Roundup : Point Loma’s Defense Leads 20-7 Victory

Point Loma unleashed the Dirty Dogs Friday afternoon, and they made life miserable for Crawford.

Previously known simply as the Pointer defense, the Dogs recorded nine sacks and two interceptions in a 20-7 nonleague victory at Point Loma.

There was a new twist this week to the Point Loma defense. After each turnover, the defense was left on the field to run the first offensive play.

“We instituted the Dirty Dogs this week to help motivate our defense,” Point Loma Coach Bennie Edens said. “My coaches don’t like it, but I think it’s a great idea.”

Friday, Israel Stanley, linebacker-turned-quarterback, completed one pass that was called back because of a penalty and threw an interception on another. The Dogs, as an offense, didn’t have much bite.

But in their more comfortable defensive roles, the Dogs were impressive enough to help Point Loma win its fourth game of the season without a loss.

The defensive effort more than made up for the Point Loma offense, which was penalized 11 times for 116 yards.

“Sometimes we play great, and then we play terrible,” Edens said. “We need to be more consistent.”

When the Point Loma offense was playing well, it was hard to stop, as evidenced by an 80-yard drive into the wind midway through the third quarter. It turned a 12-7 game into a 20-7 win.

Kelby Downey gained 42 of his game-high 105 yards on six carries during the drive, as Point Loma ran the ball 12 straight plays. Then, with the Crawford defense thinking run, quarterback Mike Bennett dropped back and hit Bob Brasher for a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Point Loma committed no penalties on its big drive and turned over a 13-point lead to its defense with one quarter remaining.

“That’s the kind of play we need to be successful,” Edens said.

Point Loma took a 12-0 lead by midway through the second quarter on an 11-yard scoring run by Downey and a 31-yard scoring pass from Bennett to Joe Besand.

But Crawford (2-2) came back when Point Loma started making mistakes. The Colts, with help from two pass interference calls, drove 65 yards for a score just before halftime. Keith Gilbert hooked up with James Gordon for a 15-yard touchdown pass to culminate the drive.

Gilbert was forced to pass all day because Crawford couldn’t run. The Colts gained just 45 yards on the ground in 14 carries. Gilbert’s air attack, 17 of 42 for 227 yards, was a bit more effective, but the nine Point Loma sacks prevented him from putting together any long drives.