While the Point Loma Pointer football team made a successful re-start last year, it has once again been downgraded to both a lower league and CIF division for the 2022 season.

With the release of its 2022 schedule, the Pointers find themselves dropped from the Eastern League to the City League and from Div. II to Div. III in CIF rankings. In CIF, the Pointers begin the season ranked 34th of 84 county teams.

The change means their new league opponents will be University City, Morse, Mission Bay, and Canyon Hills (formerly Serra) high schools.

The moves come after the Pointers posted a 4-6 overall record and 2-2 record in the higher Eastern League. Both the Pointers and Canyon Hills (1-8, 0-4) were moved down while San Diego and Patrick Henry were moved up. Ironically, the Pointers defeated Patrick Henry 37-28 last year, marking the first victory for new head coach Joel Allen.

The City Conference consists of all high schools in the San Diego Unified School District plus several non-public schools including Cathedral Catholic and St. Augustine. The conference is divided into four leagues. From competitive difficulty, highest to lowest, they are the Western, Eastern, City, and Central.

“At this point, it’s out of our control,” Allen said. “This is a CIF and City Conference ranking system.”

For many seasons the Pointers competed in the Western League, but as times changed, former head coach Mike Hastings lobbied for his team to move to the Eastern League. His efforts and appeals fell on deaf ears who refused to make changes. He resigned after a 3-7 season in 2019. Since then re-leaguing of football teams has become an annual event.

Allen was hired to replace Hastings in November 2020 and just four months later, in an unusual COVID-shortened spring season, Allen took his small and inexperienced squad to Lincoln where they were routed 64-0. The game left players injured and so few players available that coaches had no other option than to cancel the remaining short-season games.

While the league change remains disheartening, Allen sees it as a challenge to his 2022 team.

“If we have a winning season and advance in the playoffs I’m confident we will move up to the Eastern League,” Allen said.

PLHS Athletic Director Manny Diaz Jr. noted all Friday night games this season will be doubleheaders with junior varsity games at 4 p.m. and varsity kicking off at 7 p.m. Freshman games will be played Thursdays at the opposite field of the home team.

2022 PLHS VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 19        Santana                Home       7 p.m.

Aug. 26        Central Union       Away        7 p.m.

Sept. 2         Valhalla                 Away       7 p.m.

Sept. 9         West Hills             Away        7 p.m.

Sept. 16       Christian               Home       7 p.m.

Sept. 23       La Jolla                 Home.      7 p.m.

Sept. 30.      BYE

Oct. 7           Morse *                  Home.      7 p.m.

Oct. 14        University City *      Away       7 p.m.

Oct. 21        Mission Bay *          Away       7 p.m.

Oct. 28        Canyon Hills *         Home.     7 p.m.

* City League games