HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Point Loma’s Ferocious Pass Rush Disarms Mt. Carmel

Matt Miller was happy to be in one piece.

That’s how good Point Loma’s pass rush was in the Pointers’ 28-7 victory over Mt. Carmel (5-5-1) in a 3-A first-round game Saturday at Point Loma.

Miller is Mt. Carmel’s quarterback. He passed for 2,022 yards during the regular season, more than any other quarterback in the county. Saturday, he spent most of the afternoon looking up at the sky. From his back.

“At the end I was dizzy,” said Miller, who was sacked five times. “In the second half they just crushed me. I was lucky to get out of here alive. Today they killed us. They have great athletes.”

Miller, who finished seven of 14 for 97 yards and two interceptions, led Mt. Carmel 80 yards in five plays on the first possession, then ran around the rest of the day in a futile attempt to shake the defenders who flooded through his offensive line. Linebacker Charles Ensey, who had two sacks, and the rest of the Point Loma pass-rush unit stayed in Miller’s face, which helped the Pointers overcome 128 yards in penalties and an inconsistent offensive performance.

As usual, Point Loma (9-1) relied heavily on running back Marlon Manassa, who slithered through gaps in the Mt. Carmel line for 171 yards and two touchdowns in 27 carries. Manassa carried the ball so well it’s a wonder Point Loma even attempted to pass. Two of their drives were killed by interceptions, one thrown by quarterback Toby Gault and another on a halfback option by Manassa.

Why throw a halfback option when you’re ahead by three touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter?

“We needed to work on certain things,” Point Loma Coach Bennie Edens said. “I certainly wasn’t trying to rub it in.”

After Mt. Carmel took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a four-yard run by Jeff Scott, Point Loma answered on the next possession by driving 78 yards in nine plays. Manassa carried five times for 50 yards. On third and 11 from the 20, Gault threw over the middle to halfback Alex Gresham, who reached up and grabbed the ball with his left hand, secured it and continued into the end zone for the touchdown.

On the last play of the first quarter, Gresham nailed a quick kick on third and 16 from Point Loma’s 10. It traveled 64 yards. Mostly on the ground. Suffice it to say, that’s a lot better than Point Loma does from punt formation.

Anyway, the Pointers took a 13-7 lead with 3:40 remaining in the second quarter when Manassa swerved 12 yards for a touchdown. Then, on the first possession of the second half, Point Loma went 63 yards in six plays for a touchdown, Manassa scored on a six-yard run. A two-point conversion pass from Gault to receiver Shaunta Baker made it 21-7.