Anyone jostling a hornet’s nest would expect an immediate and aggressive attack by the ornery insects. But Lincoln’s Hornets weren’t able to muster such an attack on the Point Loma Pointers, whose defense did a lot more than jostle the visiting Hive in a 21-0 victory on a scorching Bennie Edens Field last Saturday. The win left each team with a 2-1 record in non-league games. Pointer coaches had reason to be concerned, as top running back Jaylen Griffin, injured the previous week at Ramona, sat out this game on the sidelines. But the play of others on offense and their teammates on defense befuddled the Hornets from the opening kickoff. After thwarting the Hive’s first drive, the Pointer marched downfield on a 55-yard drive that featured two big pass completions from senior quarterback Brenden Torrrence to a pair of 6′ 2″ receivers. The first, to senior wideout Caleb Johnson, covered 27 yards, and several plays later, junior tight end Patrick Rutledge gathered in a pass on the left side, turning it into a 32-yard touchdown with just over four minutes elapsed in the game. After losing a fumble on their next possession, a bad snap on a Hornet punt attempt gave the Pointers a short-field gift, startling on the Hive’s 41-yard line. Early in the second quarter, the Pointers doubled their lead when Tshombre Carter, a durable 5′ 4″ junior who weighs in at 150 pounds, scored on a three-yard run to end a 78-yard drive. Carter, filling in for Griffin, averaged nearly five yards on 14 carries during the game and also contributed some key hits from his cornerback position on defense. The Pointers opened the second half with another long drive that consumed 6:45 of the 12-minute third quarter. Junior Colin Cretain packed the pigskin the final six yards for the 21-0 lead that ended scoring. Senior Niko Vega also contributed to an effective Pointer ground game. The Hornet offense, which seemed in disarray after last week’s 20-16 win over Carlsbad, was largely kept off the field by the Pointer drives. One of the Hive’s deepest penetrations followed an interception of a Torrence pass that was run back to the Pointer 32-yard line in the fourth quarter. Cretain, Johnson, Rutledge, Julius Agho, Matthew Fa’alele, Cameron Callicutt, Dan Berry, Avery Pranger, Brian Kerl and Arthur Daniels, among others, led a stingy Pointer defense that made tackles for a loss on 20 percent of Hornet plays. Pointers 20, Ramona 18 The Pointers picked up their first win of the season and avenged one of their only losses last season when they edged the Bulldogs two weeks ago on the losers’ field. Again the Dogs scored on their first possession, Carter scoring from the three. With only 13 seconds left before halftime, Griffin scored on a sweep play, the drive featuring a 25-yard Griffin run and a long Torrence-Johnson pass for a 14-6 lead. After a Bulldog score and failed two-point conversion, the Pointers struck late in the third period on a 22-yard Torrence pass to 6-5 junior Kenzavier Watson that followed a 20-yard Griffin run. The PAT attempt was failed, leaving the Pointers on top 20-12. A failed fourth-down attempt by the Dogs gave Ramona a short 37-yard field and they scored with nearly seven minutes of play remaining. But again their PAT attempt failed and the Pointers held until game’s end. Extra Points: 
Pointer head coach Mike Hastings was elected as Week 3 San Diego high school Coach of the Week by the San Diego Chargers. The award comes with a $1,500 check for the football program.
The Dogs travel to Serra this week for a game with the winless Conquistadors, who lost to Lincoln 60-0 and have been outscored 155-6 in three games. The Pointers return home on Sept. 25 for a 3 p.m. game against Olympian (2-1).
The Pointers scored a sweep on all three levels last week, winning the JV game 20-0 and a freshman game against Cathedral, who sent a team to fill in for the Hornets, who are unable to field a freshman team.