When Point Loma had a good season last year as members of the Eastern League (8-5 overall, 2-1 in the league, and one win away from a Div. II CIF Championship appearance) their “reward” was a mandate to move up to the Western League, home to such county powers as Cathedral Catholic, St. Augustine, Lincoln, and Madison. The results have been predictable.

Madison and Saints are having off-years, the Saints are winless after nearly a dozen of their players transferred to Cathedral. But Lincoln and Cathedral continue to top county ratings and schedule out-of-county powers for their non-league games.

In the last two weeks, the Pointers have lost to Madison (21-7 with their touchdown coming in the game’s final 15 seconds) and Lincoln (42-0). Their likely last opportunity for a league win comes tonight when the Saints visit Pete Ross Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

The Pointers were hurt by the graduation of some big linemen and talented skill-position players who have proven difficult to replace. That plus several key injuries are two of the factors the off-season league reassignment doesn’t take into consideration. This process reflects poor management by City Conference and CIF officials, a now decades-old practice that has upset previous Pointer head coaches.

Without those big boys up front, the average offensive gain on running plays has dropped from 6.0 yards per carry to just 2.6, touchdowns from 2.6 per game to 1.0. The longest run of the season is 25 yards. No player has more than 163 yards after seven games.

And after a change of quarterbacks last season helped the team, neither current quarterback has been able to establish himself as the top choice as both must run from opposing defenders while looking for an open receiver. Combined, junior Henry Heuser and sophomore Ryder Watson have completed 54% of their passes, averaging 13.8 and 13.1 yards per completion respectively. Heuser has five TD passes (four against Steele Canyon) and Watson has two for the season. Each has thrown four interceptions.

So Pointer coaches continue to work on techniques and skills on their offense as the defense continues to be competitive. Taking out the Lincoln score, they are giving up 17 points per game and have intercepted 10 passes including five against Steele Canyon. Overall defensive stats are incomplete but the Pointers have shown well with a shutout against Eastlake and giving up only 10 against Otay Ranch.

Punter/placekicker Ryan Cleator injured an ankle during practice and has been unable to fulfill his duties. Against Lincoln, high snaps and a furious Hornet rush resulted in short punts by his backup that were returned more than once to the original line of scrimmage, giving Lincoln short fields that were tuned into points.

On the upside, the young and undersized Pointers learned they could compete against the top-ranked Hornets who brought speed, skill, strength, swagger, and aggressiveness to the field. Pass interceptions were recorded by Ace Selchow, Chase Thomas, and Braden Lane.

Pointer head coach Ryan Price hoped his players learned from the game.

“There were positive moments, lots to learn and grow from,” Price said. “There were moments when our guys competed well in the game. Three interceptions on defense, so again there were some highs and some lows but there’s stuff we can take from this and build on throughout the rest of the season and in the playoffs. We’re going to take what we can learn from this and move on.”

The Saints are coached by former USD head coach Ron Caragher. They also have played Madison, losing 12-7. They are yielding 28 points per game and scoring only 8.8, occupying the bottom spot in the Western League. But they will be playing desperately to post their first win of the season since their final game is against Lincoln.

After the Saints game tonight, the Pointers will travel to La Jolla High, which opened in 1922 and is one of the longest Point Loma rivals. This will be the 74th game between the two schools for possession of a trophy called “The Shoe.” A single high-top football shoe was found on the field after a game long ago. The shoe was bronzed and made into a large trophy to be presented to the winner each year. But legend has it the trophy was given to the ill wife of a former Vikings assistant coach and has not been seen since. The current “Shoe” is a newer shoe, spray-painted gold and mounted on a small plank of wood.

Last year the Pointers lost a 21-9 lead late in the third quarter when La Jolla forced four Pointer fumbles and six overall turnovers to score 41 late points in a 48-29 win.

EXTRA POINTS

The Pointer JV is 5-2 after beating Madison 28-21 and losing to Lincoln 36-21. The freshman team is

4-2 after a 50-20 loss to Lincoln.

The Pointers are ranked 27th in the San Diego Section after beginning the season at No. 16. Rankings after final games on Nov. 1 will determine the CIF playoff pairings.

Pointer coaches strongly felt Lincoln players were regularly holding Pointer defenders. The game stopped for several minutes in the second quarter while referees and coaches engaged in an energetic exchange.

The game against Lincoln, the school’s Homecoming, was played at Southwestern College in Chula Vista. Lincoln’s home field and stadium are being rebuilt, resulting in players riding buses to daily off-campus practices and games at the college.