Future Bruin Teammates Savor Shrine Victory

Dion Lambert and Sean Howard were engaged in a sideline synopsis of the nature of Lambert’s ankle injury, and the extent to which mother nature played a part in it.

“I was right there with the guy and then I just sort of stumbled,” Lambert said. “I don’t know what happened. I was right with him. I must have stepped in a hole in that grass,” Lambert said as he pointed to the Rose Bowl turf.

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Howard said. “The grass is sort of bumpy in spots.”

Lambert shook his head. Then he shook his fist.

“Maaaaaaaan, I was right there. That guy was slow,” he said.

Slow or no, Lambert had been burned. On the second play of the Shrine All-Star football game Saturday night won by the South, 12-6, Lambert--who will attend UCLA along with Howard and 11 others in the game--learned a little about what it’s like to try his luck against a whole bunch of guys that figure to play Division I football.

Seconds into the game, Lambert, a cornerback, was the victim of a 71-yard touchdown bomb from North quarterback Mark Barsotti to receiver Rod Moore. Lambert literally fell by the wayside with a twisted ankle as Moore gathered in the bomb at the 20-yard line and cruised unmolested into the end zone.

Moore attended Kennedy High in Richmond. Lambert attended Kennedy High in Granada Hills. So perhaps it was fitting that, in search of some sideline solace, Lambert sought out Howard, his soon-to-be-Bruin buddy.

“It looked like you were starting to catch up to him, too,” Howard said of the touchdown strike. “Hang in there, we got all night. We’ll get ‘em.”

Actually, the pair did have all night, but they’ll also have the next four-plus seasons. Howard, Lambert and a slew of others figure to become plenty familiar with the smells of Rose Bowl success or failure; it’s UCLA’s home field.

South quarterback Jim Bonds, another Westwood recruit, held court of a different sort with some of his Bruin brothers.

In the second quarter, with the South trailing, 6-0, Bonds dropped back in the pocket and scanned the Rose Bowl horizon for a pair of friendly hands to throw to. Breathing down his neck was North lineman Andre Farr, all 6-4, 240 pounds of him.

Bonds finally spied receiver Pat Rowe in the left flat, and tossed him a sweet little swing pass in front of North linebacker Stacy Argo, who after a short gain took Rowe and deposited him in the vicinity of the third row.

Bonds, Farr and Argo will all attend UCLA, which opens its summer practice on Aug. 10. Saturday, however, Argo and Farr were attempting to knock the living daylights out of Bonds, the Bruin quarterback of the future.

Nobody had to tell, Bonds, Howard, Farr, Argo or Lambert that high school all-star games make for some strange grid-fellows.

Also, where can you see somebody like Farr, a bodyguard for the rap group Run-DMC, attempt to throw a body block on Bonds, a guy he figures to be in summer camp with in a matter of days?

The irony wasn’t lost on Bonds. He figured that the UCLA players on the North team were just trying to give him a nice little love tap on the side of the head. Nothing serious, mind you, but just a reminder that while they may soon be loading carbohydrates together at camp, for this night, they were figuring to unload on Bonds.

After all, what’s a little Bruin bruise between friends?

“It’s great to play against these guys, now I know what they’re going to be like. I tell you, I was impressed with the way those guys played.”

One of the guys, Argo, intercepted a Bonds pass with three minutes remaining in the game and the South holding a slim, 12-6 lead. A North fumble, however, gave Bonds a reprieve.

Tight end John Carpenter, who will attend Stanford, also knew what it was like to pop helmets with a future teammate. Carpenter spent most of his evening squaring off against Tuan Van Le, the Northern California player of the year. Le, a defensive back, had Carpenter considering his options.

“I was thinking about that on the drive over here,” Carpenter, who attended Crespi, said. “We banged heads out there a couple of times. But it’s one of those things where you go all out until the whistle blows, and then you help them up.

“But still, I was wondering what would happen if I nailed that guy. He might get even with me in camp.”

Lambert didn’t wait long to get even on his own. He intercepted a Barsotti pass at the South 33 with 8:06 left. Bonds took over, throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Eric Bieniemy for the final 12-6 margin.

On the sideline, Howard and Lambert continued their discourse.

“I feel better already,” Lambert said, shaking his wounded ankle. “You were right, we got even. Sooner or later, I knew we’d get them.”

Howard nodded enthusiastically.

“I told you, we had all night to get even.”

If not the next four seasons.