by Tobin Orzel
The Point Loma Pointers’ football season came to an end after an extremely close game that they unfortunately lost 28-33. This wasn’t any regular game however; it was the Division 3 championship game against University City High School. After an outstanding regular season in which the Pointers ended with a record of 8-2, finishing second in their league, the team made one last push for playoffs. The Pointers started off hot, beating Morse High School 42-14 after an outstanding game for the entire team, especially for the junior quarterback, Max Newbegin, who threw for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Pointers then advanced to the semifinals where they played Del Norte High School, who was also running on a hot streak themselves. However, that ended when they ran into the Pointers. The Point Loma offense was Max Newbegin again, who threw three touchdowns, all to running back Noah Turbeville, who had an impressive game overall with a total of 409 yards. Not to be overlooked, the Point Loma defense was phenomenal, giving up only two touchdowns.
After Point Loma’s win against Del Norte, they found themselves participating in the championship game against University City High School, hosted by Southwestern College. UC was one of the only two teams that defeated the Pointers during the regular season, making it a revenge game of sorts for Point Loma. The Pointers started strong in the first half, having the lead with just a few seconds left before UC’s defensive end picked off Newbegin’s throw. This led UC to scoring a touchdown and making it an even game of 14-14. The second half was just as close, going back and forth in an incredibly well fought battle between both teams, with UC eventually coming out on top.
Though the Pointers met the end of their season by coming up just short in the championship game, their offense was one of the best in the league, scoring an average of 42 points per game. The offense was led by not one, not two, but three first team league selections; Brady Allen (Class of ‘24), Noah Turbeville (Class of ‘23), and Drake Cobb (Class of ‘23). The defense was equally as impressive, allowing just an average of 14 points each game. Not to be one upped by the offense, the defense was led by four first team league selections; Emmett Jacobson (Class of ‘23), Chase Lowary (Class of ‘23), Nate Terzoli (Class of ‘24) and Rocket Robinson (Class of ‘23).
Even with the season meeting an unfortunate final, Point Loma was not expected to get anywhere near the championship before the season began. They went 4-6 in 2021, and were not thought of as a serious contender.. The Pointers surprised everyone, reaching and playing extraordinarily well in the championship game, a feat that they are hoping to match, if not exceed, next season.