Point Loma’s Pointers went shopping for a CIF championship trophy on Black Friday but another team grabbed the merchandise.

In a game they led after three quarters on a 21-yard run by QB Max Newbegin, the Pointers allowed City League foe University City to score twice in the final 12 minutes for a 33-28 win that once again left the Pointers as CIF runners-up.

In 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009 the Pointers appeared in Qualcomm Stadium as Div. III finalists only to be defeated each time by either St. Augustine or Cathedral Catholic. In that era, teams were grouped in divisions by enrollment and not the current system by computerized team strength.

This year, the Pointers posted a 10-3 record, improving on last year’s 4-6 mark. They scored a remarkable average of 42 points a game, yielding only 14.  

A key turning point in the title game came with the Pointers sitting on a 14-7 lead with 22.9 seconds left in the first half. They attempted a pass and it was picked off and returned to the Point Loma 11-yard line. With only 4.9 seconds left, the Centurions turned their one play into a scoring pass to knot the score at 14.

Not until a 68-yard touchdown pass by University City on the first play of the fourth quarter did the Pointers lose the lead for good. Brady Allen blocked the extra point attempt, however, leaving his team down 20-14. 

From that point, the Centurions ran the ball repeatedly, the clock moving as a just-efficient-enough ball control ground game kept grinding out first downs while the Pointer defense couldn’t get off the field. That fatigue led to a 35-yard fourth quarter Centurion touchdown run that bumped their lead to 33-21 with just 2:35 remaining.

To their credit, the Pointers didn’t quit, with Newbegin connecting with Aaron Lee on a 44-yard touchdown pass in the game’s final minute.

Earlier, the Centurions took a 7-0 first quarter lead on a 47-yard scoring pass. The Pointers promptly answered just 1:16 later when Newbegin’s long pass was grabbed by Noah Turbeville for a 58-yard scoring play.

The Pointers took a 14-7 lead 3:50 before halftime when Chase Lowary bulled his way into the end zone to finish a 69-yard drive that took eight minutes off the clock.

Many of the tears that slid down the cheeks of Pointer players after the game were from the realization that this was their last game together and, for most, the last football game of their lives. That memory included, for many, a youth football national championship. Many seniors could continue to play at the next level but are focused on academic pursuits.

One of those is cornerback Emmett Jacobson, who led the team with seven pass interceptions and plans to study engineering at either a University of California or Cal Poly campus.   

“This was the best season of football I’ve had,” Jacobson, who has played since fifth grade, said after the game. “I’ve never had a harder season. We just kept grinding. These guys (teammates) are all my brothers. Blood, sweat, and tears, and it sucks to fall short but I wouldn’t take it back for anything.”

Head coach Joel Allen stressed the pride he feels for his players and the community.

“It was such a long journey to get here,” he said. “I’m proud of the way we did it. All Point Loma kids, all going to the middle school in Point Loma. It’s a Point Loma community of kids and families and we take what we get and go play. I’m so proud of them. Of course, we want to win, but this community is invested and they turned out to root for these kids. And they are all easy kids to root for. They’re good kids on and off the field and in the classroom. I wish they didn’t feel the way they do. As a coach or as a dad you’re always trying to protect your kids from pain.”

POINTERS 49, DEL NORTE 14

When Del Norte scored on the first drive of the game, Pointer defender Jack Kelly came off the field and yelled, “That’s the only one they get!” He was almost prophetic as Turbeville ran for 401 yards and the Pointers reeled off 49 straight points before Del Norte scored at game’s end, crushing the Nighthawks and eliminating them in earlier Div. III semifinal action.