A member of last season’s Point Loma Pointer football team and its head coach each were honored by a national organization at its recent 45th annual banquet.
Patrick Rutledge, who terrorized opposing quarterbacks from his defensive end position, received a prestigious San Diego Scholar-Leader-Athlete award from the local Walter J. Zable chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Only 27 students from more than 100 high schools in the region were selected for this honor. Point Loma has had a player selected in 38 of the 45 years.
Standing 6-foot 3-inches tall and weighing 190 pounds, Rutledge lettered for three seasons on varsity while starting on offense and defense two of three years.
During his senior season, he recorded 18 quarterback sacks and was named to the All-Western League First Team defense. On offense, he caught 21 passes and scored two touchdowns.
Rutledge also starred in the classroom, compiling a 3.83 GPA and earning a spot on the Principal’s Honor Roll all four years. He also has volunteered at a local church for eight years and participated in internships at the San Diego Zoo.
After graduation, Rutledge plans to enlist in the Army and later attend SDSU to major in zoology.
Pointer head coach Mike Hastings was also honored at the event as the local Meritorious Coach of the Year.
Hastings will begin his 20th season as Pointer head coach in 2017 after he was named to succeed long-time legend Bennie Edens in 1997. He values seeing his players become great husbands, fathers and community leaders.
During his head coaching career, Hastings has compiled a record of 135-84-2.