Mackenzie Takes His Revenge : Football: After being hit hard, Capistrano Valley sophomore runs for two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 21-3 victory over El Modena.

Anger is most dangerous when it manifests itself in the young and strong--especially if the hostile youngster is surrounded by the targets of his angst.

So while El Modena High’s defenders reveled in repeatedly knocking around Capistrano Valley sophomore running back Malaefou Mackenzie during the first three quarters Friday night, they might have been better served treating the kid a little nicer.

Mackenzie didn’t care that they were just doing their jobs, and retaliated with two long, fourth-quarter touchdown runs that powered the Cougars past the visiting Vanguards, 21-3, in a nonleague game in front of 1,800.

“I was frustrated,” Mackenzie said. “I should have broken away more than I did (earlier in the game). I knew that I could do better.”

Now El Modena knows.

Mackenzie gained a game-high 188 yards in 21 carries. He was at his best after halftime, totaling 178 yards in 11 second-half rushes.

He scored on a 65-yard touchdown run with 5 minutes 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter. He was hit four times behind the line of scrimmage before racing untouched the rest of the way to the end zone. Brett Thompson’s second point-after kick gave the Cougars (2-2) a 14-3 lead.

“We hit him (four) times,” said Vanguard Coach Steven Howard, whose team dropped to 2-2. “He’s sure good.”

Mackenzie sealed the game with his second touchdown, a 63-yard run on a reverse with 4:01 left.

The Cougars led, 7-3, at halftime despite their offense, which managed to gain only 30 yards from scrimmage in seven first-half possessions.

In five of those possessions, Capistrano Valley was forced to punt after running three plays. It ran four plays and punted in another, and allowed time to expire in the half the final time it had the ball.

Luckily for the Cougars, El Modena’s offense seemed only slightly more awake. The half’s lone touchdown came on a 20-yard fumble recovery by senior linebacker Roman Felix with 6:00 remaining in the first quarter.