Mission Bay High School (MBHS) and Point Loma High School (PLHS) came into the game with a lot of excitement Friday, Oct. 17, and left it all out on the field — the outcome not certain until the final second. The two teams opened Western League play in an annual head-to-head contest that punctuated Mission Bay’s homecoming weekend. With six lead changes and huge games for key players on each team, the game was one of the best to watch all season, exciting fans until the closing field goal that tied the game as the clock ran out. “It was a great high school game. It really was,” said MBHS head football coach Willie Matson. “I’m really proud of the way our kids competed. The fans really got their money’s worth.” On the Mission Bay squad there was one big change, as star running back Dillon Baxter was asked to step in for injured quarterback Bryan Allen. In his first high school QB start, Baxter dazzled the Pointer defense and the homecoming crowd alike with 333 yards through the air for four touchdowns. He added his own 38-yard TD run in the third quarter. “I’ve been asking them (the coaches) to do it all year,” Baxter said. “It is pretty fun to get back out there and help the team when they needed me. It was a good game. Their defensive line is pretty fast, so that was a challenge. It wasn’t easy, but it felt good.” On the Pointers’ side, it was a different story. While the Bucs flew threw the air, the Dogs relied on the ground game, with junior running back Leslie Rogers racking up an impressive 267 yards and four touchdowns. It was a mix of the small-yard runs the team needed to convert and two stunning touchdown runs of 60 and 65 yards that came right after Mission Bay scores to keep the game interesting. “It was a hard-fought game today,” said PLHS head football coach Mike Hastings. “They had a good strategy with Dillon (Baxter) at quarterback. It took us some time to adjust, but we stayed in there. They’re a good team. We’re both improving and, hopefully, if we both win out in league we can be co-champs.” During halftime, the Mission Bay cheerleaders entertained the crowd while the parade warmed up in the obligatory convertibles. After the class courts made their way around the track, the king and queen from Mission Bay Homecoming 1958 came by to crown this year’s elected royalty. Even though the story of the game seems to be the key players in Baxter and Rogers, it was really the whole-team effort and never-say-die attitude of the two squads that made the contest so exciting. These will be the teams to watch for the rest of the season. The remainder of the Western League is on notice that the Bucs and Pointers are coming for them. “We played our hearts out today,” said PLHS junior tight end Jordan Sparkman. “Our running back, Leslie Rogers, had a great day and ran hard all game. We look forward to our (PLHS) homecoming next week, our only home game under the lights. Me and the boys look forward to that game all year.” Both teams will play at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24 with Point Loma playing homecoming hosts to University City High School. Mission Bay will be battling Hoover High.