Point Loma football fans at last Friday’s game against Olympian High must have felt they were at a major amusement park as the team took them on a revved-up point scoring thrill ride in the first half followed by a second half letdown that had them covering their eyes and gasping for breath as if on the most terrifying of fright-inducing rollercoasters.
The crowd, along with Pointer players and staff, finally heaved a collective sigh of relief when an Olympian field goal attempt in overtime sailed wide, allowing the Pointers to revel in a 27-24 victory.
Minutes before, senior kicker Pedro Borjon had nailed a short field goal for the Pointers in their first possession of overtime, and the Dog defense forced the Eagles to attempt, and miss, a desperate longer field goal to end the game.
“Pedro was a big part of our success tonight with the two field goals and his placement on the kickoffs,” said Pointer head coach Mike Hastings as his players continued to celebrate with  their senior teammate.
Both teams left the field with 3-2 records.
“To get the win tonight was huge,” Hastings said. “We got up big but knew they were a good team and for our kids to hold on and win in overtime was really special.”
This was a game that had looked like a Pointer blowout from the opening kickoff when Borjon booted a high and short ball that landed in an area uncovered by Eagle special teams players.
A hit by Cameron Auva’a jarred the ball lose from an Olympian player, the Pointers recovering the ball at the Eagle 31. Several run plays took the Pointers near the Eagles goal where quarterback Kyle Grady hit tight end Patrick Rutledge for the game’s first score with only 3:02 elapsed.
Again, the Eagles failed to cover the ensuing kickoff, the Pointers recovering at the Eagle 34. Several Josh Ball runs covered much of the distance before quarterback Grady found wide receiver Malik Moore in the right corner of the end zone for the 14-0 lead with only 6:04 gone.
Borjon sent his next kickoff deep, and on the Eagles’ second offensive play they turned the ball over on a fumble. The Pointers surged down the field for a third touchdown, Ball scoring on a 1-yard run on fourth down. 
With 9:58 played, the Pointers led 21-0 and the Eagles had run only two offensive plays.
Early in the second period, Borjon ran to his right before kicking a low-flying fourth down punt. Pointer coaches argued passionately the bouncing ball had ricocheted off an Eagle player. Game officials first gave possession to the Eagles but reversed their call after consulting. 
The resulting drive ended with a Borjon field goal and a 24-0 Pointer lead 5:49 before the mid-game break. It appeared the contest was headed for a Mercy Rule conclusion (a 35-point lead in the second half that results in use of a running clock to end the game more quickly).
But, ironically the Pointers were not to score again until Borjon’s overtime kick.
Adjustments made during halftime by the Eagles clearly changed the game’s course.
On offense, the Eagles finally were able to get lightning-fast running back Rashaun Brown into open space and Pointer defenders had trouble bringing him down as he scored on runs of 69 and one yard. On defense they disrupted Grady and the Pointer passing game.
A 14-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open receiver 11:24 before the end of regulation brought the Eagles to within 24-21, and a field goal with 5:30 left lifted them to a 24-all tie as the Pointers struggled on both sides of the ball.
“(Olympian) came out and put us on our heels a bit,” Hastings said. “Even though we gave up those points, we were able to figure it out and stop them at the end and miss that field goal. We got one more point than they did and that’s all that matters.”
Then, in overtime, Borjon’s foot rescued the Pointers. POINTERS 27, BONITA VISTA 20
The Pointers shook the Turnover Bug and found their offense in a 27-21 win over the Barons Sept. 10 at Southwestern College’s nicely renovated DeVore Stadium.
Anthony Quintanilla opened scoring with a 45-yard run on the Pointers’ first drive of the game.
On the Barons’ opening drive they drove downfield before Pointer Michael Blakely intercepted a pass in the end zone to end a threat.
A second quarter run by Ball of 28 yards built the Pointer lead to 13-0, and after Bonita Vista ran two plays on their next drive, Ball, playing defense, scooped up a fumble at their 34 yard line.
From there, the Pointers marched to the end zone again, building a 19-0 lead at the half.
The Barons found life in the third period, scoring twice, once after a pass interception.
A fourth quarter touchdown and two-pont conversion by the Pointers proved critical as the Barons finished scoring for the night on their next drive. The Pointer defense held up over the final nine minutes of the game to secure the victory.
The Pointers out-gained the Barons 397-271, with Quintanilla (13 carries for 153 yards, 2 TD’s) and Ball (22 carries for 145 yards, 2TD’s) leading the charge. Defensively, Rutledge had 3.5 tackles, 2.5 of them for loss and recorded a quarterback sack. Lineman Davey Folsom was credited with six tackles, one for loss. EXTRA POINTS:
Pointer freshmen shut out Bonita Vista  (27-0) and edged Olympian (34-26). The JV team beat Bonita Vista (22-8) and lost to Olympian 27-7. Both teams are also 3-2 midway through their season.
The varsity team has scored at least 14 points to open each of its last two games, both wins.
A vocal, ample crowd made the trip to the South Bay the past two weeks as the Pointers continue a stretch of road games that ends Oct. 21 with the final three games at home.
All Pointer football teams are resting during their annual Bye week and preparing for Western League play that begins on Sept. 30. This year’s league is likely the county’s toughest, with no less than three Top 10 teams among the league’s five members. St. Augustine (No. 1), Cathedral Catholic (No. 2) and Madison (No. 6) remain on the Pointer schedule. Only the Pointers and Mira Mesa are not ranked in the Top 10.