THE BIG GAME : Pointers’ White to Test Mira Mesa Defense

Point Loma High School quarterback Danny White, the county’s leading passer, is good enough as it is. So the last thing Ed Shoen wants to do is give him reason to get any better.

Shoen is Mira Mesa’s defensive coordinator. His defense, which ranks second in the county (giving up an average of 5.7 points in six games) will take a midterm exam of sorts tonight at 7 when it attempts to find a way to slow Point Loma’s passing in a City Eastern game at Mira Mesa High School.

Mira Mesa (5-1, 1-0) certainly is capable of stopping a top offense, as it proved when it held third-ranked Chula Vista to 14 points four weeks ago. Free safety Steve Hamaguchi, the county weight-lifting champion, is among the hardest hitting defensive backs around. Two quick cornerbacks--Beau Champoux and Keith Wallace--flank Hamaguchi.

Still, Shoen won’t bite when asked if this defense is capable of shutting down White.

“Oh, gosh,” he said. “I don’t know if we can expect that. I don’t want anything that can go on any of their bulletin boards.”

The plan is this:

“The best pass defense,” Shoen said, “is if the quarterback is on his back. No one has had great success doing that (to White).”

White has completed 78 of 133 passes for 1,351 yards and 11 touchdowns. He can’t take all the credit--his primary receivers, Brett Callan (31 receptions, 620 yards) and J.J. Stokes (31, 564), rank second and third in the county.

The thing that has to frighten Mira Mesa is that Point Loma (3-3, 1-0) can also run.

“Our running attack hasn’t been bad,” Point Loma Coach Bennie Edens said. “We’ve been getting better each week.”

This, despite losing starter Kevin Perreira to an ankle injury in a 36-34 victory over Dorsey. Marlon Manassa and Jose Ugarte have filled in adequately, and Edens expects Perreira to return before the conclusion of the regular season.

“We’ve been able to score on everybody,” Edens said. “So I think we’ll be able to put some points on the board.”

Another thing likely to be floating some anxiety in Mira Mesa’s direction is that Point Loma’s defense shut out Serra last week. In five previous games, the Pointers’ weakness had been their defense, allowing a 32.8-point average.

Traditionally, this has been a good match-up. Through the past six meetings, the teams stand even at 3-3. Both coaches will be quick to admit that Mira Mesa and Point Loma don’t like each other, adding extra spice to an interesting game.