Big Kid on the Block : Laguna Hills’ Makakaufaki Can Catch the Ball and Anchor Line

Since his sophomore season, Saia Makakaufaki has watched his good friend Michael Jones pile up the yards and soak up the publicity. But as Laguna Hills drives toward the Southern Section Division VIII football title, people are starting to realize that Jones didn’t run for all those yards by himself.

Makakaufaki, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end, has been maybe the biggest benefactor of Jones’ success. He is being recruited by every Pacific 10 school--he has set up visits to USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington, though he has yet to qualify academically for Division I colleges.

He is one of the first players opposing coaches notice when scouting Laguna Hills and he’s even starting to see more of the media.

“I’m a little surprised by it all,” Makakaufaki said. “I’m starting to get used to it. I like it.”

It would be hard to call Makakaufaki a late bloomer or a surprise. He has always been large and has always been athletic. In fact, he has been a three-year starter on Laguna Hills’ basketball team.

“When you see a kid that big, you tell him if he works hard and does the things he’s told, he’s got a chance to be a Division I college player,” Laguna Hills Coach Steve Bresnahan said. “But when you see a kid that big, you think he’s going to be an offensive tackle.”

Until you see him run and jump. Then you realize you might have yourself a pretty good tight end. Aliso Niguel Coach Joe Wood said he noticed Makakaufaki’s talent immediately.

“He’s always been an outstanding player,” Wood said. “A guy with his size and speed that can catch the ball is rare. And he can anchor an offensive line.”

Said Bresnahan: “He can block a Division I college lineman and he can run down field and catch the ball. There’s not too many of those kind of guys around.”

Makakaufaki has done most of his best work in the trenches, knocking down defensive ends and linebackers so Jones’ yards are a little easier to come by. In a more pass-oriented offense, Makakaufaki might be the star and the running back the bit player, but Makakaufaki doesn’t mind.

“All I care about is winning,” Makakaufaki said. “Being a tight end on an outstanding running team allows me and [the other tight end] Ryan Johnson to make the big plays, the third-down catches. We’re usually wide open because everybody is looking for Michael.”

Of Makakaufaki’s 17 catches, eight have gone for touchdowns and 14 for first downs. He is averaging 25.2 yards a catch and 10 yards on his four rushing attempts. Just how gaudy could those numbers be if Makakaufaki played somewhere else?

“I’ve thought about that, what I could do at Los Alamitos in a passing attack,” he said.

But he has also thought about how much respect he has for Jones and Bresnahan, so he has never complained about not getting the ball very often.

“Michael’s the man,” Makakaufaki said. “He’s earned my respect. He plays every game with his heart. Ever since his sophomore year, he’s been running over people. People say we make him look good, but he makes us look good too. If you miss your block, he’ll still find a hole.”

Bresnahan said team-first attitudes such as Makakaufaki’s are the main reasons Laguna Hills is a game away from its first section title since 1991.

“The key to our team is that our seniors are very close,” Bresnahan said. “But they’re also very good at being a team and not a clique.”

After Friday night’s title game at La Mirada High, the players will go their separate ways. Makakaufaki said thinking about the future has made for a melancholy week.

“We’ve worked so hard for this for three years,” he said. “It’s sort of sad. I’m going to miss our team and our coaches.”