Point Loma High’s football team celebrated its recent season last week during a gala banquet at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse on Harbor Island.
The 2018 team finished 5-6 overall and 1-3 in Western League play after going 4-2 against a respectable non-league slate of teams. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals of Div. II CIF playoffs.
Head coach Mike Hastings and his staff expressed great pride in their Pointer players who labor in perhaps the toughest league in the San Diego CIF section. All-CIF honors:
Leading the Pointers in post-season honors was senior JL Skinner who was named to the all-CIF first team on defense. Skinner will play next year at Boise State. Western League honors:
Offense, First Team: Senior Wes Windmiller.
Offense, Second Team: Junior Kaden Gill.
Defense, First Team: Skinner, Senior Christian Terzoli.
Defense, Second Team: Senior Jake Silva, Junior Tristan Shafer.
Honorable Mention: Senior Cameron Auva’a, Senior Cannon Nutting, Junior Alejandro Barragan-Peterson. Team awards:
Scout Team Defense: Sennior Moses Montano.
Scout Team Offense: Seniors Matewos Bogale and Calvin Mantyla.
Special Teams Award: Junior Landon Green and Senior Zac Makis.
Most Inspirational Player: Windmiller and Gill.
Jimmy Howard “Semper Fi” Award: Barragan-Peterson and Senior Jake Silva.
Coach Steve Horrow Memorial Award: Bogale.
Bob Hammes Most Improved Academic Award: Shafer.
Coach Bill Hastings Specialist Award: Senior Ricky Borjon.
Coach Bennie Edens Award: Auva’a and Skinner.
Iron Jock Strap Award: Terzoli. A Brutal League
The 2018 Western League, composed of three public San Diego high schools and two private Catholic schools, saw two of the five teams making it to the state finals, a third in the state tournament and a fourth finishing in the local Div. I finals.
Consider the league’s other members:
Cathedral Catholic finished 4-0 in league, 12-2 overall before losing in the state Div. 1-AA finals.
Madison finished 2-2 in league, 6-5 overall before losing in the local Div. I finals.
St. Augustine also finished 2-2 in league, 10-4 overall before winning the local Div. I title and earning a spot in the state playoffs.
Lincoln was only 1-3 in league (defeating Madison) but finished 11-5 earning the local Div. II title and reaching the state Div. 3-AA finals. The Pointers beat the Hornets 31-20 in league play but were unfortunately paired against the Hornets in the CIF quarterfinal round of playoffs. The Hornets won the re-match 35-21. Running Back Lost
And, to compound the difficulties playing such tough competition, one of the league’s private schools has again raided the PLHS roster, luring a promising Pointer sophomore running back to transfer to their school where a star running back is graduating.
These moves are currently legal under CIF rules. Such is the current state of prep football in San Diego where athletes freely move to already-strong teams to create county powers.
Meanwhile, returning Pointer players are hard at work in the weight room preparing for spring drills and the 2019 season.