On paper, last Friday night’s meeting between visiting Point Loma High School (PLHS) and Scripps Ranch High School was just another non-league prep football game. On the field, though, it was a sweat-soaked war. When the final gun sounded before a capacity crowd at Grosvenor Stadium, it was the Falcons who upped their record to 3-0, while the Pointers fell for the first time, 27-13, leaving their record at a respectable 3-1 as they prepare to fly from San Diego on Oct. 2 for a match against a Sacramento-area school. A stingy Falcon defense gave the Pointers’ offense fits for much of Friday’s game, making timely stops on running plays and disrupting passing attempts to stall drives. In fact, it was the Pointer defense that scored one of the team’s two touchdowns. Throughout the game, Point Loma’s moments of opportunity were blunted by offensive errors and missed defensive assignments, resulting in two key Falcon plays. “Our defense played hard and our offense needs to find some consistency,” said Pointer head coach Mike Hastings. The most crucial string of events came in the third quarter, when, with his team down just 10-7, Pointer defensive back Michael Boxell played a pass by Falcon quarterback Jake Fish perfectly, stepping in front of the intended receiver for a potential game-changing interception and a lengthy return. The Dogs’ bench erupted with cheers and enthusiasm as the offense took the field in good position to score and grab the lead. Three plays, however, failed to produce a first down, and when a fourth-down pass by quarterback Sean McKaveny fell incomplete, the Falcons took over on their own 31. On the hosts’ first play, Fish tossed a short pass to Todd Herrod, who, with no Point Loma defenders able to catch him, turned the play into a 69-yard touchdown. Instead of taking a 14-10 lead, the Pointers found themselves on the short end of a 17-7 score. Ironically, the Falcons also scored their initial touchdown on the first play following a punt made from his own end zone by Pointer Davis Callejon. This time, it was the same Falcon pair, Fish and Herrod, who connected on a pass play from the Pointers’ 31-yard line. Two plays, 100 yards, 14 points. The brightest moment for the Dogs’ offense followed after a highly bizarre play. Falcon kicker Nick Sloan, a junior with a Division I college future, actually missed the ball when he attempted the following kickoff. His foot lightly brushed the ball, knocking it gently off the tee. The ball rolled several feet. After an awkward moment of hesitation by players from both teams, alert Pointer Anthony Joyner ran in and scooped up the loose pigskin, sprinting past surprised Falcon players toward the goal. Point Loma registered its only offensive touchdown of the game moments later on a 16-yard pass from McKaveny to Callejon. The opportunistic Callejon who also  supplied the game’s final points. With his team facing a 24-7 fourth-quarter deficit and with less than two minutes to play, he scooped up a Falcon fumble and sprinted 25 yards to provide the final 24-13 margin. Talented Point Loma placekicker Ruben Diaz was also pestered by the hosts, having two field goals and one point-after-touchdown attempt blocked — all by Falcon Dorian Crawford, who also had an interception and forced a Pointer fumble. “It’s all about our team and our program,” Hastings said, citing “EMAP,” a team motto and acronym for “Every Man A Pointer.” Displaying this commitment, Pointer players shouted encouragement to each other throughout the contest despite the fact they never held the lead. “It was a tough game and we fought hard,” Hastings said. Earlier, Point Loma’s freshmen (2-2) defeated Scripps Ranch 26-3, while the Dogs’ junior varsity (1-3) lost 22-15. Up next, players and staff will board an aircraft Friday, Oct. 2 for a 90-minute flight to Sacramento. From there, they will bus to Granite Bay, 20 miles east of the state capital for a 7:30 p.m. encounter with Granite Bay High School (Roseville Joint Unified School District). The Grizzlies, with a school enrollment of 2,120, compete in the Sierra Foothill League of the Sacramento-Joaquin Section of the California Interscholastic Federation. Last year, Granite Bay defeated the Pointers during a visit to San Diego. Currently 3-0, Granite Bay has recorded victories over Pittsburg, Burbank and Vacaville by an average score of 28-13. Following the game, Pointers players and coaches will spend Friday night in a hotel and tour the UC Davis campus Oct. 3 before flying home late in the afternoon. The team then has a bye week before opening Western League play Oct. 16 in its annual nighttime Homecoming game against Mission Bay.  Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.