The Point Loma Pointer football team’s season ended on a bitter note when they were eliminated in the quarterfinal round by Western League foe Lincoln 35-21 in a CIF quarterfinal round game which was also marked the first night playoff game the Pointers hosted in the school’s 93-year history.
Making the loss a difficult pill to swallow was the Pointers’ 33-20 defeat of the Hornets on Oct. 12 in which the Pointers scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to spoil the Hornets’ Homecoming.
Going into playoffs, the #4 Pointers earned a bye while #5 Lincoln took on #12 Westview, dealing them a no-doubt 54-14 beating.
And the Hornets picked up right where they left off, returning the game’s opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and then recovered a first-drive Pointer fumble that set up a second touchdown for a 14-0 lead after less than four minutes of play.
By halftime the Hornets held a 28-7 lead on the strength of three touchdown passes and the Pointers weren’t able to repeat their second half magic from October. The Pointers turned the ball over four times on two fumbles and two interceptions.
The game marked the final appearance of Pointer standout JL Skinner, who is weighing multiple offers from Div. I universities. He caught five passes for 111 yards, one of them a 26-yard scoring pass from quarterback Tre Cobb.
For the season, the Pointers finished 5-6 overall and 1-3 in the brutal Western League behind top county teams Cathedral Catholic (which won the Open division last weekend), Madison and St. Augustine who plays Helix Saturday, Nov. 24 for the Div. I title.
The Hornets also finished 1-3 in league but went on to defeat #1 seed Granite Hills last week to earn a spot in the Div. II finals when they ousted #1 Granite Hills 34-20. They will face #7 Mira Mesa Friday Nov. 23.
Other seniors, besides Skinner, whose prep careers have ended include Christian Terzoli, Cameron Auva’a, Zac Makis, Ricardo Borjon, Calvin Mantyla, Matewos Bogale, Josh Rodriguez, Myles Bryant, Eddie Sandoval, Jake Silva, Moses Montano, Cannon Nutting, Wes Windmiller and Patrick Johnson. Girls volleyball loses in semifinals
The No. 5 seeded Point Loma girls volleyball team came oh-so-close to a CIF championship before losing in the Div. I semifinals to eventual champion and No. 1 seed Santa Fe Christian.
In a test of endurance, the local girls took the second and third sets before losing the fourth and fifth to be eliminated by a 3-2 score.
Set scores (Santa Fe Christian first) were 25-20, 17-25, 23-25, 25-19 and 15-13. Even in the final set, the Pointers came within points of victory.
Santa Fe Christian went on to defeat No. 3 seed Westview 3-1 for the Div. I championship.
Based on their season, the Pointers were selected to play in the state CIF tournament where they were a No. 13 seed in Div. II. They lost their opening match 3-0 at Culver City with scores of 25-13, 25-22 and 25-19.
The Pointers, under head coach Paul Araiza, finished 18-17 overall, 3-5 in Western League behind Cathedral Catholic (8-0) and Scripps Ranch (6-2).