HIGH SCHOOL REPORT
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Matthew Masifilo, who loves math and physics, tried to explain the solution to a problem written by Paul Greene, his physics and calculus teacher at Campbell.
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By the numbers
Campbell's standout offensive tackle Masifilo is also adept at math and physics
ONCE UPON a time, a nervous, young fifth-grade boy arrived in a faraway place, wondering what would happen to him at his new school.
Jin Lee had just begun his new life, one far removed from his former home in Kalihi. Ewa Elementary School was: a) in a hot, breezeless place; b) in a town a lot different from urban Honolulu, and c) chock full of strangers. He noticed another fifth-grader, a huge kid. The biggest one he'd ever seen in an elementary school.
His name was Matt.
Jin, the new Korean kid, didn't know what to make of Matthew Masifilo. He wasn't just a towering presence. He was also a cool guy.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Campbell senior offensive tackle Matthew Masifilo, left, tried to work out a physics problem with classmate Joseph Ritt.
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As that first day went along, Matt introduced Jin to many of his friends, showed Jin around the school. A bond was formed. Jin came to know his new friend, the giant guy with the Tongan dad and mom from Kauai, as a true anomaly.
"We always knew Matt was gonna be great, but I thought he was gonna be a scientist. He's one of the smartest guys I know," Jin said.
Seven years since they met, Jin is an offensive guard and 6-foot-2 1/2, 250-pound Matt is a tackle for a standout offensive line at Campbell High School.
SOME TEAMMATES CALL him "Monsterfilo" when they feel brave enough to poke fun.
"I'm gonna get in trouble for that," Lee worried.
The nickname fits only in the sense that Masifilo is both a protector, which is the trait of a great offensive lineman, and an attacker, because he prefers the defensive side of the ball. Off the field, however, he is still the same kid who took a stranger under his considerable wing and made the nervousness dissipate.
What is it in the mind and heart of a fifth-grader that would compel him to befriend a newcomer at school? It isn't really unusual. What makes it unique is that Matthew Masifilo, now being recruited by 13 Division I schools (at last count), was at Ewa Elementary by choice. He loved the school early on, opting to stay there when another school, Holomua, was built near his family's home.
He was in second grade at the time.
"My mom (Tina) and dad (Etika) didn't insanely push me about school. The new school was brand new with nice things, computers, stuff like that," Masifilo recalled. "My teachers at Ewa made learning fun. They really made me interested in learning. It wasn't just textbooks. I just liked Ewa Elementary so much."
So he remained there, engrossed with learning, hovering about camps, befriending athletes and nerds alike because, well, that's what he was.
HE TOWERS OVER his peers, a young man of Polynesian extraction, articulate, bright, scholarly, talented in sports. He has the natural gift of bringing people together, but loves a good discussion -- and debate -- about most anything. That may sound like a certain mayor who went on to play basketball at Harvard, but Masifilo doesn't intend to become the next Mufi Hannemann.
Stanford has written. So have Cal and a handful of other Pac-10 schools. Hawaii has offered an early scholarship, but of the 13 offers he has, Masifilo likes Stanford a little more than the others. Cal is second on his list, but he isn't going to rush into a commitment.
He loves analysis. Math. Physics. Numbers register in his mind. They mean something to him. Well, they mean a lot. A semester ago, his grade-point average was 3.95. He's quick to mention that it is now 4.0 thanks to success in AP classes.
This is, after all, the guy who once told a reporter that anybody who tries hard in sports, but is lazy about academics is "two-faced."
That quote, in a Star-Bulletin story, went up on the front door of Campbell's office.
Being a nerd, then beloved by school administrators, normally won't score points in some teenage circles. But Masifilo doesn't fret much about the masses.
Ah, the masses. Masifilo is unafraid to say that Campbell fans are quick to cheer and equally quick to jeer. They expect the world, and Masifilo hopes the Sabers, who are off to a 2-0 start, can bring exactly that.
IT'S A SUNDAY morning. The family is ready to head to church, a relatively short drive to Pearl City. It is not Masifilo's thing. Makes sense. How many rational, logical thinkers embrace things unseen, especially at such a young age? The tenets and mandates of his parents to work hard in everything, to study with complete concentration, to excel in school -- those things stuck.
With a tired body and a lazy vibe in the air, Sunday mornings for Masifilo mean it's time to take the Sabbath literally: a day of rest. Etika doesn't grind Matt down to dust over the matter.
"It's kind of hard when you're used to reasoning," Masifilo said. "Some things are contradictory, hard to understand."
Two roads often lead to the same destination. Etika's road began in a much different place. Growing up on remote Eua Island in Tonga, there was no running water, no convenience as Westerners know it.
"My dad's dad died when he was 8. I have my grandfather's name," said Masifilo, who has been to Eua three times with Etika. "The good thing about Tonga, everyone helps out each other. They don't have much, but they have family. That's why nobody there is homeless."
From tiny Tominiko village, Etika made his way to Hawaii Loa College, which later merged with Hawaii Pacific College. He met Tina, got married and life progressed quite well. If Etika had to rely on faith every step of the way, how would his talented, hard-working son know the definition when life here is so good? Physics can be explained.
Faith has to be experienced. There is no Eua Island for Masifilo, not yet.
"IN THE REAL world, it's about self-motivation. Everything I try to learn, I want it to be purposeful," he said, knowing that the classroom is often the most distant relative of the gridiron.
"I like the high competitiveness of football. The jittery feeling you get before a game. The way the crowd gets into it," Masifilo said.
The connection between community and high school football isn't lost on Masifilo. If he could rewind the tape, nothing would be different.
"There's a lot of talent in Ewa Beach, like the team that won the (Little League) World Series. I know a lot of those guys, and lots of them are at Saint Louis and Punahou now. I'd rather make the best of the environment I'm in," he said.
"We have a lot of talent, and we can make it work together. The talent I have is a reflection of how good my team is. They prepared me," he said.
There is no line of reasoning for acts of grace, but Masifilo sees it often enough.
"He's very passionate, very philosophical," he said of longtime coach Tumoana Kenessey. "He's always teaching us life lessons. He looks out for people."
Kenessey is not a physics instructor. He's the dean of students.
"If anybody gets into trouble on campus, he knows about it," Masifilo said.
"He gives people second chances."