Even After Decisive Victory, Pointers Have Work to Do : Football: Point Loma overwhelms Las Vegas Valley, 34-0, and looks forward to test against 2-0 Sweetwater.

By JIM LINDGREN

Sept. 20, 1992 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SAN DIEGO — Point Loma routed Las Vegas Valley, 34-0, Saturday afternoon, but don’t let the score fool you. It wasn’t that close, and Point Loma did not play that well.

“It wasn’t a great game for us,” Point Loma Coach Bennie Edens said. “But we’ll improve.

“Sweetwater (2-0) next week will be a better test for us, and we should be a good test for them. I don’t think either one of us knows where we’re at yet. I don’t know if we’re good, average or in between.”

Las Vegas Valley (0-3), to say the least, was not much of a test for fifth-ranked Point Loma (1-1), and the Pointers, despite what the score indicates, did not exactly pass with flying colors.

The Pointers drove 60 yards in six plays in their opening possession to take a 6-0 lead, but the score remained that until 6:04 in the third quarter.

The barrage of points in the final 18 1/2 minutes was mostly a result of Point Loma’s fierce defense setting up the offense or, in the case of Rantie Harper’s 70-yard interception return for a touchdown, it was the defense doing the scoring.

The Pointer offense looked crisp at times and performed much better than in Point Loma’s 14-8 loss to El Camino last week, but it was also inconsistent and totaled only 250 yards.

In addition, Point Loma was penalized 13 times for 114 yards.

“I think we stopped ourselves more than they stopped us,” Edens said. “We’re still making too many mistakes offensively. But defense was consistent throughout.”

Point Loma’s defense, which allowed only 88 points during a 13-1 1991 championship season, held Valley to 102 yards (14 passing) and five first downs, recorded two sacks and two interceptions, batted away five other passes and recovered two fumbles.

While the defense was super, the offense was overconfident, according to Harper.

“We came out big-headed,” he said. “I’m not sure about the other guys, but I read in the paper that we were supposed to win and I believed it.”

Harper, running behind an inexperienced but improving offensive line, rushed for 109 yards in 17 carries and had a hand in all but one of Point Loma’s five touchdowns.

In the first and third quarters, he scored on runs of 32 and one yards, respectively. In the fourth quarter, he threw a halfback option pass to Jacques Ballard for a 16-yard touchdown, and followed that with his 70-yard interception return.

The only other touchdown was a nine-yard pass from quarterback Ben White to tight end Bryan Shipman.

White, like the Pointer offense, started slowly, but he wound up completing 12 of 20 attempts for 111 yards with one interception. Ballard caught six of those for 67 yards.

“I was impressed with the play of Ben White,” Edens said. “We wanted to establish the pass a little this week, and we thought he threw the ball very well.”

Defensive standouts included, safeties Harper and Shaunta Baker (interception, 50-yard return), defensive lineman Shipman, Carlos Saucedo and Derik Skoglund, cornerbacks Ballard and Rashad Lewis, and linebacker Jamie Crossley.

“I was extremely pleased with the defense,” Edens said. “We know Rashad Lewis and Jacques Ballard are going to play well, but I’ll tell you, we’re coming up a couple of really good, young athletes on defense. Jamie Crossley had a heck of a game today.”

For Valley, which Point Loma shut out, 28-0, last year in Las Vegas, workhorse tailback Terrence Coleman was the lone bright spot with 60 yards in 20 rushing attempts. Quarterback Mike Lardomita completed only two of 10 passes for 14 yards with two interceptions.