The Point Loma High School Pointers sought revenge against the Saints from St. Augustine on Friday night ” and they made a powerful statement.
Having lost to St. Augustine for the last two years in the CIF finals, the Pointers emerged victorious in a sloppy, wet semifinal Friday night game, edging the Saints 25-21.
“The difference this year was that we have learned from our mistakes,” said Point Loma High School head coach Mike Hastings. “It’s our time to see those numbers up there on the scoreboard ” us more than them tonight.”
San Diego gets an average of ten inches of rainfall per year. But on Friday night, it felt as though at least half of that fell on the gridiron at Mt. Carmel High School, drenching players and fans alike.
Both teams had multiple turnovers, partially because of the slippery conditions: runners coughed up the rock; quarterbacks were sacked and lost the ball; receivers let passes slip through their outstretched arms.
“I don’t care about turnovers. I don’t care about this and that. I care about finishing, and our kids finished the game,” said Hastings after his celebration.
It was the most emotional game of the year for the teams, both knowing that the only way to the big game this weekend was through this recurring matchup. The Pointers started the game with a quick safety, but the lead bounced back and forth all night. The largest margin all night was four points.
“We went out and threw a lot of things at them,” said senior defensive back and defensive leader Josh Canup. “We lost to them two years in a row and we just couldn’t let that happen again this year.
“The field is 2 feet deep in water, we’re sliding around and mushing across the field,” he said. “But we prepared hard this week, practiced all night even after dark, and we don’t have lights (at home).”
The key to any poor-weather game is being able to run the ball effectively. Point Loma held the advantage in that respect, racking up 292 yards on the ground and only passing a handful of times. Even so, the ball managed to squirt out more than once as the Dogs marched up the field, forcing the team to recover and battle back.
“We just had to come out and play hard, play our game, running the ball up the middle,” said senior center Josh Woods. “We had to block to widen up the field a little bit. Running up the gut is what we do best. It was a great game. We pulled it out at the end when it mattered.”
In a game with this much on the line, the key is ball control. With the sloppy conditions and multiple turnovers, the only way to win is to keep one’s head in the game and bounce back from adversity. The Pointers had plenty of opportunities to quit, but that is not in their nature.
The coaches have trained them too well, and when the going got rough, the Pointers got fired up when they needed a big play.
“What I really care about is the heart and soul of these kids,” said Hastings. “Their determination and desire that they played with is second to none. We’re going back to Qualcomm for the third straight year out of sheer blood-and-guts football.”
The Pointers will play Cathedral High in the Division III championship game on Friday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. at Qualcomm Stadium.