The Point Loma Pointers football team achieved one of its preseason goals by earning a top-four seeding and first-round bye in the upcoming California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoffs. The Dogs emerged from a seeding meeting Nov. 11 with the No. 4 seed among 12 Division III teams that earned playoff spots. The team finished as Western League co-champions (4-0-1) and an overall record of 7-2-1. While eight of the teams will begin to wage battle Friday, Nov. 18, the Pointers will sit it out with No. 1 seed Cathedral Catholic, No. 2 seed St. Augustine and No. 3 seed Olympian and a week to rest up and prepare for future games against the four winners of the Nov. 18 showdowns. The Pointers’ march to a fifth appearance at Qualcomm Stadium begins Nov. 25 when they meet the winner of the Nov. 18 game between Mt. Carmel (6-4 overall, 3-1 in Valley League) and El Capitan (3-7 overall, 2-2 in Grossmont-Valley League). The Pointers, by virtue of their record, will be the home team for the quarterfinal contest, to be played at San Diego High School’s Balboa Stadium at 7 p.m. CIF playoff games are played at 7 p.m. on Friday nights, meaning the Pointers will have to to play an earned home game on the road. Several years ago, the Pointers were allowed to host these games at Bennie Edens Stadium on Saturday afternoons. The playoff bracket is structured so private school powers Cathedral Catholic and St. Augustine cannot meet until the finals, set for Dec. 5 at 1 p.m., only four days after the semifinal matchups on Dec. 1. A Pointer victory on Nov. 25 would likely pit them against Cathedral in the semifinal round. The Dons eliminated the Pointers in the same round last season. For complete playoff schedules for all five football divisions and other sports, see the CIF website: www.cifsds.org/