Football: The pride of Taft High, Malcolm Smith, is Super Bowl MVP [Updated]

At the Starr house in San Diego on Sunday, there was screaming during the Super Bowl when Malcolm Smith, a 2007 Woodland Hills Taft gradate, returned an interception of a Peyton Manning pass 69 yards for a touchdown.

“It was pandemonium,” said Troy Starr, who coached Smith at Taft.

Smith was named MVP of the Super Bowl after helping the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Denver Broncos, 43-8.

“How cool is that?” Starr said. “It couldn’t have happened to a better kid.”

Starr, now the head coach at Helix High, coached Smith and his older brother, Steve, who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants. Smith also had a fumble recovery on Sunday.

“He always had an amazing ability to pick up fumbles and score and intercept balls and score,” Starr said. “He did it at Taft all the time. He had this innate ability that’s unbelievable.”

Starr’s last season as Taft coach was 2006, the final season for Smith before he left for USC.

“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Starr said. “I’m beyond excited for him. The coolest thing is not only is he a great player, he’s a great student and a great human being.”

On Monday morning, Taft put up a congratulatory message for Smith on its electronic marquee. TV stations were dropping by to get photos from the school yearbook. And assistant principal Neezer McNab said the school hopes to honor Smith.

Eric.sondheimer@latimes.com