POINT LOMA – After receiving a coveted first round bye, Point Loma’s Pointers begin their quest for a CIF championship on Nov. 13 in a quarterfinal home game against Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista.
The Pointers finished the regular season with a 7-3 record after a 17-13 win over Mission Bay on Oct. 30, leaving them with a 1-2 Western League record. Using the MaxPreps.com computer ranking system, this gave the Dogs a No. 4 seed in Div. II playoffs with this match against the No. 5 Crusaders.
And Mater Dei is on a roll, having lost their first six games of the season before winning the last five, including last week’s first-round whipping of No. 12 Mt. Miguel by a 56-7 score. The Crusaders ran for 247 yards in that game and intercepted three Mt. Miguel pass attempts in the process.
For the season, the Crusaders have totaled 1,745 yards passing and 2,123 rushing yards (6.8 yards per carry).
The Pointers counter with 2,612 passing yards by QB Ryder Watson, an average of 14.7 yards per completion, and 863 rushing yards (5.7 yards per carry) from their running backs.
The winner of this game moves on to the semifinals on Nov. 20 between No. 1 Poway and No. 8 Holtville, which defeated No. 9 Ramona 32-31 last week. The finals are set for Nov. 28.
A look at other Pointer teams in fall sports playoffs:
Field hockey: The girls posted one of their best-ever records, going 14-3 overall and taking second place (9-2) in Eastern League play under head coach Moira Ritchie. The Pointers were seeded No. 1 in Div. III playoffs, with a first-round bye. They defeated No. 9 Helix Charter 5-0 in quarterfinal action and will host No. 4 Olympian in Nov. 11 semifinals. Finals are Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. on the La Jolla High.
Flag football: A No. 5 seed in Div. I was earned by the girls after their best season at 17-3 and 11-1 in the Eastern League title under head coach Taylor Bobbitt and a group of veteran boys football coaches. The team defeated No. 12 Brawley 27-6, but was eliminated by No. 4 Granite Hills in a 20-19 heartbreaker.
Girls volleyball: Seeded No. 5 in Div. I, the team won its first match 3-0 over No. 12 Christian and their next match 3-2 over No. 4 Del Norte. A 3-2 loss to No. 1 Westview in the semifinals ended a great 23-13 season and 10-0 first place in Eastern League. Head coach is Said Souikane.
Boys water polo: Swimming to an 11-16 season (4-3, second place in Eastern League), the boys were seeded No. 9 in Div. I play. They lost a first-round match to No. 8 Vista by a 10-7 score. Brandon Huff is head coach.
Girls tennis: After a No. 13 seed in Div. I, the girls were ousted by No. 4 Mt. Carmel 11-7 in a first-round meeting. Head coach is James McCahill.
Girls golf: Finished 6-6 overall and 3-6 in Eastern League. Mark West is head coach.
Cross country: Boys and girls CIF Finals are set for Nov. 14 at Morley Field Sports Complex. Keith DeLong coaches both teams.
