LYNN — When the UMass football team comes running out of the tunnel at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on September 9 against Miami (Ohio), there’s going to be a little bit of Lynn involved.
KIPP’s Vic Mafo is headed west to suit up for the Minutemen this fall.
“The feeling, honestly, the words can’t even describe how much joy I had.” said Mafo, who registered 1,800 all-purpose yards with 16 touchdowns last fall. “All the hard work I did, all the days I was grinding, all the days I questioned myself, it just all worked out.”
It certainly did, but shortly after the football season, Mafo wasn’t sure it would.
“Recruiting was a little slow and things weren’t really in my favor,” said Mafo, who was born and raised in Lynn. “When things got rough, I just started to pray. Deep down inside, I always believed there was still a chance, but some type of doubt just started coming out, so I knew I had to turn to God for some guidance.”
Then, it happened.
“I was actually at work. When I got the call, I went outside and started jumping up and down,” Mafo said. “There was a lot of joy in my family that day.”
He reached out to former Wide Receivers Coach Ryan Partridge a few months ago, who followed Mafo back on Twitter. From there, despite Partridge departing from the program, he connected Mafo with other UMass coaches.
“We just kept on building our relationship. We would have calls here and there, and then after, it just went through,” Mafo said. “I kept having good calls and good updates, and I just climbed the ranks.”
Mafo isn’t sure if he’ll play as a wide receiver or defensive back just yet, but said he’s ready for either as the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Panther also made 60 tackles alongside six interceptions his senior season.
“Whatever happens, happens,” Mafo said. “I’ll be ready for it.”
He’ll get his chance July 26 when he begins camp. When asked about Head Coach Don Brown, Mafo said he’s “more than excited” to play for the former Michigan defensive coordinator.
“I know he expects hard work in people, so I’m going to have to put my A-game on and give everything I have,” said Mafo, who played for winning-team North at the Shriners All-Star Football Game in June.
UMass plays five home games (“It’s a really nice stadium,” he said), and Mafo said he’s looking forward to facing Auburn (capacity: 87,451) and Penn State (106,572) on the road.
“I love the competition. Playing teams like that really brings out the best emotions in you,” said Mafo, who enjoys the “white on white” UMass uniforms. “It should be a good feeling.”
It all goes back to KIPP, where Mafo suited up for three years.
“In my heart, I love KIPP football. I’m going to be a Panther for life,” said Mafo, who’s excited to help put “disrespected” KIPP on the map. “My relationship with (Head Coach) James Rabbitt: he’s a really good guy. Outside of football, he actually talks to you. It’s not just about football.”
When asked to name a favorite KIPP memory, it took Mafo about two seconds to say “the Oxford game.” The No. 7 Panthers defeated No. 3 Oxford 34-33 to advance to the Division 8 Super Bowl last fall.
“That game, we were down at half, and everyone’s real emotions came out,” Mafo said. “It came down to literally the last play of the game, so it was a really good feeling.”
And what he learned from high school football is making the trip west, too.
“It’s all about how much you can work hard,” Mafo said.
Mafo graduated KIPP with a 3.8 GPA and plans to study civil engineering at UMass.
“Even when things didn’t look bright, I always believed,” Mafo said. “It all worked out in the end.”
