T.J. Takafua had spent his entire football life in the trenches — "since the third grade," he said — when
Fremont (Sunnyvale, Calif.) coach Rob Swartz made the call to give the burly offensive tackle and linebacker the ball. Nicknamed "Tree Trunk" growing up, Takafua scored on a 5-yard dive play.
"My main thought was just don't fumble the ball," Takafua said. "When I got in the end zone I was shocked. I'm used to blocking and pancaking guys to let others run in. It was like ‘Oh snap, I just scored.'
"It was like every lineman's dream."
That was the only carry for the then 230-pound sophomore. Now as a 6-foot, 310-pound senior fullback, Takafua is powering, bulldozing, tree-trunking and snapping his way into the end zone with greater regularity.
It's no longer a dream but an every-game occurrence.
On 83 carries, he has piled up 711 yards (8.6 average) and nine touchdowns. He closed out the regular season with his fourth straight 100-yard game — 103 yards and two touchdowns in a 50-20 loss to Gunn (Palo Alto) — with a high of 18 carries for 170 yards in a game versus Los Altos and three TDs against Monta Vista (Cupertino).
His team's season finale Friday was forfeited already by Saratoga and the Firebirds (5-5) have only an outside shot at the playoffs.
Either way, Takafua will carry on to the wrestling mat, where he also excels. In 2019 — 2020 was wiped out by the pandemic — he reached the state tournament as a heavyweight and was ranked the 12th best in his weight class and No. 2 sophomore.
He hopes to do both sports in college, but he'll weigh his options after wrestling season.
Swartz thinks he has the goods to play at the next level, either as a fullback, defensive tackle or inside linebacker.
"He's a natural knee bender with explosive quickness you don't see for an athlete his size," Swartz said. "Beyond showing amazing running ability, he's an absolutely devastating lead blocker. I definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of his blocks when he's running full speed."
Takafua said being a lead blocker might be his favorite part of playing fullback. He's always loved the contact since tangling with his older brothers Nela and Cohle as a kid. Takafua takes great pride in his Tongan and Filipino descent, noting that his grandmother nicknamed him T.J. He's named after his father Tony.
"Mostly I've just got to block ends, but sprinting at full speed and getting to smack guys down field is so much fun," he said. "I remember one kid was literally running away from me."
Swartz describes Takafua personally as a "really nice kid. Well-mannered. Almost soft-spoken. A real gentleman, who does most of his talking one-on-one."
Besides being naturally strong — "he walks into summer workouts repping three plates no problem," Swartz said. — Takafua's wrestling background has led to his body control. "He's almost like a gymnast the way he's able to spin and escape tacklers on the football field," Swarz said. "On top of all that he has really soft hands."
That led to six receptions for 82 more yards and a touchdown this season for Takafua.
"He's definitely a physical specimen," Swartz said. "He's just so thick and strong. Sometimes I look at his calves and go, ‘What's your thigh doing down there?' "
Takafua is just the beginning of a big-boy backfield for Fremont, Swartz said. Another offensive lineman Malaia Brown would have seen carries this season but he tore an ACL. He's only a junior.
"He's even faster than T.J.," Swartz said. "But he only weighs 270 pounds."
T.J. Takafua, Fremont
Courtesy Fremont Athletics
