SAN DIEGO SECTION FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : SECTION 3-A : Vista-Point Loma Is a Game for the Ages : Football: Coaches Haines and Edens have compiled a combined 511 career victories.

Together they have 132 years of experience from which to draw, 77 of them as head coach of a high school football team or two.

That’s a whole lot of X’s and O’s . . . and a ton of chalk.

Point Loma’s Bennie Edens and Vista’s Dick Haines have been at this coaching business long enough to compile 511 victories between them. Edens, who turned 66 last week and is six weeks older than Haines, has 207 victories in 38 years at Point Loma. Haines has 179 in 22 years at Vista and 125 in 17 years in Ohio and West Virginia.

Figure every ounce of that knowledge will follow them as their respective teams descend upon San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium at 7 tonight for the Section 3-A championship.

And what a descent it should be. At a media gathering early in the week, Edens said the football seeding committee has a difficult job and takes a lot of flak for not always doing it very well. But look here. As in the 2-A final, the 3-A game features No. 1 against No. 2.

Top-seeded Vista, the Palomar League champion, has won 19 of its last 20 games. The 13-0 Panthers are making their first appearance in the final since 1986 and last won in 1985. Vista also won in 1981 and made the finals in 1984.

Eastern League champion Point Loma, seeded second, went undefeated (13-0) on its way to the 1987 title, its lone 3-A final appearance. Since 1960, the Pointers have won two of the four 2-A finals--1966 and 1982, a co-championship with El Camino--in which they have played.

“One of us will probably come away in tears,” Haines said, “but it won’t be long when we look back and say ‘Hey, we were a good football team.’ ”

Neither coach calls his team his best ever. But they do have distinguishing characteristics.

Both are strong on defense, Point Loma particularly so. The Pointers have allowed 6.8 points and 112 yards per game, including only 38.5 passing yards per contest.

“We have guys who are quick; we’ve proved that against good passing teams,” said La’Roi Glover, the 6-foot-3, 275-pound lineman whom Haines good-naturedly accused Edens of cheating with.

Said Haines: “He plays (Glover) on the nose, and the next play, it’s where’s that Glover kid? Now he’s out here at linebacker. So your quarterback’s getting panicky, where is he? You have to leave him in one place.”

Edens acknowledged his is “maybe the best defensive team that we’ve had in my stay at Point Loma, which is forever,” but there are shortcomings. “We play adequate offense.”

Not exactly a knee-weakening prospect, what with the late-season hip injury to running back Alex Gresham. The emergence of halfback Rantie Harper (145 yards rushing in the semifinal against Chula Vista) has helped, but Vista’s offense is the more potent of the two.

“It will come down to us containing Dick’s offense,” said Edens. “That’s the reason our defense will play an important part.”

That means putting a stop to the footrace Chato Jackson (249 carries for 1,447 yards) is expected to start, and the game of catch quarterback Eric Jencks and receivers Aaron Rounsifer, Jose Perez and Morgan Knox are expected to play.

Haines said Vista probably will start with the running game and make the necessary adjustments. Flexibility, he said, is the name of this Panther game.

“If not, Joe the Ragman will come out and beat you,” he said.

Neither coach expects big plays to factor much into the game.

“Chato will get big plays for you, but he’s not going to get 30 or 40 yards at a time,” Haines said.

Said Edens: “We’re not going to go 80 yards a time. If we can play on a short field and keep Vista on a long field, I think we have the ability to score points.”

Ultimately, a defensive struggle is on the horizon.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a scoring game or who has the ball last,” Edens said. Dick projects a good offensive challenge, but I think it will be defense. His and ours.”

3-A Finalists

Vista (13-0)

V Opponent 35 Carlsbad 7 35 Chula Vista 0 21 Morse 7 21 Orange Glen 14 14 Mt. Carmel 7 24 RBV 21 21 San Dieguito 8 20 Fallbrook 7 27 Poway 7 20 Torrey Pines 3

Playoffs

35 Sweetwater 15 17 Morse 10 21 Mira Mesa 14

Point Loma (12-1)

PL Opponent 0 El Camino 20 34 Las Vegas Rancho 14 28 Las Vegas Valley 0 10 Helix 7 22 Lincoln 7 17 Mira Mesa 7 55 Serra 0 42 Kearny 7 41 Patrick Henry 3 16 Morse 0

Playoffs

42 Montgomery 13 21 Helix 0 21 Chula Vista 10