his long reach, however, he stretched across the goal line, ball in hand, as he fell. “We were very happy with Sean’s play,” said Pointer head coach Mike Hastings. “He really took command and control of the offense.” Also toting a McKaveny pass for points was Stephan Jackson, who came out of the backfield to make the reception, turning it into a 39-yard work of art and a 26-6 halftime lead. Jackson was the only Pointer who scored twice, later racing three yards in the third quarter for the Pointers’ fifth score. “Stephan Jackson showed us what we knew he could do, both running and catching the ball,” Hastings noted. In all, six different Pointers put points on the board as they scored in every quarter, mauling the punchless Patriots. McKaveny opened the scoring with a one-yard sneak, while sophomore Morris Mathews sprinted 40 yards for six points and Thomas Bell closed scoring with a six-yard dash. Running back Zach Gemmill also drew praise from Hastings. “Zach really performed well and gained a lot of yards to set up some of our scores,” Hastings said. “Our O-line also showed big improvement in holding their blocks.” Among the day’s highlights was a 55-yard touchdown on a punt return by senior Davis Callejon. Fielding a Patriot punt at his own 45, Callejon broke to his left, benefitted from several key blocks by teammates, and raced up the sideline for the score. His first-quarter jaunt gave the hosts a 12-6 lead. Callejon is also a hard-hitting defensive back, sure-handed receiver and handles punting duties. So strong was the Pointer defense that they did not yield even one first down to the Patriots. A key contributor was linebacker Anthony Joyner, who spent much of the game in the Patrick Henry backfield. In one memorable sequence of plays before halftime, Joyner sacked the Patriot quarterback and recovered a fumble on the Henry eight-yard line. For the second straight game, the Pointer defense kept an opponent off the scoreboard. Patriot touchdowns were recorded on offensive miscues, including an interception return and fumble recovery. “One of our goals is to improve each week,” Hastings said, “and we’re going to work on ball security. We can correct this.” Before the varsity victory, Patrick Henry edged both the Pointer freshmen (16-7) and junior varsity (16-14) to even their respective records at 1-1. Next up for Point Loma is a home encounter Friday afternoon with El Capitan of the Grossmont North League. The Vaqueros of Lakeside are currently 1-1 after a 9-0 loss last week to Ramona. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.