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It was where his brother, Sean, played and enjoyed the annual riches of Narrows League championships and deep runs in the playoffs. Steven, too, got a taste of that, playing linebacker for the Bears for seasons.
So what was he expecting from his new school – Capital High?
“I thought they wouldn’t take the work seriously,” Steven Malepeai said. “But they do. They get in the weight room … and work hard.”
Excuse Malepeai for having blinders on while with the Bears – and not fully understanding what was going on at Capital under coach John (J.D.) Johnson. All the Cougars had done was advance to the Class 3A state semifinals in two of the past three seasons.
Last week, they beat Lincoln to clinch the Narrows 3A title, making it back-to-back championship, and will host West Seattle on Saturday in a state play-in game.
Malepeai, who transferred last semester when his family moved to west Olympia, has been one of the big reasons the Cougars overcame the loss of 27 seniors from their squad a season ago.
“You know, he flows well and makes good reads,” Johnson said. “When he hits you, he hits you. He makes big plays.”
Malepeai, a Hawaii native, has had to do much more than hit, tackle and study his playbook before he could play for the Cougars.
Before Malepeai transferred, Olympia assistant coach Todd McDougall phoned Capital principal Chris Woods, who was a former Bears assistant under coach Bill Beattie, and gave the administrator a heads-up on Malepeai’s academic struggles. In 2010, an ineligible Malepeai missed the first four games at Olympia.
If Malepeai was going to play at Capital, Woods told Johnson, he would have to get extra help early on.
“Right then and there, our ultimate goal for him was to pass high school,” Johnson said.
One of the first things Malepeai had to do was enroll in “boot camp” – a study-hall creation of Woods.
Even today at lunchtime, Malepeai cannot sit down with his friends to chat or eat a meal. He has to report directly to study hall to focus on his homework.
“Boot camp – when I hear that word, that is when I have to get my mind in the schoolwork because I don’t want to be in the situation (of being ineligible),” Malepeai said. “I was kind of nervous coming here. I wasn’t sure if I was able to play football or not.”
This season, the extra attention has paid off – Malepeai has been a full-time player on defense.
“From time to time, he has struggled. I have had to visit him in study hall,” Johnson said. “But he’s had to do it all himself, and we’ve just had to push him.”
Todd Milles: 253-597-8442 todd.milles@thenewstribune.com
