Best Supporting Player

You know the qualities of a star football player.

Flashy, stylish, a signature move or burst of speed that leaves defenders grasping at air and fans admiring the skills.

Charlie Landrigan is not the type.

Don’t misunderstand. The Capistrano Valley fullback and linebacker is a good football player with the ability to influence or even determine the outcome of tonight’s game against top-ranked Mater Dei.

But on a team with standouts such as running back Malaefou MacKenzie and quarterback Austin Moherman, Landrigan, a senior, is the classic Other Guy--the type who does the things needed to win games, like blocking and tackling.

“It’s always been that way,” said Landrigan, 17. “Since playing Pop Warner, I’ve always been one of the better guys on the team, but there’s always been the one guy who’s the standout. I’ve always been the guy who blocked for that guy.

“Even when I first got to Capo and thought I might have a chance to be The Guy, there was Malaefou as a freshman already benching 400 pounds. So I knew he would be the star. I don’t mind it; it’s nice. It keeps the pressure off me. And when teams concentrate so much on Malaefou and Austin, I can sneak up and make a big play.”

In nine games, Landrigan has rushed 53 times for 355 yards and caught 29 passes for 327 yards. He has scored 10 touchdowns.

He said it is an honor to block for MacKenzie, who has rushed for 934 yards and 15 touchdowns.

“He’s amazing,” Landrigan said. “It’s like blocking for a college back. People say there are others who are better, but you can’t argue with what he’s done. He pushes me, too. We worked out all summer, and he’s made me excel at a higher level trying to keep up with him.”

MacKenzie returns the compliment.

“Without him I don’t get all those yards,” he said. “I can always depend on him. At another school he would be the lead runner. He runs as well as he blocks.”

But it’s on defense that Landrigan’s contributions might be more important.

Last year, Landrigan, who is 5 feet 11, 220 pounds, led the Cougars with 91 tackles (three for losses), including one sack and one interception. This season, he again has a team-high 72 tackles, including 14 against Bakersfield. He has three sacks, six tackles for losses, has forced a fumble and has recovered a fumble.

“He’s sneaky,” defensive coordinator Jeff Kelly said. “He can go through people, but he has an exceptional ability to go around blockers. He’s also very intelligent. The average linebacker only reads the ‘keys’ he’s given to react to the ball. Charlie can tell where the ball is going from looking at the formations.

“The colleges that overlook him, in my opinion, are missing out,” Kelly said. “He has the speed and size for a Division I school. I coached Scott von der Ahe [Arizona State] when he was at Saddleback. Charlie is a lot like Scott--a dedicated worker who plays with intensity and emotion.

“To me he is as valuable as Malaefou.”

Mater Dei Coach Bruce Rollinson said Landrigan has the Monarchs’ respect and attention.

“On their team, MacKenzie and Moherman have to be reckoned with,” Rollinson said. “But Charlie Landrigan is very good on both sides of the ball. On offense he gets you what you need. On defense he’s like a 1960s linebacker--he gets into that aggressive stance and is everywhere making plays.”

Landrigan says Capistrano Valley, which opened the season ranked second behind the Monarchs, is getting Mater Dei at a good time. He says the Cougars have gotten their confidence back after midseason losses to Atascadero and Bakersfield.

“The losses were a dose of reality,” Landrigan said. “[Atascadero and Bakersfield] were great teams, especially Bakersfield. They’re the best team I’ve ever played against. But I think we believed all the press. It was neat for a while, but it wasn’t really us.

“But we righted the ship. It took awhile; after the losses we wondered if we were as good as the other undefeated teams like Laguna Hills and Aliso Niguel. But having won four in a row, we may have lost in the rankings but we haven’t lost anything else.

“If we can beat Mater Dei we’re still league champs, which was one of our goals. We’re going to the playoffs. And, really, there are four games that mean anything, and those are the four playoff games.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

MATER DEI VS. CAPISTRANO VALLEY

Featured Game

When: 7:30 tonight.

Where: Capistrano Valley High.

Records: Mater Dei 9-0, 4-0; Capistrano Valley 7-2, 4-0.

Rankings: Mater Dei is No. 1 and Capistrano Valley is No. 7 in the Southern Section Division I poll. They are ranked first and eighth in Orange County.

Noteworthy: Before the season, this figured to be the best game of the season. Mater Dei was No. 1 in The Times Orange County’s preseason rankings and Capistrano Valley was No. 2. While the Monarchs have stayed on top, the Cougars have fallen after back-to-back losses to Atascadero and Bakersfield. Capistrano Valley will be looking to win the South Coast League title outright, having shared it last season with San Clemente and Mater Dei.