High schools
It all works out for lineman

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

Iolani senior defensive tackle Donny Mateaki says he lifts weights "four or five times a week," even during the season. The hard work has paid off, as he has bench-pressed 405 pounds and can now squat 450 five times. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

At 6 feet 6 and 258 pounds, he has the kind of sculpted body the Romans named planets after — the kind that could quickly strike fear into smaller high school linemen or quarterbacks.

But three years ago, as an Iolani freshman who had just transferred from Dole Intermediate, Mateaki was the one about to be intimidated.

"The first day, oh man, it was terrible," Mateaki said. "I didn't think I would come back. It took me three hours to do the homework — and that was only the first day."

Iolani's student body also presented a culture shock, seemingly a world apart from Kalihi Valley.

"At Dole, the majority is Polynesians," Mateaki said. "Here, the majority is Japanese. It was people I had never really seen before."

And although it seems hard to believe now, the gridiron wasn't a place where he felt at ease, either. Already 6-1 and 185 pounds, Mateaki was always too big to play youth football.

Playing in pads for the first time on the Raiders' intermediate team, he felt awkward, and played that way.

"He was a tall, lanky kid, a fish out of water," Iolani varsity coach Wendell Look said. "He was really skinny and kinda uncoordinated. We didn't know where to play him, we even tried him at receiver. He was just learning the game."

Said Mateaki: "I thought I wasn't that good."

Today, almost everyone thinks he is. The list of schools recruiting Mateaki is like Brand Central: Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Arizona, Wisconsin, Southern California, Utah, California, San Diego State and yes, Hawai'i.

No longer a gangly fish out of water, he routinely swims past double-team blocking to make sacks or tackles in the backfield. Mateaki has bench-pressed 405 pounds, can do five squats of 450 and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds.

Although Kahuku defensive end Jonathan Mapu is regarded by some national services as the state's top college prospect, many local observers rate Mateaki higher. One coach whose team has faced both players compared Mateaki favorably, likening him to former Farrington and UH great Falaniko Noga.

"He has the same quickness," the coach said.

Look said Mateaki's progress was self-induced. Countless hours in the weight room developed the muscle and strength, and a willingness to learn generated the skills.

"You could see that even as a freshman, he wanted to play and wanted to learn," Look said. "We kinda knew he liked the game, the physical part of it, and every year he got stronger. He started filling into his body, and he got pretty agile. He grew physically and mentally, and from his sophomore year to junior year, I think something clicked in his mind that said, 'This could be my ticket.' "

"But mostly what you see today is due to his hard work," Look added. "His work ethic is just unreal."

Mateaki said he lifts weights four or five times a week, even during the season. He has also worked to adapt to Iolani's restrictive traditions, such as game-day chapel services, silent bus rides to the stadium and walking, not running, out onto the field.

"I learned that a lot of (other pregame) stuff is just wasted energy," Mateaki said. "We relax before the game, then when we hear the band and it's time to play, we turn it on. I think football has more tradition here (Iolani) than any other sport. We have to keep it alive."

Following in the tradition of other standout Raiders defensive linemen like Kelvin Ing, Junior Tufono and Ed Taamu, Mateaki has led Iolani to a 4-0 start, including a 2-0 record in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.

The Raiders' first major challenge, however, comes with Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game against St. Louis at Aloha Stadium.

"I don't think we've really been tested yet," Mateaki said. "This will be big to see what we can do. If we make no mistakes, I think we have a decent shot."

As for colleges, Mateaki said many have a decent shot at landing him. He has yet to narrow down his list, and he has not determined where he will use his five allotted visits.

"I just try to keep my options open," said Mateaki, who receives calls from Washington and Colorado every week. "Some schools tell me I can end it right now by giving them a verbal (commitment), but I can deal with that later. The school I want to go to may not have recruited me yet."

Mateaki said he'll step up the process after the season, and that the key factors will be how he gets along with a school's coaches and what kind of majors it offers.

"I'm thinking of going into sports medicine, or maybe teaching," Mateaki said. "If I'm injured, I still want to be successful in some area."

Mateaki already has accomplished that at Iolani. He sports a 2.6 grade point average and has scored 1,050 on his SAT.

"They make you work at this school," said Mateaki, who has one sister at USC and two siblings at other colleges. "It gets you ready."

Look said Mateaki's strides academically and socially are just as significant as his progress on the field.

"You gotta conform to a structure here, but he's never been a problem for us," Look said. "What's impressive is how he handled himself making the adjustment socially. It was a big challenge, and it took him awhile, but he always wants to push himself. He doesn't want to be just a jock. Everybody here respects him, and it's because of the kind of person he is, not just because of his size.

"His parents really did a good job raising him."

Mateaki said he now feels comfortable on campus.

"It gets easier," he said. "The faculty, the whole Iolani community — Mr. (Eddie) Hamada, 'Doc' (Mark Mugiishi) — they talk to you and encourage you. It's cool now, 'cuz I can go back to Kalihi and kick back with all my friends there, and I can come here and hang out with all the future doctors."