By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
The Saints' Tony Tata goes through
his workout yesterday.

---

Tata hopes to uphold
family tradition

The defensive tackle
will try to pick up where
his older brothers left off

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

When you're the "little brother" of four former Star-Bulletin All-State prep players, your family heritage flashes like a neon sign.

It's there for the community to see, and you can't hide from it.

So, when Tony Tata grew into his 6-foot-3, 240-pound body, he knew he had no choice other than to come out scrapping.

In his first year as a starter at left defensive tackle for St. Louis, he made 16 sacks and 60 tackles to lead the Crusaders to their 11th straight Oahu Prep Bowl title. In so doing, he became the fifth family member to earn first-team all-state honors.

"I love to get the quarterback and put him on his butt," said Tata yesterday with a sly grin.

That grin can be taken as an ominous sign for Interscholastic League of Honolulu signal callers in 1997.

Combined with a solid grade point average and a notoriously strong work ethic, Tata now looms as the top local recruiting prospect of the coming season.

That will also uphold his family heritage. Each of his all-state brothers -- defensive linemen Silila Malepeai (Oregon) and Vavae Tata (UCLA), fullback Pulou Tata (Oregon) and offensive lineman Tasi Malepeai (Oregon) -- were top local prospects as seniors and each earned a Division I scholarship.

"What makes him stand out is his speed for his size," said St. Louis head coach Cal Lee, who also coached all of Tony Tata's all-state brothers.

"He runs about a 4.7 in the 40. He carries his weight very well and he's got a heck of a motor. He's just like his older brother, Vae."

Suggesting that Tony is the reincarnation of Vae touches Tony deeply, and you can see it in his expression.

Vae, a two-time Star-Bulletin all-state lineman with the Crusaders and now a Bruin underclassman, is recovering from a serious auto accident in California. He has been Tony's mentor and source of inspiration.

In fact, Tony said he will dedicate the upcoming season to Vae.

Besides staying in constant touch with him during the past two seasons, Vae attended the 1996 Prep Bowl and took Tony out to the beach behind the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in the evenings last winter to put him through rugged workouts in the sand.

"He has a lot of natural ability, and he's relentlessly aggressive," said Lee of Tony Tata.

"His brother, Vae, was exactly like that. When that ball was snapped, he wouldn't stop until the whistle blew the play dead. He just wanted the ball.

"Sometimes you have to train people to do that," added Lee. "But with Vae and Tony, it's a natural."

Vae is quick to recognize the comparisons between himself and his brother.

"We have that same urge to get to the ball," he said. "He's got that energy and tenacity to give 100 percent every play."

Lee's gridiron arch-rival in the ILH, Punahou head coach Dan Morrison, said he certainly sees the similarity between the brothers.

"It's our feeling that Tony is as quick as Vae -- and Vae was very quick," said Morrison. "They even look alike, and they look the same coming out of the stance. It's as though they're in a track start."

Lee said that despite Tata's intimidating physique, he can also get the job done with finesse.

"He has great moves and doesn't try to just overpower you," he said. "I saw him just get past some of the blockers last year without making contact because he's so quick. He'll give an inside fake and go outside, or vice versa."

Lee said Tata power cleans over 275 pounds, benches over 350 pounds, squats over 450. "That'll put him on some kind of a chart as far as strength is concerned." he said.

Tony Tata, like his brothers, plays the piano and has a talent for song. But he insists that he finds more relaxation pressing the iron than tinkling the ivories.

"I relax by lifting," said Tata.

Tata returns to lead a strong veteran defensive unit this year in the perennially nationally ranked St. Louis prep program. That includes an extremely effective all-state linebacker named Fabian Fonoti, another college prospect.

The letters of inquiry have been pouring in for Tony Tata.

"Colorado, Nebraska, North Carolina are some that wrote," he said.

"Some days I'd get back from school and find the envelopes all over the kitchen table. I used to see those letters for my brothers and I never thought I'd be getting them, too."