Nobody likes to deal with a pack of angry dogs, and Point Loma’s Pointers had a few reasons to make them growl at visiting Lincoln High on Sept. 14.
The Hornets stung the Pointers twice last year, including a 21-17 CIF victory that ended the Pointers’ season.
And, if that wasn’t enough motivation, the Pointers entered the match with the Hornets winless after two season-opening losses.
This time, the Pointers (1-2) sent the Hornets (0-3) flying back to the Hive after a convincing 38-15 win at Bennie Edens Field.
“We’ve just been getting better each week,” said Pointer head coach Mike Hastings. “That first week (against Olympian), we made a lot of mistakes. Then I thought we took a big step forward last week at Ramona. Then today, we just put it all together.”
So feisty were the Dogs they built a 17-0 first-half lead before the Hornets scored with 19 seconds remaining for a 17-7 margin at the break.
A.J. Smith scored from 6 yards out in the first quarter, while Jason Shoemaker nailed a 37-yard field goal and Drew Rutledge leaped high in the end zone to haul in a six-yard pass on fourth down from quarterback Gavin Grady.
The second half again belonged to the Pointers, marked by a quickly controlled third-period altercation.
Tight end Jake Wambaugh hauled in a Grady pass at the Lincoln 10-yard line and appeared headed for a score when he was hit and stripped of the ball. A scuffle for the loose pigskin escalated briefly as Pointer coaches ran onto the field, ordering their players to the sideline.
Game officials ejected a Lincoln player for his role in the skirmish and another later for a violent hit on a Pointer punter.
On the next play, Lincoln’s Jaechon Murphy broke into the Point Loma secondary and outraced defenders for a 95-yard touchdown that left the score at 24-15.
If the Hornets were to be revived by the situation, that was quickly an-swered on the kickoff as Jalen Griffin took the ball at his own 15 and ran down the right sideline for an 85-yard score of his own, putting the Pointers up 31-15 with 1:38 left in the third quarter.
Other second-half scores were provided by Romeo Epperley on a nine-yard run and Smith on a 57-yard jaunt that provided the final margin.
On the afternoon, the Pointers rushed for 329 yards. Smith had 176 of those on 21 carries. Epperley had 53 yards, Griffin totaled 44 and Jacob Ehm added 43.
Defensively, the Dogs pressured Lincoln quarterbacks throughout the game. Linemen Wambaugh, Jake Virissimo, Cole Kidd and others held the Hornets to under 200 yards of total offense, including the 95-yard score.
“I couldn’t be happier for these kids,” Hastings said. “They’ve been working really hard to get to this point. Offensively, we made some great drives, and the defense came out and gave a great effort.”
The Pointers travel to Morse High on Friday, Sept. 20 for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on the Tigers’ field. Also 1-2, the Tigers won their first game last week with a 22-13 nod over University City.
Last year, the Pointers defeated the Tigers 38-6 at home. EXTRA POINTS
• Pointer players, with their first victory, earned their familiar “Angry Dog” logo stickers and their first “win” sticker for their helmets, which have been blank to date.
• The Pointers’ Oct. 11 away league game against Kearny has been moved to Madison High at 6:30 p.m. Kearny has no stadium lights.
• The Pointer junior varsity (2-1) defeated Lincoln 9-0 and the freshman team (2-1) shut out St. Augustine 26-0. The Saints replaced Lincoln, which, like several Pointer opponents, is unable to field a freshman squad.
• Starting varsity Pointer quarterback Quinn Bohannon did not play (ankle injury), while top running back Dirk Lacy has yet to make his 2013 season debut from a slow-healing injury.
The Hornets only list 29 players on their varsity, and with a half-dozen injured and not in uniform, were already short-handed.