Foothillers take Pointers to the finish

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 14, 2026

Nate Clark hauls in a pass for Grossmont against Point Loma

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

No. 8 POINT LOMA (4-0) 28, No. 18 GROSSMONT (3-1) 20

FOOTHILLERS’ STATEMENT GAME SPOILED BY POINTERS’ IMPACT PLAYS

EastCountySports.com staff report

SAN DIEGO — Grossmont did not leave Point Loma with the signature victory it sought Friday night.

The Foothillers may have left with something nearly as important: evidence that their unbeaten start was built to withstand a substantial rise in competition.

Grossmont led the county’s eighth-ranked team at halftime and remained within one possession at the finish, but undefeated Point Loma produced impact plays on defense and special teams to escape with a 28-20 nonleague victory.

The Foothillers (3-1) had opportunities to win on the road against an opponent that had averaged nearly 46 points through its first three games. Point Loma (4-0), however, returned a punt for one touchdown, blocked another punt to create a short scoring opportunity and intercepted a pass that led to the go-ahead touchdown.

That combination overturned Grossmont’s 14-10 halftime lead.

Senior quarterback Tyler Holmes accounted for 216 yards and two touchdowns for the Foothillers, completing 11 of 25 passes for 159 yards while adding 57 yards on 19 rushing attempts.

Holmes gave Grossmont the first lead on a 2-yard keeper. He then ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 advantage.

Point Loma responded without its offense taking the field.

Junior Blake Lingard fielded a Grossmont punt and broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown return, with the extra point reducing the Foothillers’ lead to 8-7 with 6:56 remaining in the second quarter.

Grossmont answered with one of its best-designed offensive plays of the night.

The Foothillers aligned Cedric Norris, Max Bewley and Jamar McClendon together, with Norris and McClendon releasing toward the left side and creating traffic underneath. Bewley worked inside, and Holmes found the senior receiver in stride for a 20-yard touchdown.

The conversion attempt failed, but Grossmont had rebuilt its lead to 14-7.

Point Loma’s Ryan Cleator made a field goal before the break, sending the Foothillers into halftime with a 14-10 advantage against one of the section’s hottest teams.

Cleator connected again from 42 yards early in the third quarter, cutting Grossmont’s lead to 14-13.

The Pointers moved ahead after Cleator contributed in another phase of the game. His interception gave Point Loma a short field, and Nick Lemus capitalized with a 27-yard touchdown run.

Point Loma followed with a fake conversion attempt. MJ Fowler carried the ball across for two points, extending the Pointers’ first lead to 21-14 with 3:20 remaining in the third quarter.

The decisive sequence came on special teams.

Point Loma blocked a Grossmont punt deep in Foothillers territory and took possession at the 23. The opportunity carried into the fourth quarter, when quarterback Ryder Watson connected with sophomore Leo Ramenofsky for a 10-yard touchdown with 11:54 remaining.

The extra point gave the Pointers a 28-14 advantage and completed a run of 18 unanswered points.

Grossmont refused to allow the game to get away.

Norris went under center and scored on a short keeper, cutting Point Loma’s lead to 28-20. The Foothillers’ conversion run failed, leaving them eight points behind.

Their defense and special teams then provided one more chance.

Point Loma missed a 28-yard field-goal attempt from the right hash, but a penalty allowed the Pointers to try again from 22 yards. This time, Kaiden Ong broke through and blocked the kick, keeping Grossmont within one possession.

The Foothillers moved near midfield on their final opportunity. Holmes wound up and found McClendon downfield at the Point Loma 35, but a penalty erased the completion.

Holmes then connected with Norris near the 40, where a hard hit dislodged the ball and produced an incompletion. Point Loma ultimately closed out the victory.

The Pointers finished with a 379-279 advantage in total offense, but Grossmont’s defense repeatedly gave the Foothillers a chance.

Senior Darion Crawford intercepted Watson, while Jackson Baird recorded Grossmont’s lone sack. Rudy Gomez led the Foothillers with 10 tackles, Ong added eight and Jonah Yost, McClendon and Vinny Michelson made six apiece.

Point Loma’s Watson completed 16 of 27 attempts for 201 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 41 yards. Tanner Spradling produced 122 yards from scrimmage, and Isaiah Standley added 95.

Bewley led Grossmont’s receivers with five catches for 71 yards and the touchdown. Nate Clark caught two passes for 47 yards, while Jacob Fee rushed 12 times for 39 yards.

Point Loma did not turn in a substandard performance and survive. The Pointers earned the victory by producing the night’s biggest plays when the game began to tilt.

Still, Grossmont made a credible showing against a more highly regarded opponent. The Foothillers led at halftime, limited Point Loma’s offense to two touchdowns and remained capable of forcing overtime until the closing moments.

The difference was not sustained domination. It was a handful of game-changing plays made by the more explosive team.

SPECIAL TEAMS SWING THE RESULT

Grossmont’s defense allowed only two Point Loma touchdowns, but the Pointers found another route to 28 points.

Blake Lingard’s 62-yard punt return produced Point Loma’s first touchdown after Grossmont had taken an 8-0 lead. Later, a blocked Grossmont punt gave the Pointers possession at the Foothillers’ 23 and led to Ryder Watson’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Leo Ramenofsky.

Those two special-teams sequences accounted for or created 14 Point Loma points.

Grossmont made its own late special-teams play when Kaiden Ong blocked a 22-yard field-goal attempt, preserving an opportunity to tie the game. The Foothillers could not complete the comeback, but the block kept the outcome unsettled into the closing minutes.

HOLMES, BEWLEY DELIVER AGAIN

Tyler Holmes faced Point Loma’s pressure throughout the evening and was sacked 5½ times, but the Grossmont senior still produced 216 yards of offense and accounted for two touchdowns.

Holmes rushed for 57 yards and an early score while completing 11 passes for 159 yards. His 20-yard touchdown connection with Max Bewley gave Grossmont its 14-7 lead.

Bewley caught five passes for 71 yards, giving him exactly half of Grossmont’s receptions and nearly half of its passing yardage.

The Foothillers also received 47 receiving yards from Nate Clark, while Jacob Fee and Cedric Norris combined for 80 rushing yards. Norris scored Grossmont’s fourth-quarter touchdown from a short-yardage formation.

FOOTHILLERS CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

Grossmont’s defense gave Point Loma problems even though the Pointers finished with 379 yards.

Darion Crawford intercepted Ryder Watson, Jackson Baird recorded a sack and the Foothillers were credited with 16 quarterback hurries. Grossmont also recovered a fumble and broke up five passes.

Rudy Gomez led the defense with 10 tackles. Kaiden Ong finished with eight tackles and blocked a field goal, while Vinny Michelson recorded six tackles and one tackle for loss.

Point Loma entered the game having scored 137 points through three weeks. Grossmont became the first opponent to keep the Pointers below 40.

LOOKING AHEAD: OTAY RANCH VISITS GROSSMONT

Grossmont returns home Friday at 7 p.m. to face Otay Ranch (2-2) in its final scheduled game before Grossmont Hills League competition begins.

The Foothillers should enter as the favorite, but the Mustangs demonstrated their offensive potential in a 57-33 loss to undefeated Patrick Henry.

Otay Ranch scored more points against the Patriots than their first three opponents combined. Patrick Henry needed a remarkable performance from quarterback Madin Gardini, who passed for 431 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 60 yards and two more scores, to pull away.

Receiver Kymani Joseph caught eight passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns as Patrick Henry improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2012.

Grossmont will not encounter that Patrick Henry offense next week, but Otay Ranch’s 33-point output serves as a warning. The Mustangs possess enough scoring ability to punish a team that carries disappointment from the previous week.

For Grossmont, the assignment is to turn a credible loss into a productive response. If the Foothillers reproduce the competitiveness they showed at Point Loma while eliminating the special-teams breakdowns, they should have an opportunity to reach 4-1 before league play.

BY THE NUMBERS

Grossmont

Tyler Holmes: 11-of-25 passing, 159 yards, TD, INT; 19 carries, 57 yards, TD
Max Bewley: 5 receptions, 71 yards, TD
Nate Clark: 2 receptions, 47 yards
Jacob Fee: 12 carries, 39 yards
Cedric Norris: rushing TD; 13 receiving yards
Rudy Gomez: 10 tackles
Kaiden Ong: 8 tackles, blocked field goal
Darion Crawford: interception
Jackson Baird: sack

Point Loma

Ryder Watson: 16-of-27 passing, 201 yards, TD, INT; 41 rushing yards
Tanner Spradling: 36 rushing yards, 86 receiving yards
Isaiah Standley: 66 rushing yards, 29 receiving yards
Nick Lemus: 35 rushing yards, TD
Blake Lingard: 62-yard punt-return TD
Ryan Cleator: two field goals, interception
Brady Wagner: 9 tackles, 2 sacks
MJ Fowler: 13 tackles, two-point conversion

SCORING SUMMARY

Grossmont 8, Point Loma 0 — Tyler Holmes 2-yard run; Holmes conversion run.

Grossmont 8, Point Loma 7 — Blake Lingard 62-yard punt return; Ryan Cleator kick.

Grossmont 14, Point Loma 7 — Holmes 20-yard pass to Max Bewley; conversion failed.

Grossmont 14, Point Loma 10 — Cleator field goal.

Grossmont 14, Point Loma 13 — Cleator 42-yard field goal.

Point Loma 21, Grossmont 14 — Nick Lemus 27-yard run; MJ Fowler conversion run.

Point Loma 28, Grossmont 14 — Ryder Watson 10-yard pass to Leo Ramenofsky; Cleator kick.

Point Loma 28, Grossmont 20 — Cedric Norris short run; conversion failed.

EastCountySports.com

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Foothillers take Pointers to the finish