Daddy’s Home, Son Is Primed to Play : Prep football: Capistrano Valley running back Malaefou MacKenzie is big, strong and fast and has the incentive of playing in front of his father, who is back from Samoa.

The story of Capistrano Valley football player Malaefou MacKenzie will only grow bigger as he gets better.

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He grew up in Western Samoa playing rugby on the school grounds, where the physical contact of that sport made football seem like child’s play.

His father moved the family to the United States in 1988 so his children could receive an American education, then returned to Samoa to run the family business.

Weighing 155 pounds and larger than other kids his age, Malaefou (pronounced Muh-lie-fo) played with the 11- and 12-year-olds in Junior All-American football when he was 10.

His mother, Stella, fearful of Malaefou playing with the 14- and 15-year-olds while still 12 and 13, didn’t allow him to play while his friends were honing their skills.

In eighth grade, MacKenzie told physical education teacher Dave Brown at Marco Forster Middle School in Mission Viejo that he would break the school’s bench press record (160 pounds) “and lift 300 pounds.” Brown said no way--and offered to buy a pizza if the feat was accomplished. MacKenzie failed. He lifted 295.

“He did it in front of the student body,” Brown said. “He was only 13 at the time. I was amazed; I’ve never seen a kid that strong. I finally bought him a pizza about a year later.”

Brown is now the first-year football coach at Capistrano Valley. MacKenzie, a junior who is 6 feet and 213 pounds, is one of the main reasons the Cougars expect to be one of county’s best teams.

He is big, strong (benching 375 pounds) and fast (a 4.38 hand-timed 40-yard dash).

And as if the kid needed extra incentive to play well this season, his father has come to watch him play.

Vernon MacKenzie, chief executive officer of S.V. MacKenzie, Ltd., a wholesaler for foodstuffs in Western Samoa, arrived Tuesday after a 13-month absence and a 10-hour flight. He typically returns to the family’s San Juan Capistrano home every three or four months. But last year, MacKenzie missed the entire football season as his son blossomed into one of the county’s best players.

The close relationship between father and son is evident.

“I would give my right arm to stay back and see him play in the final [championship] game,” said Vernon MacKenzie, who saw six of Malaefou’s freshman games. “I’m trying to make up for not being here for him last year. I thought, ‘This time I owe it to him.’ Plus, I enjoy watching him play. He’s an exciting person to watch, and I see a little bit of me in him, but I was never as good a player as he is.”

And Malaefou is good. He rushed for 905 yards, 5.5 per carry, and 15 touchdowns last year. He’s not the first football player in the family. Vernon (whose middle name is Samuel and is one of four Vernons in the family) was a high school fullback in the late 1950s. The oldest MacKenzie child, Vernon James, was a defensive lineman for Capistrano Valley and Saddleback College; he’s now the Cougars’ defensive line coach.

Malaefou’s father has every intention of watching the Cougars’ whole season. He’s already lining up excuses to delay his return.

“I’m pretty sure I would be able to go up to the 10th week; thereafter, I’m not sure,” Vernon said. “But if they win the first game and then the second game [of the playoffs], I’ll keep making excuses.”

One thing Malaefou doesn’t need on the football field is excuses. Brown calls him the best he has been involved with in 15 years of coaching.

“He’s so quick and explosive that as an offensive back, he can run over you or around you,” Brown said. “As a defensive player, he can dominate a lot of people.”

MacKenzie will play linebacker and cornerback on defense. And offensively, he’ll get plenty of opportunities to run around--and over--the opposition.

Said Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson: “I think he has all the attributes in one package; what stands out in our mind is his quickness, his vision and he’s extremely explosive. He’s just a real good running back.”

Brown says MacKenzie’s greatest attribute is “his conscientiousness in his work ethic.”

“He’s a very hard worker,” he said. “He lifts hard, he runs hard, he does a lot of things to improve himself. And he has a lot of personal integrity.

“I don’t really see any weaknesses as a football player or human being. He’s very nice, very polite, loves little kids. He’s very friendly to his teammates. He’s a person of tremendous integrity and I think it comes from his family. They’re a very strong, religious family.”

It’s a close family, all right, and MacKenzie’s incentive to perform to his own high standards is evident.

“[Vernon MacKenzie’s presence] means a lot to me,” Malaefou said. “Usually I never see him during the year. He comes out and supports me. I try that much harder. If I lose, then I have to bear looking at him.

“It’s difficult to face him after losing; I feel like I failed. He won’t be too strict, he’ll say ‘Good game’ and stuff, but I take it personally, like I lost the game, like I didn’t try hard enough, like I could have done better.”

Of course, that’s rarely the case--which Vernon MacKenzie will discover.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

SAN DIEGO LINCOLN VS. CAPISTRANO VALLEY

Featured Game

When: 7:30 tonight

Where: Capistrano Valley High

Records: San Diego Lincoln (0-0); Capistrano Valley (0-0)

Rankings: Capistrano Valley is No. 6.

Noteworthy: Capistrano Valley gets a good test in Lincoln (7-4 last year), which is typically quick and scrappy; the Hornets have reached the San Diego Section playoffs every year since 1984, and won section titles in 1985 and ’86. Defensive back Anthony Smith is their best player, but is surrounded by youth. Lincoln starts only five seniors. The Hornets have a playoff victory in three of the last five years--including 1994.